Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs

The challenge of Highway 79 between I-8 and Julian

The uneven section on the side of the road might pull your car

The escort drove slowly and a “street sweeper looking vehicle” passed them on the right side.
The escort drove slowly and a “street sweeper looking vehicle” passed them on the right side.

“We get a crash almost every weekend, said Rick Campbell regarding State Route 79, “these are highways and people drive them like they are backcountry roads.” Campbell, 66, is owner of the The Birdwatcher in Julian, and said that he expects about four to five thousand people to drive in before the weekend.

Fresh dirt that was spread on the sides, past the pavement on the shoulder.

On March 29, at approximately 1 p.m., drivers heading north and south on 79 had to make a full stop a few miles north of the Interstate 8.

“We had to wait for about 15-20 minutes,” said Maria, a San Diego mother, who was travelling with her family for their spring break vacation. They were driving north on 79 (before Cuyamaca State Park) when the Caltrans worker stopped traffic. “The Caltrans guy said that they were fixing the edges of the freeway where the pavement ended on each side (by the shoulders),” she said. After the wait, a caravan of about 10 vehicles then passed Maria’s vehicle, which was lead by a Caltrans truck. “The Caltrans truck [driver] then made a U-turn and then parked in front of us (about eight vehicles behind her),” she said. A “PILOT CAR FOLLOW ME” banner was propped on the Caltrans tailgate which led Maria and the rest of the automobiles up north. The escort drove slowly and a “street sweeper looking vehicle” passed them on the right side. She noticed that there was fresh dirt that was spread on the sides, past the pavement on the shoulder

Sponsored
Sponsored

“The Caltrans guy (holding the stop sign) told my husband that if the tire meets the side of the road when it is uneven,” Maria said, “that could be dangerous.”

Candy Fangrat is a waitress at Miner’s Diner in Julian. “Many of the accidents that happen on that freeway are motorcycles,” she said. In the last seven years that she has been serving the tourists and locals; she’s heard of many accidents on the windy two-way state routes. “It’s sad,” she said, “you have to be careful.”

Shortly after the Caltrans sectioned off part of the freeway, a pickup truck was seen being being loaded on a tow-truck.

“That’s a normal situation here (the fixing of the freeways and the shoulders),” said Alina from S&R Towing. She said that when it is wet, then dry, and there are a lot of people driving – the freeway sides tend to have a drop-off (where it meets the shoulder). Her company has been rescuing people’s vehicles and motorcycles in the area since 1986.

“If you go too far to the left, our car shakes when the tire hits the middle (centerline rumble strips),” Maria said, “and if it goes too far to the right, our tires might catch the uneven section; and the car might pull.”

The Caltrans website although posted a bulletin that read: SR 79 [IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]

1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS FROM 0.2 MI NORTH OF THE JCT OF I 8 /AT VIEJAS BLVD/ TO 2.5 MI NORTH OF THE JCT OF I 8 /AT DESCANSO CREEK BRIDGE/ (SAN DIEGO CO) FROM 0800 HRS TO 1430 HRS TUESDAY THRU THURSDAY THRU 3/30/17 – DUE TO MAINTENANCE

“They are fixing the sides of the freeways for our safety,” Maria said, “the extra wait to ultimately get to our Julian apple pies is worth it. Thank you [Caltrans].”

Another post on their website showed run-off road crashes account for 58 percent of highway fatalities.

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Mary Catherine Swanson wants every San Diego student going to college

Where busing from Southeast San Diego to University City has led
Next Article

San Diego beaches not that nice to dogs

Bacteria and seawater itself not that great
The escort drove slowly and a “street sweeper looking vehicle” passed them on the right side.
The escort drove slowly and a “street sweeper looking vehicle” passed them on the right side.

“We get a crash almost every weekend, said Rick Campbell regarding State Route 79, “these are highways and people drive them like they are backcountry roads.” Campbell, 66, is owner of the The Birdwatcher in Julian, and said that he expects about four to five thousand people to drive in before the weekend.

Fresh dirt that was spread on the sides, past the pavement on the shoulder.

On March 29, at approximately 1 p.m., drivers heading north and south on 79 had to make a full stop a few miles north of the Interstate 8.

“We had to wait for about 15-20 minutes,” said Maria, a San Diego mother, who was travelling with her family for their spring break vacation. They were driving north on 79 (before Cuyamaca State Park) when the Caltrans worker stopped traffic. “The Caltrans guy said that they were fixing the edges of the freeway where the pavement ended on each side (by the shoulders),” she said. After the wait, a caravan of about 10 vehicles then passed Maria’s vehicle, which was lead by a Caltrans truck. “The Caltrans truck [driver] then made a U-turn and then parked in front of us (about eight vehicles behind her),” she said. A “PILOT CAR FOLLOW ME” banner was propped on the Caltrans tailgate which led Maria and the rest of the automobiles up north. The escort drove slowly and a “street sweeper looking vehicle” passed them on the right side. She noticed that there was fresh dirt that was spread on the sides, past the pavement on the shoulder

Sponsored
Sponsored

“The Caltrans guy (holding the stop sign) told my husband that if the tire meets the side of the road when it is uneven,” Maria said, “that could be dangerous.”

Candy Fangrat is a waitress at Miner’s Diner in Julian. “Many of the accidents that happen on that freeway are motorcycles,” she said. In the last seven years that she has been serving the tourists and locals; she’s heard of many accidents on the windy two-way state routes. “It’s sad,” she said, “you have to be careful.”

