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Public Safety

I-5 Road Closures Scheduled Thursday Evening For Trolley Extension Construction

This undated photo shows the Interstate 5 freeway.
Bill Morrow
This undated photo shows the Interstate 5 freeway.

All southbound lanes of Interstate 5 and two northbound lanes will be closed near La Jolla Village Drive from 9:30 p.m. Thursday evening to 5 a.m. Friday morning for road work.

The closures are necessary to pour concrete to construct a bridge deck that will eventually hold a trolley overpass that will span I-5, according to the San Diego Association of Governments. I-5 southbound is scheduled to be closed between the Interstate 805 interchange and La Jolla Village Drive while part of I-5 northbound will be closed from La Jolla Village Drive to Genesee Avenue.

SANDAG officials advised residents to take alternate routes around the construction zone. Construction crews will reroute southbound traffic on I- 805 and state Route 52.

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The closures are part of the $2.17 billion Mid-Coast Trolley Blue Line Extension, which includes a planned 11-mile extension of trolley service by MTS from Santa Fe Depot in downtown San Diego to University City. The extension will add trolley stops in Mission Bay Park, UC San Diego and Westfield UTC. SANDAG is receiving $1.04 billion in funding from the Federal Transit Administration to complete the project.

The extension and related projects are intended to reduce traffic congestion as the county's population increases. Construction on the extension began in 2016 and is scheduled to be fully completed in 2021.

KPBS has created a public safety coverage policy to guide decisions on what stories we prioritize, as well as whose narratives we need to include to tell complete stories that best serve our audiences. This policy was shaped through months of training with the Poynter Institute and feedback from the community. You can read the full policy here.