San Marcos now has less traffic, more open space, walking trails and a new park.
The North County city celebrated the completion of its San Marcos Creek Infrastructure Project Wednesday. Construction on the roughly $100 million project began in 2020.
“It’s in the center of town, and so, it makes it sort of a quiet place,” said a longtime San Marcos resident Greg Armstrong, who smiled while walking along one of the new trails along the creek. “I've been walking here for the last couple of months, and I see these guys over here working their butts off.”
Crews are still restoring more than 70 acres of green space around San Marcos Creek. They already created trails and a new playground. The project also delivered a wider Discovery Street and two new bridges over the creek, which often flooded during storms.
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“Kind of like a mini-Mission Valley,” said Armstrong with a shrug. “Fortunately, we don't have a ton of rain around here. But when we did, it was a pain.”
“Unsafe as well, because a lot of people would try to drive through,” added San Marcos mayor Rebecca Jones.
Jones said the project will improve mobility for drivers, riders and pedestrians. It will also get people outside.
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“Being that we've been working on this for decades, it's very exciting,” Jones said. “It really is a game changer for our community.”
The game changer did not finish on time, though. It was delayed a few months by weather and supply-chain issues. It was also a source of frustration for businesses who felt cut off from customers and for drivers who tired of construction.
Nevertheless, San Marcos wrapped up the majority of work Wednesday.
“This is just a wonderful addition” Armstrong said.
