Skip to main content

Transit hub promised in San Diego area

San Diego North County’s Interstate 15 corridor is best known for its flood of freeway traffic, not its mass transit stations. This is due to change next year, when the Sabre Springs/Penasquitos transit station, just east of I-15 on Sabre Springs Parkway, is set to undergo a US$12.2 million face-lift that will include a four-storey parking garage, electric vehicle charging stations, electronic next bus signs and even some smart parking spaces. “This will be our flagship station,” said Frank Owsiany, who ov
January 18, 2013 Read time: 2 mins
San Diego North County’s Interstate 15 corridor is best known for its flood of freeway traffic, not its mass transit stations.  This is due to change next year, when the Sabre Springs/Penasquitos transit station, just east of I-15 on Sabre Springs Parkway, is set to undergo a US$12.2 million face-lift that will include a four-storey parking garage, electric vehicle charging stations, electronic next bus signs and even some smart parking spaces.

 “This will be our flagship station,” said Frank Owsiany, who oversees station improvements along the inland corridor for the 1789 San Diego Association of Governments, the region’s transportation planning agency.

Construction on what is said to be the ultimate I-15 transit hub, is expected to begin by late February or early March and should last about a year, Owsiany said.

The project is timed to be ready for the early 2014 launch of an expanded rapid bus service along I-15. That service promises to increase the frequency and shorten the routes of express buses that ferry passengers from stations in Escondido, Rancho Bernardo and other points south along the I-15 Express Lanes to job centers in Sorrento Valley and downtown San Diego.

The Sabre Springs project will require the closure of the station’s 150 parking spaces, which will be temporarily replaced at three park and rides along Sabre Springs Parkway. Owsiany said the station ramps that connect drivers to the freeway’s express lanes will remain open during construction.

Once complete, the parking garage will offer 537 spaces to go along with 93 additional surface lot spaces. Solar panels will be added on top of the structure, providing shade for cars on the top level, as well as providing a power source, he said.

Owsiany added that drivers will be able to call and reserve smart parking spots inside the station, where stalls will be lighted either green or red to show whether they have been reserved.

Related Content

  • February 5, 2020
    Via launches Sacramento on-demand shuttle
    Via has joined forces with the Sacramento Regional Transit District (SacRT) to deploy an on-demand shared transit network of 42 shuttle buses.
  • July 23, 2015
    Jacobs JV awarded contract for California high speed rail
    The Jacobs Engineering Group has been awarded a contract to provide design services for the Construction Package 2-3 (CP 2-3) of the California High Speed Rail, the continuation of construction on the California high-speed rail system south towards Kern County. Jacobs is the lead designer for the Dragados-Flatiron joint venture for the design-build contract and is responsible for the infrastructure design. The California High Speed Rail is the first true high-speed rail being constructed in the United S
  • August 3, 2023
    Look what she made them do: Taylor Swift boosts public transit
    LA Metro is latest US transport agency to add more services for fans to get to Eras Tour
  • January 30, 2019
    Disability Rights California sues San Diego over dockless scooters
    While the clutter from mis-used dockless scooter schemes is frustrating for many, it is physically unsafe for some, according to a legal action in the US. Disability Rights California slams an ‘unregulated onslaught’ in its class action lawsuit against the City of San Diego and three dockless scooter firms: Lime, Bird and Razor. “This action challenges the failure of the City of San Diego and private companies to maintain the accessibility of the city’s public sidewalks, kerb ramps, crosswalks and transit