A southbound section of Gilman Drive will be completely closed due to construction of a major sewer line by the city of San Diego, which was scheduled to begin Wednesday.
Guardian
A portion of Gilman Drive, beginning at Villa La Jolla Drive and ending at Interstate 5, will remain closed for about six months.
Northbound traffic, bicycle access and bus routes are not expected to be affected by the construction project.
UCSD Campus Community Planner Milton J. Phegley said that traffic on campus is not expected to suffer any significant changes. Traffic leaving UCSD and attempting to access Interstate 5, along with traffic coming from the freeway to campus, will encounter significant setbacks.
“”I think the effect of traffic on campus itself will be minimal, but for people trying to leave campus, [the effect] will be significant,”” Phegley said.
The sewer line, called the “”UCSD Trunk Sewer,”” serves the UCSD campus, residential developments west of Interstate 5 and along Gilman Drive south of Villa La Jolla Drive and other surrounding areas. The sewer line stretches from Via Alicante to Interstate 5.
Built in 1958, the current sewer line is just 15 inches in diameter and must be replaced to provide for increased capacity and future development.
The project will involve the installation of about 5,900 linear feet of new 24-inch diameter underground sewer pipeline.
Despite the inconvenience, the construction and the road closure are unavoidable.
“”The new sewer line does go down the southbound lane so there was no way they could easily accommodate the construction project and traffic,”” Phegley said.
All bus and shuttle routes serving UCSD campus will pick up and drop off at their usual locations.
The UCSD Campus/Medical Center Hillcrest Shuttle and San Diego Transit Route 150 will be rerouted as necessary during this time.
All traffic attempting to access the freeway is encouraged to use Villa La Jolla Drive and Nobel Drive until the construction project is completed.
Phegley warns that the traffic situation surrounding campus could get worse. Students should just keep an eye on things.
“”People should be very much aware of the situation and see how it progresses,”” Phegley said. “”It will put additional traffic on already crowded streets.””
