SANDAG has dropped its final 2025 Regional Plan, a compact but high-stakes roadmap that would reshape how San Diegans move around the region. The proposal, released Friday, opens a short public-comment window ahead of a Dec. 12 board vote and leans heavily on near-term upgrades like 11 miles of new express lanes on I-805, auxiliary lanes on SR-125 and SR-94, 28 miles of bikeway, and coastal-rail resiliency work, all while trying to stay on track with state greenhouse-gas targets. Between 2025 and 2035, the plan steers roughly $41.8 billion into a mix of transit and road projects.
How to weigh in
According to the Times of San Diego, the proposed final plan is now available for public review, and residents get a brief chance to sound off. Comments can be sent by email or delivered live, either in person or via Zoom, at the Dec. 12 SANDAG Board of Directors meeting. That session is the agency’s last formal opportunity to hear public input before the board decides whether to adopt the plan and certify its environmental review.
What the plan actually moves
As laid out by SANDAG, the near-term focus is on operations and resilience rather than splashy new freeways. The plan calls for 11 miles of new express lanes on I-805, 28 additional miles of bikeway for the regional network, continued coastal-rail work to replace aging infrastructure and add double-tracked segments, and auxiliary lanes on northbound and southbound SR-125 plus eastbound SR-94.
Looking further out, the same documents describe a broader service expansion: 59 new or upgraded transit routes, longer service hours, more rural transit options, and a complete network of managed lanes designed to smooth traffic flow across the region.
Money and tradeoffs
The Regional Plan programs roughly $41.8 billion in transportation spending from 2025 through 2035, with just under half going to transit and most of the remaining money to roads. It leans on the existing half-cent TransNet sales tax along with state and federal matching funds.
Planners trimmed back traditional freeway widening in favor of managed lanes and built the plan around the idea that future ballot measures and other revenue tools will be needed to move some projects forward, according to KPBS.
State targets and legal framework
The Regional Plan also doubles as SANDAG’s official Sustainable Communities Strategy, the document that is supposed to align transportation, land use and housing decisions with California’s climate rules. The California Air Resources Board explains that these strategies, required under SB 375, must account for statewide greenhouse-gas reduction goals and show how each region plans to meet them, according to CARB.
What comes next
The SANDAG Board is scheduled to vote on adopting the plan after deciding whether to certify its Environmental Impact Report at the Dec. 12 meeting, with agency staff saying they will weigh public comments before making a final recommendation. For anyone who wants to dig into the details, the full Regional Plan, technical appendices and an interactive Network Explorer are all available through SANDAG.
