Golden Hill "Renaissance Project” begins

City leaders on April 9 broke ground on a $1.7 million effort to ease traffic, upgrade sidewalks, and revamp parking along 25th Street in Golden Hill.

Work on the thoroughfare connecting SR-94 and Balboa Park is set to include restriping the road, widening sidewalks, and adding marked bike lanes. Crews also plan to replace water mains and add reverse-angle parking spots, which motorists will have to back into.

The “25th Street Renaissance Project” includes the stretch between B and E streets, according to city officials. Mayor Kevin Faulconer said the push to rebuild San Diego’s neighborhoods had begun and pledged $22 million of the $35 million in new revenue anticipated in his proposed budget for next year (which he plans to detail today, April 14) toward the city’s infrastructure needs.

The city reportedly plans to spend about $300 million on capital improvements across the city, which will include repairs to streets and sidewalks, park improvements, streetlights, storm-drain maintenance, and work on fire stations and other city facilities, Faulconer said.

“The goal of all of these projects is to make San Diego a better place to live and to work — and the 25th Street Renaissance Project fits that bill,” Faulconer said. “Whether you’re traveling by foot, bike, or car, the changes that are being made here are going to make it safer and a more accessible route for everyone.”

Faulconer said the city has been rightfully criticized in the past for poorly coordinating infrastructure projects. For instance, the city would pave a street and then tear it up a couple months later for a sewer or water project. This project would be different, he said. The area would soon be due for a water-main replacement, so that project was consolidated with the other planned improvements.

The project will be funded using the San Diego Association of Governments’ TransNet fund and water funds, according to city officials.