All lanes of westbound State Route 78 have been shut down near Oceanside as crews respond to emergency sinkhole repairs following Wednesday’s storm.
A failed 50-year-old culvert lead to a sinkhole that shut down the busy stretch of highway, Caltrans Maintenance Chief Shawn Rizzutto told NBC 7. As crews work to remedy the 48-inch pipe, Caltrans announced the closure will impact westbound lanes of SR-78 from College Boulevard to El Camino Real until Saturday.
The agency said drivers impacted by the closure will be diverted to the College Boulevard/Vista Way off-ramp, then west on Vista Way to the westbound SR-78 El Camino Real on-ramp. Maintenance crews are working around the clock to expedite the repairs.
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“So, this work would normally take 3 to 4 weeks to perform," Rizzutto said. "We are going to do it in less than a week. We’re going to work 24 hours a day, seven days a week until we get it fully open.”
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The agency said once crews are finished excavating down 38 to 40 feet and complete the project, workers will then begin to work on the eastbound lanes sometime next week.
“We are concerned about the traveling public and the inconvenience that this poses for them, but we also need to look after the safety of the traveling public as well as the safety of our own employees," Rizzutto said. "The last thing we want is for something to happen to somebody because of what we’re doing at an accelerated rate.”
The troubled highway was shut down in both directions for hours Wednesday amid an atmospheric river that delivered record-breaking rainfall across the region.
Across the county, 2-to-3 inches of rain were recorded in some parts and in San Diego County’s mountains, about 4-and-a-half inches of rain were reported.
The inclement weather caused slick roadways Wednesday, leading to dozens of crashes in the region, downed trees and flooding that shut down streets.
