San Diego County Roads & Highways Projects

Relieving congestion, improving roadways

Roads & Highways2023-08-24T12:56:36-07:00

Attention Paid to Highly-Traveled Highways

Within the 4,526 square miles of San Diego County are nearly 2,000 miles of roads that, if put end to end, would allow for a drive from San Diego across the country to Pensacola, Florida. From mountain routes to beachfront streets, San Diego Roads & Highways Projects include repairs and upgrades to roadways and also bridges, guardrails, traffic lights, crosswalks, and more. Among them are:

State Route 11 and Otay Mesa East Port of Entry on the U.S.-Mexico border is a joint construction project between Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG). The new port of entry aims to enhance regional mobility and fuel economic growth and binational trade. Incorporating smart technologies helps vehicle wait times, which then reduces emissions and improves air quality in the border region.

The I-5 North Coast Corridor (NCC) is one of the most traveled highways in the nation. The NCC Project will connect 27 miles of highway through Oceanside, Carlsbad, Encinitas, Solana Beach, Del Mar and San Diego. This expansion project has been made possible through funds from SB 1 and is a unique program that combines improvements to highways, local streets, railroads, bike paths and the lagoon.

Repairs on 71 lane miles of State Route 78 in San Diego County will bring improvements to Ramona, Escondido and Julian. The project includes removing the top layers of old pavement and applying an overlay of high quality rubberized asphalt that will add durability to the roadway and create a smoother ride for motorists. The $11 million project is paid for with SB 1 funds.

It is also important to note that San Diego Roads & Highway Projects help infrastructure meet the demands of today’s  traffic demands, while also meeting current seismic and safety standards.

San Diego County has 51 pedestrian or bicycle bridges and 772 highway pedestrian bridges, meaning they are used by both vehicles and pedestrians. Approximately 300 bridges are located within the City of San Diego. 

With an expected completion date of mid-2022, the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge Project will replace the existing 4-lane bridge with a 6-lane bridge having a northbound and a southbound Class I bike facility and pedestrian sidewalks. The project includes a bike path on both bridges, and roadway widening and improvements along Sports Arena Boulevard, West Mission Bay Drive and the westbound I-8 off-ramp.

As one of San Diego’s busiest thoroughfares, the West Mission Bay Drive Bridge provides access to and from the Pacific Beach and Mission Beach neighborhoods. Traffic and population have changed greatly since the original bridge was built in the 1950s. Designed to handle 40,000 daily trips, a 2009 study revealed daily traffic volumes exceeded 64,000 vehicles a day. Caltrans evaluated the more-than-60-year-old bridge and found it to be functionally obsolete. 

The estimated total cost of the project is $149 million with an estimated construction contract cost of $111 million. The project is fully funded through the Federal Highway Administration Highway Bridge Program, $4.9 million from Sea World traffic mitigation and $13.5 million from a Transnet Extension fee.

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