Southbound I-5 Re-Opens Hours Early Following Bridge Work In Downtown San Diego

By Editor, Times of San Diego

September 11, 2023

All lanes are open on Interstate 5 south through downtown San Diego as of mid-afternoon Sunday, according to Caltrans San Diego.

The southbound bridge work was completed, the agency reported via social media before 2 p.m.

That’s far ahead of schedule. The southbound freeway was closed at 9 p.m. Friday from Interstate 8 through downtown to just before Route 94 and was not set to reopen until 5 a.m. Monday.

The closure occurred so crews could repair a bridge deck over Route 163, prompting a week’s worth of warnings to drivers to seek alternate routes.

“Maintenance crews are out repairing guardrail, patching bridge spalls and performing bridge inspection during this weekend’s I-5 downtown closure,” Caltrans said Saturday.

But heads up: Caltrans will perform a similar closure on the northbound side of I-5 at the end of the month.

That closure will begin Friday, Sept. 29 at 9 p.m. and continue through Monday, Oct. 1 at 5 a.m., with two lanes of traffic detoured to I-15 and remaining northbound traffic directed to eastbound state Route 94.

“This proactive work will ensure the structural integrity of the I-5 bridge through downtown for years to come,” said Caltrans District Director Gustavo Dallarda said.

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