CAL-TRANS

CAL-TRANS ANNOUNCES CLOSURES OF I-8 AND S-52 RAMPS

 

 

March 6, 2015 (San Diego) – I-8 on ramps at State Route 163 will be closed Saturday morning for maintenance.  On Monday night, ramps and lanes at I-8 and I-5 will be temporarily shut down for work on a connector project. In addition, state route 52 connector routes at I-15 and 163 will be shut on Sunday morning. 

For details, scroll down.


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NEW APP FOR MOTORISTS PROVIDES REAL-TIME INFO AND ROAD-CLOSURES

 

May 17, 2014 (San Diego's East County) -- Having timely information on road conditions and closures can be crucial, particularly during evacuations during wildfires or other emergencies.  Now a new, free app called Waze gives motorists the ability to access real-time traffic and road information provided by thousands of drivers or "wazers" in the region--meaning you potentially could get info before announcements have been made by California Highway Patrol or Cal-Trans.


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STUCK TRUCK REMOVED TWO WEEKS AFTER BREAKDOWN IN DULZURA, BUT RESIDENTS DEMAND ANSWERS TO SERIOUS PUBLIC SAFETY THREATS POSED

 

By Miriam Raftery; photo by Donnie Durfee

Rural residents are demanding answers and improved communications after a truck with an oversized load  broke down and blocked traffic on State Route 94 for over 50 hours.  Even after the road was cleared, the big rig remained on the shoulder at Marron Valley Road in Dulzura for two weeks before it was finally removed. 

Media was not warned and no Sig Alert was issued to alert residents prior to the oversized load taking to the highway, even though the slow-moving, extra-wide load obstructed traffic in both directions along the main evacuation route for residents in areas including Jamul, Deerhorn Valley, Potrero,  Barrett Junction and Tecate.

During the blockage, residents were forced to detour up to 90 miles, causing delays of many hours.  Yet a SigAlert was not issued until seven hours after the road was completely blocked by the mechanical breakdown.  Even before the breakdown, the oversized, slow-moving load obstructed traffic in both directions.  The load was about 231 feet long – yet posted signs indicate the maximum truck length allowed is 75 feet.  So why was this rig allowed to take this narrow route with many hairpin curves when straighter, wider routes to its destination were available?


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EAST COUNTY ROUNDUP: TOP LOCAL AND STATE NEWS

September 20, 2012  --  (San Diego’s East County)--East County Roundup highlights top stories of interest to East County and San Diego’s inland regions, published in other media. This week’s top “Roundup” headlines include:

LOCAL/REGIONAL

  • County invokes state suspension of meeting laws (UT San Diego)
  • SDG&E to pay federal government $643 million for fire damage (North County Times)
  • Cal-Trans wins fatal crash suit, asks family to pay (UT San Diego)
  • 2 former Navy Seals from San Diego killed in embassy attack (10 News)
  • Scientists weigh effects of climate change: Scripps conference seeks solution to sea level rise (North County Times)
  • Sycamore landfill approved after years of litigation (Santee Patch)
  • Lawsuit aims to reveal misuse of baseball funds at Grossmont High (La Mesa Patch)

STATE

  • Cal State system to hike tuition 5% if Prop 30 fails (Los Angeles Times)
  • Jerry Brown and Molly Munger both want to raise taxes to help schools, but differ on approach (Sacramento Bee)
  • Brown signs overhaul of California’s worker compensation (Sacramento Bee)
  • 700 bills on Brown’s desk (Sacramento Bee)
  • State restricts military funeral protests (UT San Diego)
  • California Legislature approves public pension changes (Sacramento Bee)
  • The Salton Sea: Death and Politics in the Great American Water War (Wired)

Read more for excerpts and links to full stories.


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ANDERSON ASKS GOVERNOR AND ATTORNEY GENERAL TO CLEAN-UP CALTRANS

 
February 18, 2012 (Sacramento)--Senator Joel Anderson (R-El Cajon)-  has sent letters to Governor Jerry Brown and Attorney General Kamala Harris raising concerns over Cal-Trans regarding what  he terms the “Bay Bridge phony inspection” scandal at Caltrans.

The Sacramento Bee and the Mercury News ran front page stories (“Caltrans worker 'unfired,' allowed to resign”, “Caltrans wants prosecution for forged tests”) about Caltrans re-hiring Duane Wiles, the safety inspector found to be falsifying bridge safety tests, as well as the Caltrans cover-up and efforts to avoid public scrutiny,” Anderson wrote in a newsletter to constituents. 


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.

THOUSANDS FROLIC ON NEW FREEWAY: HIGHWAY 52 NOW OPEN FROM SANTEE TO THE SEA

 

By Miriam Raftery

March 20, 2011 (Santee) – An estimated 20,000 people turned out to run, walk, bike and party atop the last link of Highway 52 at yesterday’s “Sea to Santee” celebration. Now open to traffic, the new freeway segment is the last link connecting Highway 67 in East County to Interstate 5 and La Jolla.

 

Transportation improvements have historically heralded changes in East County, starting with cattle drives and the coming of stagecoach and railway lines in the 19th century. Invention of the "horseless carriage" brought construction of Highways 94 and 80, connecting East County to San Diego and Arizona. The aviation era led to the airfield at Gillespie Field. More recently, construction of Interstate 8, Highway 67 and now Highway 52 further improved access to East County for visitors from around the county and across the nation. 

 

The new highway will also make it faster for East County residents to reach San Diego destinations including employment and yes, beaches.  Surf's up, Santee!


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Support community news in the public interest! As nonprofit news, we rely on donations from the public to fund our reporting -- not special interests. Please donate to sustain East County Magazine's local reporting and/or wildfire alerts at https://www.eastcountymedia.org/donate to help us keep people safe and informed across our region.