District 11

Wednesday, Apr. 23, 2008

Contact: Public Information Officer Ed Cartagena Phone: (619) 688-6670

Work at “Friendship Plaza” Gateway to Mexico Completed

SAN DIEGO –The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) announced today that more than $3 million worth of improvements for pedestrians and bicyclists have been completed near the San Ysidro Border Crossing. The new Interstate 5/Friendship Plaza Project, or "La Plaza de la Amistad," has been upgraded to be more accessible for pedestrian, bicyclist and transit users.

Caltrans has added nine bilingual sign panels describing California and Baja California’s history of Spanish exploration and colonization and their National Parks. A parking area for 300 bikes and a dedicated bike path has also been installed.

Previous upgrades at the Plaza include widened sidewalks, new benches and trash receptacles, additional street lights, passenger loading zones, handicapped access and new rotary gates improve safety for the approximately 25,000 daily all users.

“These improvements will add a degree of safety for pedestrians, bicyclists and motorists traveling into Mexico,” said Caltrans District Director Pedro Orso-Delgado. “The sign panels and the depiction of the El Camino Real (Mission Trails) also serves as a link to the past and a glimpse into the future of the region.”

The project was completed with the aid of several community and governmental agencies, including input from the city of San Diego, the San Diego Chamber of Commerce, the San Ysidro Transit Collaborative, Metropolitan Transit System and U.S. Customs and Border Protection.

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