Caltrans initiated efforts to deter wrong-way driving on Interstate 5 throughout San Diego County, the agency announced Wednesday.
Crews will work to update 33 ramps along I-5, with closures occurring Thursday nights through Sunday mornings. Construction will begin Nov.3 from 9 p.m. to Friday at 5 a.m., and Saturday from 3 a.m. to 11 a.m.
According to Caltrans, constriction will involve the removal and replacement of pavement delineation. Other work will include new striping at off-ramps and gore points along the highway, as well as the installation of specialized reflectors that will appear red to drivers entering freeways from the wrong direction.
The agency saw a 64% decrease in wrong-way drivers during a 2016 pilot program that installed specialized reflectors. Wrong-way collisions account for less than one-tenth of one percent of total highway collisions—but often shocking due to the circumstances and the high speed of the vehicles involved, according to Caltrans.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) found that almost half of wrong-way accidents are the fault of a drunk driver. Caltrans said it saw an increase in the amount of wrong-way driver collisions.
“This effort addresses off-ramps as the main access point for drivers entering the freeway in the wrong direction,'' said Gustavo Dallara, director of Caltrans District 11 in San Diego and Imperial counties. “With this upgraded infrastructure, we hope to significantly reduce wrong-way driving incidents.''
The agency said it will work with elected officials, law enforcement, community organizations, and other state offices to educate the public on the causes and methods available to curb wrong-way driving.
“Our campaign aims to address impaired driving as the common cause of wrong-way collisions and we hope to significantly reduce wrong-way driver and other impaired driver incidents by enhancing awareness among the driving public and those able to influence them. It is imperative that we maintain a safe transportation network by promoting a conversation about avoiding distracted and inebriated driving,” the agency wrote in a press release.
Current ramp closure information is available at https://dot.ca.gov/caltrans-near-me/district-11/popular-links/d11wwd.
