Beginning Sunday: East County I-8 Ramps Get New Upgrades for Wrong-way Driver Prevention

Watch out: crews will begin wrong-way-driver-prevention upgrades on ramps along a 40-mile stretch of Interstate 8 (I-8) ramps in East County Sunday night through Thursday, Aug. 18, according to Caltrans.

Non-consecutive ramps and adjacent right lanes will be closed on eastbound and westbound I-8 from East Willows Road in Alpine to In-Ko-Pah Park Road in Jacumba.

The closures will take place Sunday through Thursday, 7 p.m. to 5 a.m., and on Saturday and Sunday, 3-11 a.m. to remove and replace pavement delineation. 

The work includes new striping at the off-ramps and gore points along the highway and installing specialized reflectors that show red to drivers entering the freeway in the wrong direction.

“This effort addresses off-ramps as the main access point for drivers entering the freeway in the wrong direction”, said Caltrans District 11 Director Gustavo Dallarda. “With this upgraded infrastructure, we hope to significantly reduce wrong-way driving incidents.”

In San Diego, the number of wrong-way drivers reported to the California Highway Patrol decreased by 64 percent during Caltrans’ initial pilot program that installed these specialized reflectors in 2016. The reflective markers proved to be so effective that Caltrans is installing them on various exit ramps throughout the state.

Caltrans is aware of the high fire danger and the need for swift evacuations in this area. If an evacuation is ordered, the crew can quickly halt operations and open a closed ramp for evacuation needs.

Motorists are reminded to be Work Zone Alert if traveling in the area and to watch for highway workers and moving construction equipment.

The construction schedule is subject to change due to weather conditions, traffic incidents, or other construction-related reasons.

More Information about the Wrong Way Driver Prevention Program may be found here.

For real-time traffic information including traffic speed, lane, and road closures due to construction and maintenance activities, and more visit here.

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