New Bridge Connecting UCSD Campus to Open in February

Gilman Bridge will open on February 8, after nearly three years of construction and two months of lane closures on Interstate 5 (I-5). The new bridge will connect West and East campus roads—Gilman Drive and Medical Center Drive, respectively, over the I-5 freeway—and will be kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony led by Chancellor Pradeep Khosla on February 7.

“The Gilman Bridge will help the campus community get from one side of campus to the other without having to utilize busy surface streets surrounding campus, making it quicker and more efficient to get across campus,” said Associate Director of Strategic Marketing Communications Jade Griffin.

The arch of the bridge spans 406 feet in length. Gilman Bridge is the second on-campus bridge crossing over the I-5 and will provide two lanes of traffic, a protected left-turn lane, pedestrian sidewalks, and bike lanes. The overall construction value of the project is estimated at $20.6 million, of which $15.3 million is expected to come from TransNet, a sales tax for local transportation projects in San Diego.

UC San Diego worked with the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG), the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans), the Metropolitan Transport System (MTS), and the City of San Diego, aiming to alleviate traffic concerns and improve the overall transit experience.

Gilman Bridge is part of a larger project by SANDAG, the construction of the Mid Coast Trolley Blue Line Extension. The project will add 11 miles of trolley service for MTS, which will connect Downtown, Old Town, the Border, University City, and South Bay.

Those interested in attending the ribbon-cutting ceremony and being one of the first people to walk across the bridge can RSVP for the event here.

Anabel King is the Assistant Managing Editor for The Triton. You can follow her at @anabelkingg.