Success Stories: California

FHWA TE Project: San Bernardino, CA

Santa Fe Depot Restoration

In the late 19th century, the Santa Fe Railroad chose San Bernardino as the headquarters for its massive Pacific Coast Locomotive Works, a transportation center serving rail passengers and the Railroad's administrative offices. An original wooden depot burned to the ground in 1916 and was replaced by the magnificent depot that stands today.

Designed in the Mission Revival style with Moorish influences, the grandiose structure was intended to befit the city image as the "gateway to southern California."

For the first half of the 20th century, the depot flourished; many travelers and business people used the depot and many were entertained at the depot's famous Harvey House Restaurant. At its heyday, approximately 85 percent of the townspeople were dependent on the railroad for their livelihood. Unfortunately, the depot's great success did not protect it from the decline of the railroad industry in the latter half of the century, and it fell into disrepair.

In the mid-1990s, however, San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG) and the City of San Bernardino began to work together to bring the depot back to life. They secured the $15 million necessary to complete the depot from a combination of TE funds, other federal grants, and local money. The restoration work included historically accurate renovations of the interior and exterior, installation of utilities, seismic retrofitting and asbestos removal. The renovated depot serves Metrolink, a commuter rail service, and houses the offices of SANBAG, Amtrak, and Metrolink.

FHWA TE Project: San Diego County, CA

Sentenac Canyon and Cienega

In 1993, when a large parcel of land contiguous to the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park in San Diego County, California was offered for sale, a group of determined conservationists sprang into action. Due to the heroic efforts of the park and enthusiastic supporters including the Anza-Borrego Foundation, a private land trust dedicated to acquiring lands for the park, the scenic 884-acre Senetec Canyon and Cienega property was acquired with Transportation Enhancement funding in 1995.

The property, a confluence of desert and wetland, boasts a rare freshwater wetland and riparian habitat and more than 55 species of birds including the endangered Bell's vireo. The Sentenac Canyon and Cienega property is located at Scissors Crossing, the intersection of two major transportation corridors: State Route 78 and County Road S-2. County Road S-2 is part of the Great Southern Overland Stage Route, a historic transportation corridor dating to the 1840s. Both roads are major routes to and through Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, one of the largest contiguous state parks in the nation.

The land acquisition not only protects important habitat but preserves the scenic viewshed of a state-designated scenic highway and areas of historic and prehistoric cultural significance. The property also facilitates the pedestrian and equestrian access to the Pacific Crest National Scenic Trail.

FAA Project: San Diego, CA

Quieter Home Sound Attenuation Program, CA

The Quieter Home Program in San Diego, California is a FAA residential sound attenuation project carried out by the San Diego County Regional Airport Authority and funded primarily by FAA. The Quieter Home Program has contributed greatly to improving the quality of life in the Loma Portal area in San Diego, while exercising commendable care and respect for the historic homes it has improved.

FHWA TE Project: San Francisco, CA

TE funded rehabilitation of this beloved Beaux Arts building is the centerpiece of plans to redevelop the waterfront and restore it to its former grandeur.

Ferry Building

TE award: $2,000,000
Other funds: $61,000,000
Total cost: $63,000,000

TE funding was used in the preliminary engineering design and construction of the central passenger concourse. The Ferry Building, built in 1898, has survived 2 major earthquakes and is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. The remodeling and improvements will reestablish the Ferry Building as a major intermodal transportation center and mixed use complex.

Visitors can connect to passenger ferries, light rail, the subway system, historic streetcars, cable cars and buses that will take them to downtown San Francisco. In addition, the Ferry Building now contains retail shops, restaurants, a food market, conference center, and office space.

Improvements to the Ferry Building will help increase the number of passengers as well as reduce commuter automobile congestion and the corresponding negative air quality. Improvements to the Ferry Building and surrounding areas are ongoing.