A pathway connecting Mission Valley and Hillcrest, known among locals as a helpful shortcut but maintained by UC San Diego Health for its expanding medical campus, has reopened to public after years of closure for renovation.
“We’re excited to share that Bachman Place officially reopened in June 2025, marking a major milestone in the transformation of the Hillcrest Medical Campus at UC San Diego Health,” UC San Diego Health said in a statement.
The closure began in spring 2022, temporarily removing a route previously used by thousands of commuters per day and a main north-sound option for cyclists in the area. The 0.6-mile stretch connects Hotel Circle and the sprawling UC San Diego Health Medical Campus.
Part of a multi-phase revitalization, the Bachman Place construction was originally projected to take two years to complete. Among obstacles cited by UC San Diego Health as setbacks for the project’s timeline were rainfall, utility rerouting and supply chain issues.
“Thanks to the construction crews for getting it done — and to San Diegans for your patience,” said a social media post from Mayor Todd Gloria on Tuesday.
With its official reopening on June 30, the expanded Bachman Place added a raised pedestrian sidewalk, a bike pathway on both sides of the street, new lighting and an additional lane going south.
Bachman Place, a road that is known by many locals as a short cut, has reopened. The street takes you from Mission Valley to Hillcrest. Aaron Petka 52, with the Mission Hills Bike Shop riding his bicycle uphill for the second time on the road in Hillcrest on 07.09.25, in San Diego, California. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
BikeSD, a San Diego nonprofit biking collective and advocacy group, and its executive director, Anar Salayev, celebrated the reopening with a 6-mile Bachman Place bike ride on July 1.
“We had terrific turnout,” Salayev said. “A lot of people were really excited about this reopening and a lot of them live in Hillcrest or around the medical center area so it makes it that much easier to get to and from Mission Valley.”
While Salayev is “thrilled” to have the Bachman access-way reopened, he noted the steepness of the hill and others like it may be challenging for some riders.
“As we begin building more protected bike lanes in the city of San Diego,” Salayev said. “I hope that we can consider additional features like bike escalators to make these uphill trips between Mission Valley and the central mesa more accessible and enjoyable for all, not just those that are on E-bikes or that have the endurance to go through some of these 9, 10, 11% grades.”
The renovation also includes conspicuous cameras along the walkway and the removal of all parking options along the thoroughfare.
“The cameras are part of the security system used by UC San Diego Health and have been in place along this roadway for many years, even prior to its temporary closure for construction,” UC San Diego Health said in a statement to The San Diego Union-Tribune. “As part of reopening the road, the cameras were reinstated to help maintain consistent safety and security across the medical campus.
Bachman Place, a road that is known by many locals as a short cut, has reopened. The street takes you from Mission Valley to Hillcrest. Security cameras along the road in Hillcrest on 07.09.25, in San Diego, California. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
“While Bachman Place is owned by the University of California and primarily intended for UC San Diego Health access, it is currently open to the public.”’
April Lavaco is the front office manager at the Courtyard San Diego Mission Valley, located at the bottom of Bachman. She said she knows many people in the community are happy to have it reopened, but for guests staying at the hotel, the option to save $30 on parking is no longer available.
“It was a way for guests to get out of parking fees,” Lavaco said. “But they’ve taken away the parking spots.”
Long time drivers in the area may remember a tight exit at the south end of the street at the Bachman parking structure. This area has been completely redesigned and a newly constructed paid parking lot was erected to support the McGrath Outpatient Pavilion, which is set to open sometime this summer.
The paid parking lot currently is used mostly for employees but does have public parking available.
Michael Davidson, a longtime resident of the Nightingale apartment, lives at the top of Bachman. Davidson uses his electric tricycle to get to the shops down in the Mission Valley area and is happy to have the construction finished, he said.
“It’s terrific. It was hell getting down to the flat when they had it closed, for what, two or three years,” Davidson said. “I’d have to go all the way around to Texas (street) and across but now everything is quick.”
Bachman Place, a road that is known by many locals as a short cut, has reopened. The street takes you from Mission Valley to Hillcrest. A car on the road in Hillcrest on 07.09.25, in San Diego, California. (Alejandro Tamayo / The San Diego Union-Tribune)
Construction on Bachman is all Michael Hillyer has ever known since he moved onto Bachman three years ago. With the construction finished, he has seen an increase in traffic.
“When I first moved over here it was less traffic,” Hillyer said. “It was more private. Now it’s just too much traffic. Nothing I can do about it, it’s just different. I’m not going down the facility but due to the traffic … It’s convenient for the people that need the hospital, I get it.”
The completion and reopening of Bachman Place marks a major milestone for the Hillcrest Medical Campus redevelopment project.
“We understand how important Bachman Place is to the community and are grateful for everyone’s patience during construction. By taking a thoughtful, forward-looking approach, we’ve not only reopened a key shortcut — we’ve made it better, safer, and ready to support San Diego’s growth for decades to come,” a UC San Diego Health statement said.