State Route 94 (SR-94)/State Route 125 (SR-125) Interchange and Arterial Operational Improvements Project

April 2023

Goals

• Improve traffic movement in the project area by reducing congestion on freeways and local streets
• Provide complete streets by expanding the multimodal network for nonmotorized users
• Provide a direct connection from southbound SR-125 to eastbound SR-94

Project Location

Spring Valley (unincorporated San Diego County) and the City of La Mesa on SR-94 from Spring Street Undercrossing to Kenwood Drive Undercrossing and on SR-125 from Spring Street Undercrossing to Lemon Avenue Undercrossing.

Project Features

Caltrans proposes to build the project in 2 phases. The original project extended more than 3 miles along both routes and made major improvements in the following categories:

• Auxiliary Lanes
• Bicycle, Pedestrian, and ADA Improvements
• Direct Freeway-to-Freeway Connector from Southbound SR-125 to Eastbound SR-94

Phases

Phase 1 Features

Auxiliary Lanes

• Southbound SR-125 (Lemon Avenue to Spring Street)
• Eastbound SR-94 (Bancroft to Kenwood Drive)
• Northbound SR-125 (SR-94 to Lemon Avenue)

The proposed auxiliary lanes will allow for easier merging onto the freeway from local streets and greater storage to keep queuing off the through lanes, improving freeway operations and safety.

Bridges

• Mariposa Street Overcrossing replacement (to accommodate SR-125 aux lanes)

Sound and Retaining Walls

• To be built along auxiliary lanes

Bicycle Improvements

• Mariposa Street Overcrossing Replacement will be striped as a Class III Bikeway (Bike Route) by using sharrow pavement markings to allow shared use of the lanes with motor vehicles
• Spring Street and Bancroft Drive will be striped as a buffered Class II Bikeway (Bike Lane) that includes a green-painted lane in each direction

Pedestrian and ADA Improvements

• Mariposa Street Overcrossing Replacement will have new 7’-wide sidewalks on both sides and ADA-compliant curb ramps on all four corners
• Bancroft Drive will receive 6’-wide standard sidewalks and ADA compliant ramps at the eastbound ramps end.

Phase 1 Benefits

• Improved Freeway and Arterial Operations
• Improved Safety for All Modes of Travel
• More Efficient Entering and Exiting of the Freeway

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Phase 2 Feature

• Freeway-to-Freeway Connector from Southbound SR-125 to Eastbound SR-94

The new connector will join eastbound SR-94 just west of the eastbound offramp to Bancroft Drive. Currently, the portion of southbound SR-125 between the Lemon Avenue onramp and the Spring Street offramp carries approximately 83,400 vehicles a day, with an average of 20,550 vehicles a day exiting at Spring Street. The proposed connector would eliminate the need for southbound SR-125 traffic to use Spring Street to connect to eastbound SR-94, reducing queueing and delays for the freeway and local street network and improving the flow of traffic, thus increasing the level of safety and operations.

Phase 2 Benefits

• Improved Freeway and Arterial Operations
• Improved Safety for All Modes of Travel

Cost, Funding, and Schedule

The estimated total cost of Phases 1 and 2 are approximately $240 million each. Currently, there is no funding for Phase 1 Construction and all of Phase 2.  Phase 1 Construction and all stages of Phase 2 is currently unfunded. Caltrans is prioritizing the $85M needed to fully fund Phase 1 Construction by working with our local and regional partners.  As additional funds become available, Phase 2 Environmental, Design & Right of Way, and ultimately Construction of the connector can proceed.  Project design for the original project began in the spring of 2019, and the current Phase 1 design and environmental reevaluation will be complete by the summer of 2025.  The remaining schedule is dependent upon funding. 

Contact

Project Manager

Michael Lubin
(858) 829-1020
Michael.Lubin@dot.ca.gov