San Diego

PUC Orders Re-Opening Of Park Blvd Railroad Crossing

The construction of Petco Park involved state officials ordering a nearby railroad crossing to be closed.

The construction of Petco Park involved state officials ordering a nearby railroad crossing to be closed.

Now, 16 years later, they've decided to re-open Park Boulevard to vehicle traffic.

Petco Park was supposed to be finished in 2002.

But its completion was delayed for a couple of seasons by legal, political and financial issues.

There also were safety concerns when 8th Avenue was reconfigured for the diagonal extension of 12th Avenue and renamed Park Boulevard.

The state's Public Safety Commission put up barriers in at the Park Boulevard crossing in 2001 before the pedestrian bridge was built up above.

Lawmakers have been pushing to re-open the crossing for more than a decade.

And finally, the PUC has signed off on new designs and safety protocols, with backing from the Department of Homeland Security and Major League Baseball.

The decision will allow vehicle traffic to go all the way from Balboa Park to the harbor, without detouring to 5th or 1st Avenues.

"I think it's a really awesome idea to be able to connect the Gaslamp District and Petco Park with the shoreline,” said San Bernardino resident Ann Marie Allen. β€œNice to hear things are changing and continuing to move forward."

The re-opening project is expected to cost $10 million.

Its construction timeline is yet to be announced.

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