A project of a class at The Children’s School hopes to name a pedestrian bridge over Torrey Pines Road with nods to the school and more.
Bridging assignment with advocacy, a class of middle school students at The Children’s School has begun the process to request the city of San Diego name the pedestrian bridge near the campus “The Children’s Bridge.”
The bridge, built in 1977, is currently listed only as “Pedestrian walkway over Torrey Pines Road” and spans the busy street from Torrey Pines Lane at The Throat (the intersection of Torrey Pines Road, La Jolla Parkway and Hidden Valley Road) north to 300 feet east of La Jolla Shores Drive.
Brianna Billings, an instructional aide and electives teacher at The Children’s School, discovered the bridge had no name when researching it for her engineering class.
The less-than-specific name piqued the students’ interest, Billings told lajolla.ca; the students then decided to contact the city of San Diego to determine how to name the bridge themselves.
The students, with Billings’ help, wrote a proposal to name the bridge “The Children’s Bridge,” an homage to the school and the children who use it daily.
The Children’s School opened in 1972 in Point Loma before moving to its current La Jolla location in 1983, a site that formerly housed the now-closed Scripps Elementary School, part of the San Diego Unified School District.
“That site has always had a school and children there,” Billings said.
“The Children’s Bridge” would also honor the La Jolla landmark The Children’s Pool.
Other bridge names considered are “Comet Crossing,” “Discovery Bridge,” “Wonder Walkway,” “Comet Way” and “Bridge of Wonder.”
As per the city’s process to name the bridge, run through the Transportation Department, the students must also demonstrate community support, Billings said.
She spoke at the May 9 Town Council meeting during public comment, and is scheduled to present formally to the La Jolla Shores Association Wednesday, May 21 to ask for that group’s support.
The students have also created and will circulate petitions and emails to ask for support, Billings said.
Billings will also reach out to other community groups as appropriate for support and feedback, she said.
Once the proposal is submitted to the city, the Transportation Department director will verify the information; ensure legal and other compliance; consider community impact; and notify the City Council District 1 office, according to information furnished by city spokesperson Anthony Santacroce.
If approved, the bridge name would be adopted and any required signage would be installed in accordance with city policies.
The process takes four to six weeks, Santacroce said.
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