This Month

SANDAG newsletter
provides information
on key projects & services

Mid-year crime report
shows declines
Construction continues on BREEZE Rapid bus route
Draft Sustainable Communities Strategy framework under way

Stimulus to fund SR 905/I-805 interchange
iCommute celebrates one
year anniversary
Murph Express launches November 1
The Rideshare Week first annual corporate challenge

Construction continues on
BREEZE Rapid bus route in Escondido

Over the next four months construction crews upgrading North County Transit District (NCTD) Route 350 will temporarily move and/or close more than two dozen bus stops and rebuild them with modern amenities.

The work is part of the overall modernization of the six-mile route from the Escondido Transit Center to Westfield North County Shopping Mall. The upgraded route, which will be renamed BREEZE Rapid, will feature electronic signs displaying the arrival time of the next bus, transit-only lanes, transit priority features that help the bus stay on schedule, and improved stations.

The upgrades will create greater schedule reliability, improve travel times, and enhance the rider’s experience. BREEZE Rapid is part of a larger effort by SANDAG (financed by the TransNet program) and its partner agencies – NCTD and the Metropolitan Transit System – to provide improved transit services in key corridors, make them more competitive with the automobile, reduce traffic congestion, and cut greenhouse gases. 

Crews working on BREEZE Rapid already have completed a new transit-only lane along the north side of West Valley Parkway between Centre City Parkway and Quince Street, including new sidewalks and landscaping. A new transit signal priority system has been installed both on buses and signals along the route that can give the bus a longer green light or a shorter red light if it is late in order to improve reliability for customers.

Work began October 15 on the remodeling of 26 stops. During the four months of construction, crews will temporarily move or close two or three stops at a time, rebuild them, and then move on to another set. Crews began in the southern part of the corridor near San Pasqual High School and plan to proceed north to the Escondido Transit Center.

SANDAG is building the project in partnership with the City of Escondido and NCTD, which operates the system. Both agencies are working to keep customers along this route informed about construction progress and temporary service changes. More information is available at www.sandag.org/breezerapid and www.GoNCTD.com.

Project Manager