DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION
District 11, P.O. Box 85406, San Diego, CA 92186-5406
BACKGROUND
In 1985, the year when the Otay Mesa International Port of Entry
(POE), in San Diego County, was opened, 1.5 million autos and
88,000 trucks used the port to enter the U.S. Today, the number
of autos using the port has increased by more than 150 percent,
and the number of trucks has increased by more than 330 percent.
The construction of the new commercial inspection facility at
Otay Mesa, and recent closure of the inspection facility at San
Ysidro, have greatly increased the number of commercial vehicles
using Otay Mesa. The lack of complete infrastructure serving the
border area is causing major congestion problems for business
and commuter activities.
Project Map
THE PROBLEM
Currently, the state highway system is incomplete which serves
the border crossing at Otay Mesa. While two ends of SR-905 freeway
are constructed, the segments are connected with a city street
called Otay Mesa Road (see map). With the recent completion of
the new federal inspection facility at Otay Mesa, all commercial
traffic must now use SR-905 and Otay Mesa Road. Before this change,
all southbound commercial traffic used I-5 and conveniently exited
the freeway at the International Border near Virginia Avenue.
Only northbound trucks crossed the border at Otay Mesa. The federal
inspection facility at Virginia Avenue was closed December 30,
1994 forcing all commercial traffic through the facility at Otay
Mesa. This diverted an additional 1,400 trucks per day onto Otay
Mesa Road. The ultimate solution to this problem is to construct
route 905, a six-lane freeway, to meet the traffic demand in the
region. However, this solution is expected to cost approximately
$255 million.
TRAFFIC
In 1984, 4,300 vehicles per day used Otay Mesa Road. In 1985 after
the new POE opened, 10,000 vehicles a day used the road. Currently,
as many as 50,000 vehicles use the road each day, an increase
of 500 percent from when the port opened. It is estimated that
15 percent of the current daily volume on Otay Mesa Road is truck
traffic. Otay Mesa Road currently acts as a large bottleneck,
inhibiting the flow of goods and services in the border region
and across the border. A widening and safety upgrade project has
been developed that can accommodate the anticipated current traffic
needs. The passage of the North American Free Trade Agreement
(NAFTA) is expected to create additional commercial traffic in
the area.
FUNDING
Widening of Otay Mesa Road from four lanes to six will cost an
estimated $17.2 million. This project is included in the 1996
STIP in the HE-13 Program of Flexible Congestion Relief (FCR).
If approved by the CTC, Otay Mesa Road will then be adopted as
a temporary 905 to serve the Otay Mesa POE until the freeway can
be completed. An interim solution is for the CTC to adopt Otay
Mesa Road as interim 905, thereby completing the system for now.
CONSTRUCTION
The existing roadway will be widened to six lanes and upgraded,
from I-805 to Old Otay Mesa Road East, to handle the demands of
the heavy truck traffic. Left turn lanes will be constructed where
needed, and a concrete barrier will be constructed in the median
in some areas. The EIR was completed December 1996. Project plans
are complete and the project was advertised in August 1997. Construction
began in October 1997 and was complete December 1999.
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