Fixing San Diego's crumbling infrastructure comes with a hefty price tag. A new report finds the city's funding shortfall for those projects has hit nearly 8-billion dollars. That's up 20 percent from a year ago, and more than 60 percent compared to two years ago.
The report finds the gap doesn't include funding for additional projects San Diego may need if sea levels rise due to climate change.
Much of San Diego's infrastructure was built in the 1950s 1960s and early 1970s. Buildings need to meet stricter state regulations, roads need to be updated to handle more traffic and the city just can't keep up with the population boom it's seen in recent decades. As a result, much of the infrastructure has outlasted its projected lifespan.
“The city’s stormwater infrastructure is largely past its useful life, resulting in system deterioration and failure,” according to the report. “Age, combined with deferred maintenance due to historical underfunding of the storm drain system, poses a risk of flooding and catastrophic failure.”
The city is currently facing a massive budget deficit, so how can it pay for these upgrades? One possible solution would be a ballot measure this November, that could raise San Diego's sales tax.
However, that would need voter approval, and could may take several years to implement.