Shortly after the Caltrans sectioned off part of the freeway, a pickup truck was seen being being loaded on a tow-truck.

“That’s a normal situation here (the fixing of the freeways and the shoulders),” said Alina from S&R Towing. She said that when it is wet, then dry, and there are a lot of people driving – the freeway sides tend to have a drop-off (where it meets the shoulder). Her company has been rescuing people’s vehicles and motorcycles in the area since 1986.

“If you go too far to the left, our car shakes when the tire hits the middle (centerline rumble strips),” Maria said, “and if it goes too far to the right, our tires might catch the uneven section; and the car might pull.”

The Caltrans website although posted a bulletin that read: SR 79 [IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]

1-WAY CONTROLLED TRAFFIC AT VARIOUS LOCATIONS FROM 0.2 MI NORTH OF THE JCT OF I 8 /AT VIEJAS BLVD/ TO 2.5 MI NORTH OF THE JCT OF I 8 /AT DESCANSO CREEK BRIDGE/ (SAN DIEGO CO) FROM 0800 HRS TO 1430 HRS TUESDAY THRU THURSDAY THRU 3/30/17 – DUE TO MAINTENANCE

“They are fixing the sides of the freeways for our safety,” Maria said, “the extra wait to ultimately get to our Julian apple pies is worth it. Thank you [Caltrans].”

Another post on their website showed run-off road crashes account for 58 percent of highway fatalities.

Comments
Sponsored

The latest copy of the Reader

Here's something you might be interested in.
Submit a free classified
or view all
Previous article

Reader writer Chris Ahrens tells the story of Windansea

The shack is a landmark declaring, “The best break in the area is out there.”
Next Article

Big kited bluefin on the Red Rooster III

Lake fishing heating up as the weather cools
Comments
Ask a Hipster — Advice you didn't know you needed Big Screen — Movie commentary Blurt — Music's inside track Booze News — San Diego spirits Classical Music — Immortal beauty Classifieds — Free and easy Cover Stories — Front-page features Drinks All Around — Bartenders' drink recipes Excerpts — Literary and spiritual excerpts Feast! — Food & drink reviews Feature Stories — Local news & stories Fishing Report — What’s getting hooked from ship and shore From the Archives — Spotlight on the past Golden Dreams — Talk of the town The Gonzo Report — Making the musical scene, or at least reporting from it Letters — Our inbox Movies@Home — Local movie buffs share favorites Movie Reviews — Our critics' picks and pans Musician Interviews — Up close with local artists Neighborhood News from Stringers — Hyperlocal news News Ticker — News & politics Obermeyer — San Diego politics illustrated Outdoors — Weekly changes in flora and fauna Overheard in San Diego — Eavesdropping illustrated Poetry — The old and the new Reader Travel — Travel section built by travelers Reading — The hunt for intellectuals Roam-O-Rama — SoCal's best hiking/biking trails San Diego Beer — Inside San Diego suds SD on the QT — Almost factual news Sheep and Goats — Places of worship Special Issues — The best of Street Style — San Diego streets have style Surf Diego — Real stories from those braving the waves Theater — On stage in San Diego this week Tin Fork — Silver spoon alternative Under the Radar — Matt Potter's undercover work Unforgettable — Long-ago San Diego Unreal Estate — San Diego's priciest pads Your Week — Daily event picks
4S Ranch Allied Gardens Alpine Baja Balboa Park Bankers Hill Barrio Logan Bay Ho Bay Park Black Mountain Ranch Blossom Valley Bonita Bonsall Borrego Springs Boulevard Campo Cardiff-by-the-Sea Carlsbad Carmel Mountain Carmel Valley Chollas View Chula Vista City College City Heights Clairemont College Area Coronado CSU San Marcos Cuyamaca College Del Cerro Del Mar Descanso Downtown San Diego Eastlake East Village El Cajon Emerald Hills Encanto Encinitas Escondido Fallbrook Fletcher Hills Golden Hill Grant Hill Grantville Grossmont College Guatay Harbor Island Hillcrest Imperial Beach Imperial Valley Jacumba Jamacha-Lomita Jamul Julian Kearny Mesa Kensington La Jolla Lakeside La Mesa Lemon Grove Leucadia Liberty Station Lincoln Acres Lincoln Park Linda Vista Little Italy Logan Heights Mesa College Midway District MiraCosta College Miramar Miramar College Mira Mesa Mission Beach Mission Hills Mission Valley Mountain View Mount Hope Mount Laguna National City Nestor Normal Heights North Park Oak Park Ocean Beach Oceanside Old Town Otay Mesa Pacific Beach Pala Palomar College Palomar Mountain Paradise Hills Pauma Valley Pine Valley Point Loma Point Loma Nazarene Potrero Poway Rainbow Ramona Rancho Bernardo Rancho Penasquitos Rancho San Diego Rancho Santa Fe Rolando San Carlos San Marcos San Onofre Santa Ysabel Santee San Ysidro Scripps Ranch SDSU Serra Mesa Shelltown Shelter Island Sherman Heights Skyline Solana Beach Sorrento Valley Southcrest South Park Southwestern College Spring Valley Stockton Talmadge Temecula Tierrasanta Tijuana UCSD University City University Heights USD Valencia Park Valley Center Vista Warner Springs
Close

Anchor ads are not supported on this page.

This Week’s Reader This Week’s Reader