Date: June 13, 2023
District: 11 – San Diego and Imperial Counties
Contact: Stephen.Welborn@dot.ca.gov
(619) 913-9452 Stacy.Garcia@sandag.org (619) 452-8994
SAN DIEGO — Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) will open four additional miles of Interstate 5 (I-5) carpool lanes in North County that are projected to provide a 50 percent reduction in commute times for high-occupancy vehicles (HOV) during peak travel hours. This milestone completes the Build North Coast Corridor (NCC) program, one of the largest infrastructure improvement projects in the San Diego region. Motorists now have expanded access to carpool lanes in each direction from State Route (SR) 78 in Oceanside to Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad. Southbound lanes open Wednesday, and northbound lanes will be open in two weeks as the final piece of a total of 13 miles of new HOV lanes since last spring.
The I-5 HOV Extension project caps the Build NCC program, a comprehensive set of multimodal transportation, environmental and coastal access projects to improve and enhance the quality of life for residents. Build NCC started in 2017 with new sound walls and transportation enhancement projects spanning bike, pedestrian, environmental, transit, and highway improvements in the cities of Solana Beach, Encinitas, and Carlsbad.
“This construction project delivers groundbreaking expanded multimodal capacity to the region, in line with our goals of building a quicker, more equitable, and cleaner transportation system,” said Caltrans Director Tony Tavares. “These lanes will encourage more carpooling and increase vehicle occupancy along a major corridor in San Diego’s North County.”
“The completion of these vital HOV lanes is a win for North County,” said SANDAG Second Vice Chair and Solana Beach Mayor Lesa Heebner. “Thanks to collaboration of SANDAG and Caltrans, along with the combination of federal, state, and local funding, the completed 13-mile stretch will give carpoolers a safe and reliable option to get where they need to go throughout the North Coast Corridor while reducing emissions.”
Funding for this $79 million HOV lanes extension project includes state and federal funding sources, including $3.3 million from SANDAG TransNet, the regional half-cent sales tax; $3.3 million from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017; and more than $72 million in federal funding.
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For more information on projects within the North Coast Corridor (NCC) Program, please visit BuildNCC.com.
For more information about California transportation projects funded by SB 1 and other programs, visit RebuildingCA.ca.gov.
About SANDAG
SANDAG is the regional agency that connects people, places, and innovative ideas by implementing solutions with our unique and diverse communities. We are committed to creating a San Diego region where every person who visits, works, and lives can thrive.
Facebook: SANDAGregion
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LinkedIn: San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG)
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About Caltrans
Caltrans’ mission is to provide a safe and reliable transportation network that serves all people and respects the environment. District 11 in San Diego and Imperial counties serves one of the country’s most geographically and culturally diverse areas, spanning the entire California-Mexico Border from the Pacific coast to Arizona and reaches north from the international border to Orange and Riverside counties.
For real-time traffic information including traffic speed, lane, and road closures due to construction and maintenance activities, and more, go to http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/
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