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Del Mar's North Torrey Pines Bridge retrofitted

Four-year-long project makes span good for at least another 50 years

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting on Tuesday morning, April 15, marked the completion of the lengthy restoration process for a historic bridge between San Diego and Del Mar.

The North Torrey Pines Bridge, named in 1996 at the same time it was declared a historical landmark, was originally built in 1932 and 1933. It's one of the few surviving bridges constructed in the "coastal cast concrete" style during that era.

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Due to age and updated earthquake-safety technology, the bridge had long been due for replacement or, due to its historic status, a seismic retrofit. But engineers faced multiple challenges: no clear ownership (when Del Mar incorporated as a city, the boundaries between the new municipality and San Diego were drawn down the middle of the bridge), coastal traffic along North Torrey Pines Road that couldn't feasibly be re-routed for an extended period, and Amtrak rail tracks passing beneath the bridge's central span.

San Diego began to pursue funding through the Federal Highway Administration and the state's Caltrans authority for a retrofit of both the North Torrey bridge and another several hundred yards to the south in the 1990s, but later ceded authority to Del Mar, selling their ownership interest to the northern city for one dollar.

Through a collaboration involving Del Mar, Caltrans, and the Federal Highway Administration, construction began in June 2010. Federal funding covered approximately 80 percent of the retrofit's $21 million price tag, with the remainder coming from Del Mar.

Work continued for nearly four years, as construction crews were forced to work around Amtrak schedules and care was taken to avoid road traffic closures on the six-story-high span with a surface area authorities said covered the equivalent of more than two football fields.

State and local officials, current and past Del Mar City Council members who worked on the bridge project, as well as a vintage car club showing off vehicles from the era of the project's original completion, attended the event and hiked up to gaze at the surf from underneath the bridge's new supports, which are expected to extend its life for at least another 50 years.

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Centennial Salute to San Diego’s Military, East Village Block Party, Birding Basics Class

Events March 29-March 30, 2024

A ceremonial ribbon-cutting on Tuesday morning, April 15, marked the completion of the lengthy restoration process for a historic bridge between San Diego and Del Mar.

The North Torrey Pines Bridge, named in 1996 at the same time it was declared a historical landmark, was originally built in 1932 and 1933. It's one of the few surviving bridges constructed in the "coastal cast concrete" style during that era.

Sponsored
Sponsored

Due to age and updated earthquake-safety technology, the bridge had long been due for replacement or, due to its historic status, a seismic retrofit. But engineers faced multiple challenges: no clear ownership (when Del Mar incorporated as a city, the boundaries between the new municipality and San Diego were drawn down the middle of the bridge), coastal traffic along North Torrey Pines Road that couldn't feasibly be re-routed for an extended period, and Amtrak rail tracks passing beneath the bridge's central span.

San Diego began to pursue funding through the Federal Highway Administration and the state's Caltrans authority for a retrofit of both the North Torrey bridge and another several hundred yards to the south in the 1990s, but later ceded authority to Del Mar, selling their ownership interest to the northern city for one dollar.

Through a collaboration involving Del Mar, Caltrans, and the Federal Highway Administration, construction began in June 2010. Federal funding covered approximately 80 percent of the retrofit's $21 million price tag, with the remainder coming from Del Mar.

Work continued for nearly four years, as construction crews were forced to work around Amtrak schedules and care was taken to avoid road traffic closures on the six-story-high span with a surface area authorities said covered the equivalent of more than two football fields.

State and local officials, current and past Del Mar City Council members who worked on the bridge project, as well as a vintage car club showing off vehicles from the era of the project's original completion, attended the event and hiked up to gaze at the surf from underneath the bridge's new supports, which are expected to extend its life for at least another 50 years.

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San Diego Reader 2024 Music & Arts Issue

Favorite fakers: Baby Bushka, Fleetwood Max, Electric Waste Band, Oceans, Geezer – plus upcoming tribute schedule
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March is typically windy, Sage scents in the foothills

Butterflies may cross the county
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4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
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