Interstate 5 from San Clemente to Oceanside has long been one of California’s traffic choke points, with no other nearby alternative routes between Los Angeles and San Diego.
So traffic delays could be significant Saturday with the U.S. military planning to fire live artillery rounds over Interstate 5 in Southern California. The freeway was shut down temporarily Saturday along a 17-mile stretch of coastal northern San Diego County, just south of the border with Orange County.
What do we know about the closure?
The closure began at 11 a.m. and will last until 3 p.m. The military event involving live ammunition being fired over the freeway is directed by the White House, according to the California Department of Transportation.
The closure affects the portion of Interstate 5 alongside Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, which is one of the military’s busiest installations.
The closure severs the primary link between the southern coastal edge of Orange County and the northern beach cities of San Diego County. Motorists will be forced to drive all the way around the mountainous Camp Pendleton — which spans 125,000 acres — utilizing Interstate 15 as the primary alternate route.
That could make what would be — without traffic, which is rare — a 22-mile, 23-minute drive from Oceanside to San Clemente into a 138-mile, 2-hour-and-20-minute drive (if trying to avoid Orange County’s toll roads), with motorists forced to go around Camp Pendleton. (Interstate 5 through the base often sees backups even on weekends).
Where is it?
The closure was n effect from Basilone Drive just south of San Clemente through Harbor Drive just north of Oceanside.
Rail service is also expected be disrupted, affecting the Amtrak Pacific Surfliner and Metrolink service.
What are some alternatives?
From San Diego County to Los Angeles County: Use Interstate 15 north instead of Interstate 5, through Temecula and Lake Elsinore, then take Route 91 west to Los Angeles.
From Los Angeles County to San Diego County: Take Route 91 east, through Corona, then Interstate 15 south.
From Orange County to San Diego County: Take Route 55 north to Route 91 east, then Interstate 15 south.
From San Diego County to Orange County: Take Interstate 15 north to Route 91 west, then Route 55 south.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
