Skip to main content

California State Route 11; the Otay Mesa Freeway Extension

The current iteration of California State Route 11 is a planned tolled freeway known as the Otay Mesa Freeway Extension.  The alignment of California State Route 11 is planned to originate from the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry and terminate to the west at California State Route 905/California State Route 125 interchange in San Diego.  In current form only a mile of California State Route 11 from Enrico Fermi Drive west to the California State Route 905/California State Route 125 interchange has been opened to traffic.  




Part 1; the history of modern California State Route 11

The current corridor of California State Route 11 ("CA 11") is second highway to use the number.  The original CA 11 corridor was found in the Los Angeles Area and was one of the original Sign State Routes announced during August 1934.  The original CA 11 featured numerous notable segments of highway such as the Arroyo Seco Parkway and Harbor Freeway.  The original CA 11 featured multiplexes with US Route 66, US Route 6 and US Route 99.  More regarding the original CA 11 can be found below:

The Arroyo Seco Parkway and the early terminus points of US Route 66 in Los Angeles

The current CA 11 was designated via 1994 Legislative Chapter 409.  Upon being designated during 1994 the current CA 11 was not given a specific route description.  CA 11 was intended to terminate a new Mexican Port of Entry where it would connect with an unconstructed Mexican Freeway then known as Tijuanna 2000.  CA 11 appears on the 2005 Caltrans Map with the following Legislative Description:


The generalized planned routing of CA 11 appears on the 2005 Caltrans Map.  


According to CAhighways.org during June 2012 the California Transportation Commission approved CA 11 for consideration of future funding after a finalized Environmental Impact Report was submitted.  During December 2012 the California Transportation Commission approved a route adoption of a new 2.8 mile tolled freeway from the CA 905/CA 125 interchange east to the proposed Otay Mesa East Port of Entry.  The initial segment of CA 11 east of CA 905/CA 125 to Enrico Fermi Drive opened to traffic on March 19th, 2016 according to Caltrans District 11.  

On July 7th, 2016 the San Diego Union Tribune announced that Caltrans and the San Diego Associations of Government ("SANDAG") had received $49.3 in Federal Funding for construction of CA 11.  The Federal Funding was earmarked to constructed southbound ramp connectors between CA 11, CA 125 and CA 905.  


During August 2019 the Los Angeles Tribune reported that construction of the second segment of CA 11 from Enrico Fermi Drive to the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry had begun and was expected to be complete during 2021.  Construction of the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry is stated to have a projected beginning in 2021 with a completion target of 2023.  

The San Diego Union Tribune reported during October 2024 that the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry was anticipated to be completed by 2024 due to COVID-19 pandemic related delays.  The second segment of CA 11 was stated in the article to have an anticipated completion to the Otay Mesa East Port of Entry sometime during late 2021.  During September of 2021 it was reported on the AAroads forum that the first Diverging Diamond Interchange in San Diego was opened at CA 11 and Enrico Fermi Drive.  As of the publishing date of this blog (12/2/21) the second segment of CA 11 has not yet opened. 


Part 2; Roadwaywiz features California State Route 11

During October 2020 Dan Murphy of the Roadwaywiz Youtube Channel (and Gribblenation) featured real-time drives on CA 11.  Below eastbound CA 11 from CA 905 on the Otay Mesa Freeway Extension to Enrico Fermi Drive can be observed.  


Below westbound CA 11 on the Otay Mesa Freeway Extension from Enrico Fermi Drive to CA 905 can be observed. 


CA 11 and the Otay Mesa Freeway Extension were featured on the Roadwaywiz San Diego area webinar on April 18th, 2020.  The panel (Dan Murphy, Tom Fearer and Scott Onson) discuss CA 11 and the Otay Mesa Freeway Extension at time stamp 51:28-55:56.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Ghost Town Tuesday; Mannfield, FL and the stairway to Hell

Back in 2015 I went searching the Lecanto Sand Hills for the original Citrus County Seat known as Mannfield.  Unlike Centrailia in Hernando County and Fivay in Pasco County I did find something worth seeing. Mannfield is located in the Lecanto Sand Hill section of Withlacoochee State Forest somewhat east of the intersection of Citrus County Route 491 and Mansfield Road. Mannfield was named after Austin Mann and founded in Hernando County in 1884 before Citrus County Split away.  In 1887 Citrus County was split from northern Hernando County while Pasco County was spun off to the south.  Mannfield was selected as the new Citrus County seat due to it being near the county geographic center.  Reportedly Mannfield had as many as 250 people when it was the County Seat.  The town included various businesses one might include at the time, even a sawmill which was common for the area.  In 1891 Citrus County voted to move it's seat to Inverness which set the s...

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio.  Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents.  Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes.  When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood.  The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71.  The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...