Where are we going? Destination Lindbergh!

Through some earlier posts I have alluded to one of the newest, most exciting projects that I am working on – Destination Lindbergh: The Ultimate Build Out. The endeavor is a multi-agency initiative to plan the long-term future of the airport.

The cornerstone of the project is the daily collaboration we at the airport are having with our regional partners (namely the City of San Diego and SANDAG). San Diego Mayor Jerry Sanders is Chairman of the Ad Hoc Airport Regional Policy Committee, which is guiding the project to the February, 2009, finish line.

Other regional partners represented on this important committee are the Port of San Diego, the County of San Diego, the Metropolitan Transit System, the North County Transit District and the U.S. Department of Defense. The Ad Hoc Airport Regional Policy Committee meets every three weeks on Thursdays starting at 7:15 a.m. at the Airport Authority Board Room in the Commuter Terminal. In fact, they're meeting tomorrow!

Also supporting Destination Lindbergh is a Technical Committee and a special subcommittee of the Airport Advisory Committee, which both provide valuable input to staff and the consultant team at every step of the project.

A new Destination Lindbergh website has agendas, meeting notes and presentations for each of the meetings, as well as other information about Destination Lindbergh.

In planning the long-term future of the airport, the goals Destination Lindbergh are to:

• Analyze and consider economic and environmental sustainability
• Optimize operational efficiency
• Integrate multiple modes of transportation
• Evaluate the entire airport, as well as adjacent properties

In the Airport Planning Department, one of the things we’re currently working on to support Destination Lindbergh is an updated passenger forecast for the airport. We are also starting work on various intermodal transit concepts.

As Destination Lindbergh progresses, I’ll give you updates. In the meantime, If you’d like to really delve into the process and the data, you can visit www.destinationlindbergh.com.

And the next time you are asked, “Where are we headed?” – now you know the answer: DESTINATION LINDBERGH!