In collaboration with the City of San Diego, City of Chula Vista, and CALTRANS, the South Bay Bus Rapid Transit (SBBRT) project was the culmination of a long-term effort by SANDAG to provide residents and visitors of South San Diego County with more frequent and reliable public transit options over a 26-mile bi-directional route between the Otay Mesa Port of Entry and downtown San Diego. The service features seven new bus station platforms and a dedicated transit-only guideway with Transit Signal Priority (TSP) technology.

The design features several landscaped medians and bioretention facilities along the guideway, as well as replacement lighting, monument signage and pedestrian-deterrent grading and landscaping to improve safety for the shopping center. Key goals for the project were to increase irrigation efficiency through the use of high efficiency nozzles and to reduce the total amount of irrigated area by incorporating inert boulder, rock, and gravel materials in the design. Low-water-use plants were proposed for compliance with City-approved lists, yet insured that planting remained context-sensitive and attractive for the various commercial and residential properties along the guideway. The landscape and irrigation systems were designed in conjunction with proposed bus guideway lanes, station platforms, bridge abutment and overcrossing at the SR-125 freeway, Otay Ranch Shopping Center improvements and associated storm water storage facilities along Olympic Parkway. To assist SANDAG in negotiations and visualization, numerous project graphics and simulations were also produced for key areas of the corridor.

*Prepared by RE Services staff member while with previous employer.

David Preciado, Design Landscape Architect
Visual Impact Assessment, Conceptual Site design, Client Presentations, PS &E, QA/QC Reviewer, Landscape Inspection