Every time it rains heavily, floods block customers and employees from getting to the hundreds of businesses that call Sorrento Valley home.
Another burst of showers reached Southern California overnight, soaking San Diego County with heavy downpours during Wednesday's morning commute and dumping more than an inch of rain in just 12 hours.
“This whole intersection will be flooded anytime we get an inch, inch-and-a-half of rainfall,” said Brett Morey, who has worked for Total Power off Sorrento Valley Road since 2011.
Morey said the intersection of Sorrento Valley Road and Carmel Mountain Road is a disaster when it rains. The city repeatedly fixes it, only for it to fail every year again.
“We spend millions of dollars chasing our tails when it could take a few hundred thousand dollars to fix the problem,” Morey added.
San Diego City Council President Pro Tem Barbara Bry said she is just as frustrated as the business owners and drivers.
“It’s because we need a long-term solution, which involves the Los Penasquitos Lagoon,” Councilwoman Bry said.
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Bry blamed the delay on a number of different permits that need to be obtained from multiple agencies in order to restore Los Penasquitos Lagoon, which borders the road and would ultimately relieve flooding.
“I share the frustrations of these businesses who employ San Diegans and pay taxes,” she said. “I’m very frustrated at the length of time it takes to get these permits.”
Bry said construction on the first and most important phase of the restoration is set to begin in 2022 and will not be completed until 2025.
