Community Corner

DARmageddon: 805 Closure Planned for Bridge Demolition

The closure will take place Aug. 18-19 and will affect I-805, SR-54 and SR-905 drivers.

Authorities advised South Bay commuters Wednesday to prepare for a major upcoming Interstate 805 closure that will allow for long- needed improvements to traffic circulation in the heavily traveled area.

The north-south freeway will be blocked off between State Routes 54 and 905 for about 14 hours starting at 3 p.m. on Aug. 18, according to Caltrans.

The shutdown will allow crews to demolish East Palomar Street Bridge to make way for a new "direct-access ramp" designed to allow drivers to easily merge into express lanes under construction along the route.

Find out what's happening in Imperial Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Also, the so-called DAR connector eventually will provide convenient access to a planned transit station in the area, according to the state transportation agency.

During the closure -- dubbed "DARmageddon," a variation on "Carmageddon," the jokey nickname for two large-scale weekend closures of the San Diego (405) Freeway in the Los Angeles area–motorists will be diverted to the east to State Route 125, a toll road that will be temporarily free of charge over the construction period.

Find out what's happening in Imperial Beachwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

The work is necessary because I-805 is "the only major freeway in the county that doesn't have an alternative mass-transit option," project manager Ramon Martinez told 10 News.

"There is no trolley; there is no carpool," he said. "So this project is going to address that need."

City News Service


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here