The closure for westbound lanes of State Route 78 near Oceanside has been extended, again.
SR-78 will remain closed this week due to additional rain in the forecast, Caltrans announced Sunday.
Crews began working last week 24 hours a day to fix a failed 50-year-old culvert that lead to a sinkhole that shut down the busy stretch of highway, Caltrans Maintenance Chief Shawn Rizzutto told NBC 7. Two additional culverts have been discovered since work began Wednesday.
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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 closures are taking a toll on those who regularly use SR-78 for their commutes.
"Because of the closure on the 78 I had to drive an additional 20 to 30 miles and come from East County on the 52 all the way up the 5 and around to get to a birthday party, and so of course because of that I was a half hour late," said one neighbor, Julia.
Oceanside City Councilman Peter Weiss said the positives of extending the timeline outweigh the negatives.
"I think the response by Caltrans has been phenomenal. I mean I don’t exactly know what happened because there were a lot of things going on but the response and the way they’re taking care of things has been pretty efficient and incredible. I get it has been an inconvenience for a lot of our motorists but taking care of something like this which is a safety issue," Weiss said.
"Everything we’ve got from Caltrans is yes, they are gonna hold to the new deadline. They’re working and doing 24-hour shifts, so looking at the progress they’ve made so far, I think they’re going to make their deadline," Weiss added.
