Construction crews Friday opened a new northbound auxiliary lane and a southbound general purpose lane along Interstate 805 in National City, a move that is expected to improve overall freeway flow and safety, while alleviating congestion along I-805 in South San Diego County.
The project, by Caltrans and SANDAG,extends lanes from State Route 54 to East Plaza Boulevard along I-805.
The new lanes are roughly a half-mile long. They extend the merging distance between on- and off-ramps to accommodate the maneuvering of vehicles entering and exiting the freeway.
Friday’s opening marks the completion of the first phase of the I-805 South Express Lanes Project, a $1.1 billion effort to create a modern transportation backbone for South County. Funding for the South Express Lanes Project is provided by TransNet, the regional half-cent sales tax for transportation administered by SANDAG.
