A series of overnight closures go into effect Sunday on Interstate 5 for construction of the Mid-Coast Trolley line, officials said. Northbound lane closures will occur the week of March 1 and southbound lane closures will occur the week of March 8.
The closures are needed for construction crews to remove temporary support structures from the trolley overcrossing south of Nobel Drive in the La Jolla Village area, according to the San Diego Association of Governments.
Once the Mid-Coast Trolley project is complete, the overcrossing will be one of two points where the extended UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley will travel over the freeway, SANDAG said.
The temporary support structure was installed in summer 2019 for crews to begin constructing the overcrossing. Following the installations, crews conducted several concrete pours to form the approximately 670-foot structure that spans nearly 40 feet above I-5. Now that the overcrossing is complete, the temporary support structure is ready to be removed.
To accommodate the removal, SANDAG said overnight closures of I-5 for the next two weeks are scheduled as follows:
- Sunday, March 1 to Thursday, March 5: Northbound closures from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night
- The full closure will be in place from State Route 52 to La Jolla Village Drive
- Sunday, March 8 to Thursday, March 12: Southbound closures from 9:30 p.m. to 5 a.m. each night
- The full closure will be in place from the I-5/I-805 Interchange to Gilman Drive/La Jolla Colony Drive
Northbound and southbound detours will be available via SR 52 and I-805. Schedules are subject to changes though, SANDAG said.
Local
If work progresses ahead of schedule, northbound lanes will reopen early and closures will go into effect on southbound lanes during the week of March 1, SANDAG said.
SANDAG said the Mid-Coast Trolley project will extend UC San Diego Blue Line Trolley service from downtown San Diego to the university community, serving major centers such as Mission Bay, the VA Medical Center, UC San Diego, and University Towne Centre.
Nine new stations will be constructed and the new terminus will be University Towne Center near Westfield UTC. Major construction work began in 2016, with service anticipated to begin in late 2021.
