Emergency repairs have begun on an Interstate 5 overpass that has dropped chunks of concrete onto Oceanside Boulevard at least twice in the past few months, a state Transportation Department official told the North County Times.
Deck repair work, which should begin in two to three weeks, is expected to take place at night, likely beginning at 9 p.m., according to Edward Cartagena, a spokesman for Caltrans. Workers will close no more than three lanes at a time, he said, and will use quick-setting concrete to allow all lanes to reopen each morning while work is under way, sparing northbound commuters the daily traffic snarl that would result if lanes remained closed during daylight hours.
In preparation for the night work, Cartagena said, workers have begun installing scaffolding and concrete forms underneath a narrow portion of the 10-lane overpass, the paper reported.
The crews are preparing to replace a 2-foot-wide, 150-foot-long section of bridge deck that has begun to crumble under the strain of an estimated 189,000 daily vehicle trips. The cost of the repairs is estimated at $500,000, Cartagena said.
