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

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

Mines Road

Mines Road is an approximately twenty-eight-mile highway located in the rural parts of the Diablo Range east of the San Francisco Bay Area.  Mines Road begins in San Antonio Valley in Santa Clara County and terminates at Tesla Road near Livermore of Alameda County.  The highway essentially is a modern overlay of the 1840s Mexican haul trail up Arroyo Mocho known as La Vereda del Monte.  The modern corridor of Mines Road took shape in the early twentieth century following development of San Antonio Valley amid a magnesite mining boom.  Part 1; the history of Mines Road Modern Mines Road partially overlays the historic corridor used by La Vereda del Monte (Mountain Trail).  La Vereda del Monte was part of a remote overland route through the Diablo Range primarily used to drive cattle from Alta California to Sonora.  The trail was most heavily used during the latter days of Alta California during the 1840s. La Vereda del Monte originated at Point of Timber between modern day Byron and Bre

Interstate 210 the Foothill Freeway

The combined Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor of the Foothill Freeway is approximately 85.31-miles.  The Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor begins at Interstate 5 at the northern outskirts of Los Angeles and travels east to Interstate 10 in Redlands of San Bernardino County.  Interstate 210 is presently signed on the 44.9-mile segment of the Foothill Freeway between Interstate 5 and California State Route 57.  California State Route 210 makes up the remaining 40.41 miles of the Foothill Freeway east to Interstate 10.  Interstate 210 is still classified by the Federal Highway Administration as existing on what is now signed as California State Route 57 from San Dimas south to Interstate 10.  The focus of this blog will mostly be on the history of Interstate 210 segment of the Foothill Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 Interstate 210 (I-210) was approved as a chargeable Interstate during September of