Carlsbad Continues To Work With Caltrans On State Road 78 Repairs

CARLSBAD, CA — As Caltrans crews work on emergency repairs to State Route 78, the city of Carlsbad continues to take steps to help ease congestion and keep traffic moving.

Caltrans is closed SR 78 Westbound March 16 after a sinkhole formed in the roadway following heavy rains brought about by a series of atmospheric rivers that struck the area. An underground culvert on both the west and east bound side of the roadway was damaged and since the initial closure Caltrans crews have worked 24 hours a day seven days a week to repair the damage, the ity said.

Also Read "Westbound State Route 78 Closed Due To Sinkhole"

After about three weeks of work, the roughly 1 3/4-mile section of the freeway between College Boulevard and El Camino Real in Oceanside was back in operation in time for the Wednesday, April 5 morning commute.

Once the westbound side of the roadway reopened Caltrans closed the eastbound side for repairs which are not expected to be completed for another week or so, according to Caltrans.

Also Read: "Westbound State Route 78 Set To Reopen This Week"

Because of the closure, traffic has been impacted on several Carlsbad streets, particularly along Carlsbad Village Drive, between El Camino Real and College Boulevard, the city of Carlsbad said in a news release published on its website.

"We understand this increase in traffic and congestion is frustrating, and we’re grateful for everyone’s patience and commitment to driving safely," the city said.

What Carlsbad is doing

According to the city of Carlsbad, they have taken some steps to help ease congestion while Caltrans continues its work.

"Our traffic team is working closely with Caltrans and our neighboring cities, meeting at least once a week to coordinate our efforts and keep things moving," the city said, adding that it has synced the timing of traffic signals with the signals that Caltrans operates at the freeway on and off ramps to help traffic move a little more easily.

"We also adjusted the timing of green lights to help move some of the bypass traffic through more quickly and help alleviate congestion," the city said. "For instance, to help traffic move through the intersection of Carlsbad Village Drive and College Boulevard, we more than doubled the amount of time the left turn arrow is green, from 20 seconds to 45 seconds."

While the city has made some efforts to help alleviate any potential gridlock, it's likely drivers will still see heavy traffic during the remainder of the closure so drivers should stay alert and drive safely.

The city of Carlsbad offered the following tips for drivers who have to use the affected roadways:

• Leave extra time to get where you need to go. Remember, speeding is one of the main causes of collisions in Carlsbad.
• Eliminate distractions and put your phone away.
• Look out for and yield to pedestrians.
• Share the road with cyclists. Give them the space they need to ride safely.

View real-time traffic and road closure information on the Caltrans website.