SAN DIEGO — Nearly 16 years after the Witch Creek Fire tore through San Diego County, road repairs are finally underway in Rancho Bernardo.
The $5.26 million City of San Diego project to repair 2.3 miles of streets damaged in the neighborhood by the 2007 wildfire broke ground on Aguamiel Road in the Westwood community Monday morning.
According to city officials, the project will focus on repairing the existing roadway with asphalt overlay, upgrading the sidewalks and curb ramps to be ADA-compliant, removing and replacing cross gutters, and restriping roadways.
The Witch Creek Fire started around noon on October 21, 2007 after arcing power lines sparked flames east of Ramona amid high Santa Ana winds.
By the next morning, the wildfire had spread to the San Diego city limits and merged with a neighboring blaze from the San Pasqual Valley, the Guejito Fire, becoming one of the worst in both local and state history.
By the time crews tackled the fire, the two had burned through more than 197,000 acres in San Diego County, including more than 9,000 acres in the city. 365 residences were also destroyed, according to officials, all of which were in the neighborhood of Rancho Bernardo.
Westwood was one of the communities that saw many homes and infrastructure either destroyed or severely damaged from the fire.
To say residents here have waited patiently for the streets to be repaired ever since is an understatement, Aurora Arcilla said.
“For years, it’s been bumpy, bumpy, bumpy,” said Arcilla. “We are so thankful that finally the road is being paved and done.”
The amount of land that was scorched is part of why San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria says it took so long to mobilize for repairs.
“Sadly, San Diego’s road repair investments have historically been as patchy as our pavement and inadequate to keep our network of nearly 3,000 miles of streets in the condition that residents expect and deserve,” Gloria said during a press conference Monday.
“My administration is moving to change that with consistent, focused investments in cost-effective road repairs,” he continued.
The total cost of the project is estimated to be about $5.26 million, with around $2.5 million coming from a state grand designated for wildfire repairs.
Crews will be repairing Aguamiel Road, Azucar Way, Alcalde Court, Grillo Court, Nevoso Way, Sedero Court, Palito Court, Danza Circle, Escoba Place, Aliento Court and Cabela Drive over the next few weeks. Construction is estimated to be complete by mid to late-June.