Torrey Pines Road in La Jolla will undergo two months of construction for stormwater diversion, motorists can expect greater traffic delays

Torrey Pines Road to undergo two months of construction

By Ashley Mackin

Parts of Torrey Pines Road in La Jolla will be under construction from Thursday, Feb. 28 to an undetermined date some time in the next two months. Bill Harris, City of San Diego Supervising Public Information Officer in the Transportation and Storm Water division, said the work will be heavier on some days and lighter on others, but there will always be the presence of construction for awhile.

Harris said the work along Torrey Pines Road would continue in varying degrees for approximately two months. “The work will be limited to between 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. each day. There will still be two lanes of traffic open in each direction but, due to traffic controls and warning signs, traffic will probably move slower than normal. Though left turns from Torrey Pines Road will be blocked, driveways and cross streets will remain open,” he said.

The purpose of the construction is to divert stormwater from the current drainage system to the sanitary sewer system in a low-flow diversion system, Harris said. This work includes digging, installing wiring, installing pumps and others, each with different traffic control standards. He said the “storm water,” in this case, comes from over-irrigation.

“The City’s Public Works Department is constructing a low-flow diversion system in the storm drains along Torrey Pines Road. The new diversion system is part of the city’s effort to protect the federally designated Areas of Special Biological Significance (ASBS) in the waters off La Jolla Shores,” he said. “The new system is part of a broader effort managed by the City’s Transportation & Storm Water Department that will install additional low-flow devices near Avenida de la Playa.”

Electronic signage along Torrey Pines Road indicates the road work would begin Feb. 26, but Harris said that is not the case.

This story will be updated as information becomes available.