Builders involved in north San Diego County's "Build North Coast Corridor" project celebrated a milestone Tuesday: they met the halfway mark in completing the first phase of construction.
Allan Kosup, I-5 Corridor Director for Caltrans, said the next phase of the project will require a traffic switch above the San Elijo Lagoon.
“It’s essentially a subtle ‘S’ curve, if you would. So, the new bridges are built to the outside, and so we’ll be taking traffic from the existing main lanes onto the new bridges and then transitioning them back to the old main lanes and that will allow us to take down and replace those old bridges in the middle,” said Kosup.
The traffic switch along Interstate 5 is expected to take effect by mid-February.
Kosup said the same number of current lanes will be open to drivers, to avoid traffic delays. The bridge project is expected to be completed in two years.
Construction crews were treated to a hot breakfast and coffee at the Caltrans Manchester Field Office in Encinitas to celebrate their accomplishments.
“I’m super proud of all of you! The skilled and trained craftsmen of the San Diego Builders Trade, who are working to build this iconic project,” said Tom Lemmon, with San Diego County Building and Construction Trades.
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Project leaders announced additional updates on other Build NCC projects, which include: adding an HOV lane from Loma Santa Fe to Palomar Airport Rd.; a rail bridge, pedestrian and bike improvements; and the San Elijo Lagoon restoration project.
California Highway Patrol officers are asking drivers to drive with caution and explained traffic fines are doubled in construction zones.
Build NCC is the first phase of a 40-year balanced transportation vision for the North Coast corridor, aimed to increase safety sustainability and transportation choices in the region.
According to data from the Transnet: Keep San Diego Moving website, Build NCC is estimated to cost approximately $1.1 billion with funding available from a combination of federal, state, and regional Transnet revenue sources.
