A large portion of Interstate 8 eastbound lanes will be closed this weekend, impacting parts of El Cajon and La Mesa, Caltrans said on Tuesday.
The closure — which will be in effect from Friday at 9 p.m. to Monday at 5 a.m. — will start at Jackson Drive in La Mesa and end near Broadway in El Cajon, according to the agency.
Caltrans crews will continue construction on the $27.7 million Bridge Rehabilitation Improvement Project that began in November 2022. Federal funds are covering $20.6 million, while $4.1 million comes from SB-1, which allocated funding across California for different transportation infrastructure projects.
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The goal of the project is to touch up infrastructure of aging bridges and roads along I-8 in East County. Some of the infrastructure is more than 60 years-old, Caltrans said.
"I don't usually go out to El Cajon on the weekends. Occasionally we go out during the weekdays. A lot of times, I'll just use Fletcher Parkway to go out that way," Mark Luciano, who lives near La Mesa, told NBC 7.
The California Highway Patrol is keeping its eyes on the road this weekend for the project and wants drivers to do the same, including planning for possible delays.
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"Prepare that into your day so you can leave earlier, so you decrease your sense of urgency, so you can get to your destination safely," Capt. Michael Vargas with the CHP El Cajon region said.
Traffic will be diverted to northbound State Route 125, eastbound State Route 52 and southbound State Route 67 and back to the I-8.
Caltrans said this will be the last major closure before the project wraps up. There will still be additional closures in the weeks to come, but Caltrans said these will be quick and overnight closures to finish the project.
"I'm grateful whenever they repave our roads, whenever they repair something that needs repaired. I'm in favor of it," Luciano said.
