The very slow progress on Hazard Center Road

Last week, I re-visited this street extension which has been under construction for more than three years. It was started in March of 2018. The 163 underpass extension would be connecting Hazard Center drive to the Fashion Valley Mall area.

Hazard Center Drive was originally four lanes, but it was being reduced down to two lanes in front of the Doubletree Hotel so that vehicles would be able to cross under the 163 freeway. At the time, I was informed by workers that the street would open soon.

Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent on this project. In March of 2020, the contractor working for the City and the State told me that he was finished installing the electronic gates. The installation was required by the State and was to be used when the two 15 foot tall cement lanes (east and west) flooded. I was told that pumps had been installed to drain the water from the lanes, but they couldn’t keep up with the seasonal water flow from the rising Sand Diego River and the rains.

Earlier heavier pumps were installed in 2019, but it has been more than two years since they were installed and nothing has changed. Currently, the passage way is chained off and NO TRAFFIC has been able to use the connection. Although the pumps appear to stand ready and they seem to keep the water in the roadway to a minimum (as shown in the photos), as of December 2021 there still has been no movement to open the road to traffic.

A sign protest and calls to the City and State have not produced any answers. There is a rumor heard by nearby residents of the Union Square Condominium complex that it should have opened in November 2020, but it didn’t happen nor did it occur in 2021.