Earth Day festival attendees heading to Balboa Park on Saturday morning may have to take an alternate route due to planned freeway closures.
All lanes of the northbound 163 freeway between I-5 and I-8 will close Saturday from 3 a.m. to noon for maintenance work, such as picking up litter, trimming trees, removing overgrown brush, and repairing damaged pavement.
Caltrans announced that the closure includes the southbound and northbound I-5 ramps to northbound SR-163, as well as the 11th Ave. northbound SR-163 on-ramp from downtown San Diego.
San Diego Metropolitan Transit Systems bus services will be escorted through the area during the closure.
According to Caltrans, northbound I-5 motorists will be detoured to continue on northbound I-5 to the eastbound I-8 ramp, continue on eastbound I-8 to the northbound or southbound SR-163 connector ramps.
Southbound I-5 motorists will be detoured to the Imperial Avenue off- ramp, turn left to the northbound I-5 on-ramp, then follow the northbound I-5 detour.
Downtown San Diego motorists from 11th Avenue will be detoured to the northbound I-5 on-ramp, then follow the detour for northbound I-5 motorists.
The work schedule is subject to change due to weather, traffic incidents or other maintenance considerations.
City News Service contributed to this report.