New Carpool Lanes On 9-Mile Stretch Of I-5 Open In San Diego North County
By Rebekah Gonzalez
February 16, 2022
After five years of planning, Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Government (SANDAG) celebrated the opening of nine new miles of a carpool lane on Interstate 5 on Tuesday, February 15. The additional HOV lane stretches from Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach to Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad.
According to NBC7, the construction was a collaboration between local, state, and federal agencies as part of the Build NCC (North Coast Corridor) project. The agencies said this new lane will help the 700,000 drivers who commute on Interstate 5 daily.
Residents have already noticed the difference in congestion thanks to the new carpool lane. "Well, it cut down 15 minutes off my commute," Mira Mesa resident Preet Saini told NBC7. "That’s 15 minutes I spent inside my store."
More construction will start to create more carpool lanes from Palomar Airport Road to State Route 78. Once that portion is finished, the project will have added a total of 13 miles of new carpool lanes to I-5.
"Nobody likes it during construction, but when it’s open to traffic, everyone loves it," said Sharon Humphries, SANDAG Director of Construction & Engineering.
NCB7 reports the extra stretch of construction is expected to be done by 2023.