Del Mar Would Get $12.5​M Under Infrastructure Bill

DEL MAR, CA — The House of Representatives approved a $715 billion infrastructure plan, and if the Senate passes it, it will mean $12.5 million for Del Mar.

If President Joe Biden signs it into law, it would be the nation’s largest infrastructure investment in about 75 years: a 50 percent increase over the last infrastructure budget, according to The New York Times.

California would be a big winner under the proposed law. The bill includes more than $900 million for projects throughout the Golden State. They include bridges, bike lanes and express lanes, railway expansions, electric vehicle charging stations, zero emission transit fleets, tunnels, transportation hubs, wastewater and drinking water projects and other infrastructure to prepare for rising sea levels.

The surface transportation and water spending bill prioritizes a Democratic wish list of projects for combating climate change. Democratic legislators argued that the funding is needed to contend with the effects of climate change and reduce the nation’s carbon footprint.

The unprecedented heat wave gripping the Pacific Northwest, killing dozens, added a sense of urgency among Democrats, who pushed the bill forward this week over Republican objections in the House.

“We have to rebuild in ways that we never even thought about before,” Rep. Peter DeFazio (D-Oregon), chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, told The New York Times. “This is the moment. We have to be bold.”

Click here to see all California projects that would be funded under the current bill.

Projects in San Diego County that would be funded under the current bill:

Project name: LOSSAN Corridor Improvements
City: Del Mar
Budget (in millions): $12.5
Requested by: Mike Levin

Project name: North Coast Highway 101 Beautification
City: Encinitas
Budget (in millions): $4.0
Requested by: Mike Levin

Project name: I-15/SR- 78 Managed Lanes
City: Escondido
Budget (in millions): $20.0
Requested by: Darrell Issa

Project name: Otay Mesa Truck Route
City: San Diego
Budget (in millions): $1.3
Requested by: Juan Vargas

Project name: Trolley Yard Expansion
City: San Diego
Budget (in millions): $2.0
Requested by: Juan Vargas

Project name: El Camino Real to Via De LaValle
City: San Diego
Budget (in millions): $2.5
Requested by: Mike Levin

Project name: Downtown Mobility
City: San Diego
Budget (in millions): $5.6
Requested by: Scott Peters

Project name: SR 11/Otay Mesa East Port of Entry
City: San Diego
Budget (in millions): $12.5
Requested by: Juan Vargas

Project name: Central Mobility Hub Pre-Construction
City: San Diego
Budget (in millions): $25.0
Requested by: Sara Jacobs and Scott Peters

Project name: Harbor Drive 2.0
City: San Diego, National City
Budget (in millions): $8.0
Requested by: Scott Peters and Juan Vargas

Project name: Sidewalk Improvement on Nevada Ave. and Lemon Ave.
City: Vista
Budget (in millions): $0.8
Requested by: Mike Levin

Patch editors Paige Austin and Kristina Houck contributed to this report.