Adam RollinsThe Chula Vista City Council in California unanimously approved the city’s $617.2 million budget for fiscal year (FY) 2025-2026 – the largest in the city’s history. The city’s $141.1 million five-year Capital Improvement Program (CIP) was covered in the budget, allocating $29.6 million for FY 2026.
Supported initiatives for the upcoming year will prioritize work on roadways, water infrastructure, drainage, parks and public facilities. Roadway management comprises most of the city’s investments, securing $23 million for new and ongoing street projects.
The Heritage Road Bridge Replacement Project – featured as one of the city’s largest investments – is a critical component of a corridor improvement effort designed to expand major roadways to better accommodate traffic. Work will include expanding roads to six lanes, widening streets and adding travel lanes, sidewalks and bike lanes to both sides of the roadway.
Improvements to the Chula Vista pavement infrastructure is another highlight of the budget as the city focuses on rehabilitation. Plans include implementing pavement, overlays and reconstruction treatments to extend pavement life by 15 to 20 years, addressing deterioration early and avoiding ongoing repair expenses.
The city’s Pavement Management System will also receive more funding, ensuring the city has greater visibility for monitoring roadway conditions, prioritizing projects and effectively allocating limited resources. Additional investments will support curb, gutter, sidewalk, pedestrian and ADA pedestrian ramp improvements throughout Chula Vista.
The budget includes a series of investments to address traffic and improve pedestrian safety along roadways. Measures include investments in traffic calming programs, signal system optimization, traffic signal and streetlight systems upgrades and modifications and other related programs.
The budget’s second-highest investment supports five new sewer infrastructure projects. Over the next year, the city will repair and renew select segments of the collection system, inspect large-diameter sewer mains to assess conditions, rehabilitate deteriorated sewer maintenance holes and install semi-permanent monitoring equipment throughout the collection system.
The remaining CIP investments for FY 2026 include:
- Drainage projects to rehabilitate critical storm drain infrastructure.
- Repair work for public buildings such as fire stations, police facilities, the civic center, libraries and more to fix assets past their expected useful life.
- Park infrastructure replacement and repair projects for drinking fountains, irrigation controls, lighting, picnic tables, benches and other related amenities.
- Improvements to the city’s landscaping elements.
- City street tree maintenance to preserve tree health, support traffic safety and improve air quality.
- General government projects to replace citywide networks, improve a golf course and conduct feasibility studies on a new police substation.
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