SAN DIEGO (KGTV) – The first walkable greenway in downtown San Diego was opened to the public on Thursday.
Mayor Todd Gloria and other city officials were on hand to celebrate the opening of the 14th Street Greenway -- a $2.08 million project that transformed an underused street into an “enhanced pathway, adding green space and walkability.”
Gloria said of the newly-opened greenway: ”These welcoming greenways are inviting and safe and create a much-needed walkable space for the Downtown community, which is forecasted to double in size in the next two decades. Spaces like this encourage residents to get out of their cars, which helps us achieve our climate-action goals. I look forward to creating more projects like this across our city.”
According to the city, the project is the first of six interconnected greenways along 14th Street in the East Village. The city said the greenway will extend 11 blocks, from C Street to Commercial Street, once it is completed.
The other greenways will be located along:
- Eighth Ave.
- Cedar St.
- E St.
- Island Ave.
- Union St.
The 14th Street Greenway is a joint project between the City of San Diego and Civic San Diego.
According to the city, “Civic San Diego also provided construction oversight of the project, which removed a vehicle travel lane and eight parking spaces on the east side of 14th Street to create the new greenspace in the East Village. New angled parking spaces will replace parallel parking on several streets in the neighborhood, and a 185-space underground parking garage is planned with the future East Village Green park's construction directly to the north.”
"We are very proud to be a part of the project team that worked to create this linear park. This block is the first of many blocks which will help create a vibrant and walkable path along 14th Street, and other parts of Downtown, connecting existing and future parks within the East Village neighborhood,” Civic San Diego Board Chair Maddy Kilkenny said.
