CHANGES COMING TO I-8 PINE VALLEY CONSTRUCTION LANE REDUCTIONS: FIVE-STAGE PROJECT TO LAST THROUGH SPRING 2024

Source: Caltrans

November 6, 2022 (Pine Valley) -- Expect traffic delays if you’re driving between Alpine and Pine Valley for the foreseeable future. Caltrans construction crews working on the Interstate 8 pavement replacement and road improvement project from Viejas Creek to Pine Valley will be reconfiguring the lane reductions through the construction site.  Instead of two construction closures, crews will taper traffic into one single closure, taking motorists from three lanes to one for approximately three miles through the construction site, beginning the week of November 7.

Most of the work will take place on weekdays and overnight. 

The project, currently in Stage One, has involved slab repair, shoulder strengthening as well as stormwater work, from the Viejas Creek Bridge to the Sweetwater Bridge. As the project enters the next phase of work, set for 12 weeks, travelers will notice barrel cones that will take away the number one lane (left lane), merging vehicles into the number two lane (center lane). A second taper will appear less than a mile later to merge vehicles into the number three lane (right lane). Travelers will remain in one lane of traffic for 3.16 miles.

Vista Point is serving as a staging area for the project and remains closed until work is complete.

The Eastbound I-8 Pine Valley Pavement Project will improve 10 miles of the roadway from Viejas Creek Road to just west of Pine Valley Creek Bridge. Work on Viejas Creek Road to SR-79 will replace the right lane and outside shoulder with Continuously Reinforced Concrete Pavement (CRCP), the left shoulder with hot mixed Asphalt, and install drainage improvements.

CRCP is a process of placing steel reinforcing bars within the concrete along the entire length of the lanes. CRCP naturally forms tight transverse cracks to evenly transfer loads. The result is a continual, smooth-riding surface capable of withstanding the heaviest loads and the most adverse environmental conditions. The life span of CRCP pavement may be up to 70 years, far exceeding current road surfaces. This means a better driver experience with less cost and maintenance time for highway workers exposed to live traffic.

The portion of the project from SR-79 to just west of Pine Valley Creek Bridge will replace the right two lanes and right shoulder with CRCP. The work also includes replacing/upgrading guard rails and repairing bridge rails on five bridges as well as installing broadband conduit. The estimated total project cost is $46 million funded by state and federal sources, including SB 1, the Road Maintenance and Rehabilitation Act funding.

The construction schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions, traffic incidents, or other construction-related reasons.

For real-time traffic information including traffic speed, lane and road closures due to construction and maintenance activities and more, go to http://quickmap.dot.ca.gov/.

For more information about this project, please visit the project page.