SAN DIEGO COUNTY, Calif. — NORTH COUNTY -- Westbound lanes on State Route 78 remain closed between College Boulevard and El Camino Real due to a sinkhole underneath the freeway caused by failed culvert pipes.
The detour route takes drivers to Vista Way for a two-mile stretch until they can get back on the freeway. Drive times can vary depending on the time of day.
“I didn’t realize that all the lanes were closed, so I got stuck in the traffic jam and I said, ‘Ok, never again,'” said Larry King, who got stuck in the traffic jam during rush hour. “I tried coming back the long way off Sycamore and down Cannon, and that was actually worse because everybody that got stuck there went that way, so it took me an hour-and-a-half to get here from San Marcos.”
For people who drive for a living, lane closures can be a difficult inconvenience.
“It has caused a bit of concern of mine as far as just the extra gas that it takes to go with the detour and just puts you kind of out of your way, so yeah, it’s causing a little bit of a disturbance,” said Christopher Reed, who drives for Uber. “It was pretty backed up and as I say, it’s just the inconvenience of you getting to where you need to be.”
Caltrans crews will continue working on the sinkhole on westbound State Route 78 (SR-78) from College Boulevard to El Camino Real through the rest of the week. Due to additional rain in the forecast, the westbound lanes will remain closed this week. The eastbound SR-78 closure will happen once the westbound lanes are complete.
Crews are working 24 hours a day to get this stretch of freeway reopened. The construction schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions, traffic incidents, or other construction-related reasons.