The freeway was shut down temporarily Saturday along a 17-mile stretch of coastal northern San Diego County, just south of the border with Orange County.
The closure affects the portion of Interstate 5 alongside Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, which is one of the military’s busiest installations.
The closure severs the primary link between the southern coastal edge of Orange County and the northern beach cities of San Diego County.
From Los Angeles County to San Diego County: Take Route 91 east, through Corona, then Interstate 15 south.
From Orange County to San Diego County: Take Route 55 north to Route 91 east, then Interstate 15 south.
With no other accessible routes connecting Los Angeles and San Diego, Interstate 5 from San Clemente to Oceanside has long been a traffic bottleneck in California.
Due to the U, there may be substantial traffic delays on Saturday. S. . The military intends to bombard Southern California’s Interstate 5 with live artillery rounds. A 17-mile section of coastal northern San Diego County, immediately south of the Orange County border, saw the freeway temporarily closed on Saturday.
Regarding the closure, what do we know?
At eleven a.m., the closure started. m. and was scheduled for 3 p.m. M. As of midday, the California Highway Patrol has reopened the freeway and plans to hold a traffic break during the 1:30 p.m. live ammunition firing. A. John McKean, the assistant police chief for Oceanside, said. The White House is in charge of the military event that involves live ammunition being fired over the freeway, the California Department of Transportation said.
This closure impacts the section of Interstate 5 that runs parallel to Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton, one of the busiest military installations.
The closure cuts off the main connection between Orange County’s southern shoreline and San Diego County’s northern beach cities. Drivers will have to use Interstate 15 as the main detour to circumnavigate the 125,000-acre mountainous Camp Pendleton.
This could turn what would normally be a 22-mile, 23-minute drive from Oceanside to San Clemente—without traffic, which is uncommon—into a 138-mile, 2-hour, and 20-minute drive (if attempting to avoid Orange County’s toll roads), with drivers having to circumnavigate Camp Pendleton. Even on weekends, backups are common on Interstate 5 through the base. ().
Where is it?
It was closed from Harbor Drive just north of Oceanside to Basilone Drive just south of San Clemente.
Additionally, it is anticipated that rail service will be interrupted, impacting Metrolink and Amtrak Pacific Surfliner.
What are some other options?
Go north on Interstate 15 rather than Interstate 5 from San Diego County to Los Angeles County. From there, travel west on Route 91 to Los Angeles via Temecula and Lake Elsinore.
Travel east on Route 91 through Corona and south on Interstate 15 to get to San Diego County from Los Angeles County.
Travel north on Route 55 to east on Route 91, then south on Interstate 15 to reach San Diego County from Orange County.
