Due to rainy weather, Cal Trans has extended the westbound lane closure of State Route 78 for at least another week as they work to remove and replace five damaged culverts.
During this past week, Caltrans said crews have performed preventative work to shore up the location to protect it from the wet weather. Repaving and lane striping work are scheduled for next week, but Caltrans said the pavement must remain dry to complete this work and rain is expected mid-week.
Portable Changeable Messages Signs are placed along northbound and southbound Interstate 15 and along westbound SR-78 to alert motorists of this work.
Motorists will detour to the College Boulevard/Vista Way off-ramp, then west on Vista Way to the westbound SR-78 El Camino Real on-ramp.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
The agency said once crews are finished excavating down 38 to 40 feet and complete the project, workers will then begin to work on the eastbound lanes sometime next week.
Westbound lanes have been closed since the week of March 13 when a series of atmospheric river storms reached San Diego and flooded several streets and freeways. Crews then began working to fix a failed 50-year-old culvert that lead to a sinkhole that shut down the busy stretch of highway, Caltrans Maintenance Chief Shawn Rizzutto told NBC 7.
Local
The closures are taking a toll on those who regularly use SR-78 for their commutes.
"Because of the closure on the 78, I had to drive an additional 20 to 30 miles and come from East County on the 52 all the way up the 5 and around to get to a birthday party, and so of course because of that I was a half hour late," said one neighbor, Julia last week.
