San Diego city leaders are rolling out a new approach to infrastructure as they begin an $8 million construction project on a main Old Town thoroughfare.
Built in 1929, Juan Street runs through the heart of San Diego history, giving tourists access to the Old Town State Historic Park and supplying locals with a way to get to Taco Tuesday.
“And right now they're experiencing an old street. It's potholed, it's cracked, it's falling apart, and this is going to end that,” said City Council President Todd Gloria.
So on Tuesday, Gloria and San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer broke ground on a comprehensive overhaul of the road – the first example of the city’s new “One Dig” approach.
"It's all about consolidating all the upgrades at once: street resurfacing, sidewalk installation, new water lines. So the city doesn't have to come in and tear up the street over and over again,” said Faulconer.
The officials say doing it all in one dig will save time and money and should be less of an inconvenience to residents and local businesses.
From Taylor Street to Sunset Road, Juan Street will get new sidewalks, curbs, gutters, curb ramps and a full concrete road surface.
Local
Underneath the pavement, crews will replace water pipes and create a reinforced concrete drainage system, which they hope will minimize flooding that has plagued the area.
Faulconer said this will be the city’s largest concrete paving project on a single street in several years, though it’s unclear how long it will last.
He plans to apply the “One Dig” philosophy to infrastructure development across San Diego.
