Mayor Officially Opens New Balboa Park Roadway

San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Councilmember Todd Gloria today joined San Diego Zoo Global staff to officially open the newly renovated Old Globe Way, on the south side of the San Diego Zoo. The widened and landscaped roadway leads to the Zoo’s new employee parking structure and the Old Globe, past the Casa del Prado and the San Diego Museum of Art.

“This Old Globe Way project is a gift to all of San Diego, creating a wonderful connection between two of the City’s most cherished landmarks: historic Balboa Park and the world-famous San Diego Zoo,” said Mayor Faulconer. “It’s fitting that the project opens during the Balboa Park Centennial as we elevate, celebrate and promote the park for 2015 and beyond.”

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The Old Globe Way project—including a renovated roadway that leads to the Old Globe theater complex and Village Place (an improved turnaround and unloading zone that serves the Casa del Prado)—cost more than $2 million to build.

The transformation of Old Globe Way was made possible in large part through grants from the Legler Benbough Foundation, the Parker Foundation and the Balboa Park Trust at the San Diego Foundation. Also mentioned in the ceremony was the Centennial Walkway that links Balboa Park with the San Diego Zoo, through a landscaped path including two elephant topiaries and the new San Diego Zoo employee parking structure, which is expected to reduce staff use of the main guest parking lot.

Bringing species back from the brink of extinction is the goal of San Diego Zoo Global. As a leader in conservation, the work of San Diego Zoo Global includes on-site wildlife conservation efforts (representing both plants and animals) at the San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and San Diego Zoo Institute for Conservation Research, as well as international field programs on six continents. The work of these entities is made accessible to children through the San Diego Zoo Kids network, reaching out through the Internet and in children’s hospitals nationwide. The work of San Diego Zoo Global is made possible by the San Diego Zoo Global Wildlife Conservancy and is supported in part by the Foundation of San Diego Zoo Global.

CONTACT: SAN DIEGO ZOO GLOBAL PUBLIC RELATIONS, 619-685-3291