The project will replace the 109YEAROLD single track wooden trestle SAN dieguito river railway bridge

The Federal Railroad Administration awarded $94,549,483 to North County Transit District on December 15, 2025, under the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program (CFDA 20.934) to replace a 109-year-old single-track wooden trestle bridge over the San Dieguito River in Del Mar, California, and construct a pedestrian underpass.

The replacement bridge will upgrade from single track to double track and raise track height by 8 feet to accommodate increased sea-level changes, preventing service disruption in an area without viable rail alternatives and protecting passenger and freight rail service to and from San Diego. The pedestrian underpass will provide safe connections from walking trails east of the tracks along the southern bank of the river. North County Transit District performs all work directly with no sub-recipients. San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) partners operationally on the project but does not receive sub-award funding.

Performance occurs at Del Mar, California, with ultimate completion targeted for July 31, 2033. The award is a block grant under the Nationally Significant Multimodal Freight and Highway Projects program, which provides discretionary federal financial assistance to highway, freight rail, port, and intermodal projects of national or regional significance. The program authorizes construction, reconstruction, rehabilitation, property acquisition, environmental mitigation, equipment acquisition, and operational improvements directly related to system performance.

The replacement bridge will move from a single track to a double track and raise the height of the tracks by 8 feet to account for increased sea level changes. Replacement of this bridge will prevent the risk of a major service disruption in an area where there are no viable rail alternatives, ensuring that passenger and freight rail service to and from SAN diego is not jeopardized. The project will also construct a pedestrian underpass under the tracks along the southern bank of the river. The pedestrian underpass will provide a safe connection from walking trails east of the tracks. There are no subrecipients associated with the project, however SAN diego association of governments (sandag) is a partner with nctd on the project.