Torrey Bridge work will mean closures

When construction starts on the bridge linking Torrey Pines to Del Mar, drivers along the coast might find tough going at night.

Work is still down the road, with more environmental reviews due in October and bids not due out until next summer. Meanwhile, Del Mar officials have decided to enact an emergency safety clause in the city’s noise ordinance so that contractors can work at night during the bridge’s upcoming rehabilitation.

That will mean periodic closures at night, but during the day, only single-lane detours will occur.

The city is preparing for a massive rehabilitation of the bridge, with $30 million worth of repairs and retrofitting scheduled to begin by the end of next year.

According to Del Mar planning officials, crews may work up to 100 nights during the three-year construction period. To reduce noise, a 10-foot temporary wall will be built around the construction site.

The 550-foot bridge was built 75 years ago under the California Bridge Department’s work program during the Great Depression. The bridge has been determined eligible for the National Register of Historic Places and has been deemed historic by the city of Del Mar, which assumed ownership of the bridge from the city of San Diego in 2001 for $1 and a long list of needed repairs.

After years of wondering how to pay for those repairs, the city finally came up with the money last year with assistance from the state and federal government.