A section of southbound Interstate 5 in downtown San Diego will be closed for 56 hours next weekend to repair the bridge deck over state Route 163.
The southbound closure begins at 9 p.m. Friday at Interstate 8 and lasts until 5 a.m. Monday, Sept. 11.
All traffic will be diverted to to eastbound I-8. At least one lane of southbound I-5 will remain accessible from on-ramps south of I-8 for limited local and airport traffic, according to Caltrans San Diego.
The Fifth Avenue on-ramp will be closed to limit the amount of traffic using the single lane through the construction area.
To avoid delays through downtown, motorists heading south on I-5 are advised to take southbound Interstate 805.
Caltrans workers also will use the closure as an opportunity to clean, maintain and inspect hard-to-reach areas, the agency said.
And it won’t be over after next weekend.
Caltrans will close the northbound side of I-5 at the end of the month, this time at Interstate 15.
The closure will begin Friday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. and continue through Monday, Oct. 1 at 5 a.m., with two lanes of traffic detoured to I-15 and remaining northbound traffic directed to eastbound State Route 94.
Signs are already in warn motorists of the upcoming potentially disruptive weekend.
“This proactive work will ensure the structural integrity of the I-5 bridge through downtown for years to come,” Caltrans District Director Gustavo Dallarda said. “During these two closure weekends, please avoid using I-5 through downtown and travel on alternate routes like SR-163, I-805 and (the) 15.”
Caltrans crews began this emergency work in mid-August between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. Monday through Friday. The project is expected to completed by the end of October.
– City News Service
