Category Archives: North Park

History, North Park, Railroads, Roads, San Diego, San Diego County, San Diego Electric Railway, Streetcar

Streetcar Tracks Exposed – Part 2

January 23, 2022 Michael F Ballard Leave a comment

Ongoing roadwork in the North Park neighborhood in San Diego has exposed yet more streetcar tracks. This work is a part of a bikeway project which will add raised median islands and pedestrian signals to enhance safety along the route.

The tracks for the #2 San Diego Electric Railway line are temporarily exposed on 30th St at Landis St. Both sets of rails are at least partially exposed, with the southbound rails fully exposed and northbound with one side exposed. I doubt they will remain for very long.

Southbound tracks and one northbound rail exposed

Information on the roadwork from the City of San Diego and SANDAG:

Landis Street and 30th Street: Crews will implement traffic control and begin demolition activities to construct median islands, curb extensions, curb ramps, and pedestrian improvements (including installing Rectangular Rapid-Flashing Beacons or “RRFBs”) at the intersection.

History, Mass Transit, North Park, Railroads, Roads, San Diego, San Diego County, San Diego Electric Railway, Streetcar

San Diego Electric Railway Exposed in North Park

January 7, 2022 Michael F Ballard Leave a comment

The City of San Diego has a project underway known as the University Avenue Mobility Project. This will add a median to University Ave from Florida St to Boundary St and a transit lane in both directions. This work, which has begun in earnest in the past few weeks, has exposed more of the San Diego Electric Railway #7 car line. The last time these tracks saw revenue service was on April 23, 1949 and have been buried under asphalt since.

Construction projects such as these allow a brief glimpse into San Diego’s past, in this case exposing hundreds of feet of intact railway tracks. At the time of this writing, the exposed tracks run from Idaho St to near Grim Ave along University Ave. Between Idaho St and Utah St, you can see get a unique view looking between two sets of tracks, where the remainder exposed is just one direction.

Who knows? Maybe the future of University Ave will see these tracks torn up and replaced with newer rails? Los Angeles did that along 1st for the Metro L Line back in the early 2000’s. It could happen here.

*Looking west from Utah St on University Ave. Here, the middle of a section of double-track can be seen during roadway construction. Additional rails are still buried beneath the pavement.*

*Looking east from Kansas St on University Ave. These were the former westbound tracks.*

*Further east on University Ave at Ohio St looking at the former westbound tracks.*

Advocacy, Caltrans, District 11, Highways, I-805, North Park, Road Signs, Roads, San Diego, San Diego County

Caltrans Sign Change

December 15, 2019 Michael F Ballard 2 Comments

In June 2019, I sent a message to Caltrans requesting a change in the signage on I-805 northbound at El Cajon Blvd. The sign didn’t reflect the lane assignments and can be confusing to motorists not familiar with the interchange. In November, I got a response and they will not only change the sign but will move where it is placed. I thought that was pretty cool. Once again, it takes so little to make a positive change. I encourage others to do so as well.

My message:

CSR Ticket Number:	757911
Date Submitted:	2019-06-17 14:04:28
Date Completed:	2019-11-12 00:00:00
California County:	San Diego
State Highway Route:	805
Nearest Town or City:	San Diego
Nearest Cross Street:	El Cajon Blvd
Mode of Transportation:	Motorcycle
Direction of Travel:	Northbound
Date & Time Situation Noticed:	2019-06-17 12 noon – 1 pm
Type of Situation:	Signs – Missing, Broken, Blocked or Down
Description of Situation:	NB El Cajon Blvd exit sign is missing an EXIT ONLY tab and optional lane arrow. It can be confusing to motorists that don’t realize there are two possible lanes to use to exit at El Cajon Blvd when heading NB.
Geographic Location of Situation:	On NB I-805 approaching El Cajon Blvd

Caltrans response:

Message from Customer Service Liaison: Our Traffic Operations Engineer reviewed this issue and provided the following response. You can expect to see a project in the near future. Thank you for bringing this to our attention. Traffic Safety & Operations (South Region) is recommending the existing overhead panel be upgraded and re-positioned to centered above the two lanes of the exit ramp and also, additional sign be installed at the northbound I-805 exit ramp to El Cajon Boulevard per California Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (CA MUTCD), 2014 Edition. We will initiate a Minor B project to upgrade the existing overhead panel and forward a request to Operations Support to install “RIGHT LANE MUST EXIT SIGN” and 8-inch solid white line approaching the exit ramp.

Hillcrest, History, Maps, North Park, San Diego, San Diego County, University Heights

University Heights – 1888

July 16, 2019 Michael F Ballard

San Diego has changed quite a bit since it was first laid out in the late 1700’s. As the city grew, new neighborhoods were planned farther out from the city center. One of these, University Heights, is still around today by the same name albeit covering a smaller area. The original plan, from 1888, was mostly built and is still quite recognizable today. One major item, a lake known as Mystic Lake, was never constructed. Today, the canyon remains undeveloped and is considered public open space. In addition to the lake,

The map also shows a small section of right-of-way for a railroad just east of Park Blvd. This railroad, the University Heights Motor Road, was built as a way to bring prospective buyers from downtown to East San Diego (later City Heights). It was dismantled not long after construction but traces still remain on maps and in Switzer Canyon.

The name, University Heights, stems from a planned university that was to be sited there. A small teacher’s college, which later became San Diego State University, was indeed located there. In the 1950’s, the structures were mostly torn down except one which remains today. The site is the headquarters for the San Diego Unified School District.

1888 Map of University Heights, San Diego, CA

Hillcrest, History, North Park, Railroads, San Diego, San Diego County, San Diego Electric Railway

San Diego Electric Railway Exposed!

April 21, 2017 Michael F Ballard Leave a comment

For the first time since 1949, a section of the San Diego Electric Railway, double track at that, is exposed for only a short time before it will be destroyed in Hillcrest. They last saw service on April 23, 1949 as a part of the #7 streetcar line. The City of San Diego is currently restoring the 1914 Georgia St bridge over University Ave. As a part of this project, they are also lowering University Ave between Park Blvd and Florida St.

These tracks represent a bit of San Diego history and I highly recommend a visit in the next week or so before they are gone. Remnants of the former railway are getting harder to find as time passes and more roads are torn up for various projects.