Local and state politicians are demanding answers after recent freeway closures led to epic traffic backups in the region, including an eight-hour closure of Interstate 5 in Del Mar as crisis negotiators talked a man off the ledge of a bridge.
On Friday, three state senators, three Assembly members and the San Diego City Council president sent a letter to Caltrans, California Highway Patrol and San Diego police asking about policies and procedures, coordination with other agencies and the possibility of better real-time communication with drivers.
They cited three incidents, including the Dec. 5 closure near Del Mar and the Nov. 22 closure of I-5 north of Oceanside near Camp Pendleton initiated after police chased a driver from Buena Park. The chase ended in gunfire by an officer. The suspect, who CHP said was armed, remained in brush in the center median for several hours until he was taken into custody before 8 a.m. That closure lasted more than 14 hours — from 1 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
It also cites closures over a four-hour period from about 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Oct. 18 on I-5 through Camp Pendleton during a live-fire demonstration as part of the Marine Corps’ 250th birthday. The decision to close came the morning of the event, leaving people with no real advance notice. The following day, CHP officials said that an artillery round had prematurely detonated, damaging a CHP vehicle parked near the freeway. It was part of Vice President JD Vance’s detail. He had attended the demonstration.
“In each case, public safety was the reason for the shut down and motorists experienced limited to no advanced notice, significant standstills and congestion with minimal information, and substantial downstream impacts,” reads the letter.
“We’ve heard from many about the unintended consequences of the Dec. 5 shutdown,” the letter later reads. “Parents could not pick up kids from child care, people missed flights, workers couldn’t get to their jobs or get home from their jobs.”
The letter, on letterhead from Sen. Catherine Blakespear, is also signed by state Sens. Steve Padilla and Akilah Weber Pierson; state Assemblymembers Tasha Boerner, Darshana Patel and Laurie Davies; and City Council President Joe LaCava.
The letter comes a week after California Highway Patrol closed I-5 at Del Mar Heights Road on a Friday afternoon, leaving thousands of motorists inching along surface streets. Many took their frustrations to social media.
Freeway closures following a fatal crash or when someone is threatening to jump into traffic are not uncommon. The length of recent closures has been notable, and two of them happened alongside Camp Pendleton, where motorists have no options to move to surface streets.
The Dec. 5 closure in Del Mar lasted from about noon until 8 p.m., covering all of rush hour. Northbound lanes were completely shut down, and southbound lanes were occasionally shut as the man moved toward that side of the freeway.
Local CHP officers did not respond earlier his week when asked about CHP’s policies related to situations involving people who threaten to jump from bridges or overpasses. Press officers in Sacramento suggested the Union-Tribune submit a request for public records. State officials eventually sent the Union-Tribune an excerpt from the CHP manual addressing steps officers should take when interacting with people with mental illness or suffering a crisis. It does not address freeway closures.
Much of the backup during the eight-hour closure ended up on the surface streets that San Diego police patrol. Some drivers said they sat in gridlock for hours.
San Diego police officials said earlier this week that volunteer officers assisted with traffic at freeway ramps but said CHP was responsible for traffic control because the incident involved a freeway. They acknowledged the trouble the incident caused but said their main goal is “to ensure the safety of everyone involved, including someone who may be looking to harm themselves.” And, they said at that time, if a similar situation occurred again, officials said they’d respond the same way.
Pressed for more answers, San Diego police said Friday it had formed a unified command with Fire-Rescue and CHP that day. “As you know, this situation was very dynamic and occurred at a very difficult time of day and location. We are reviewing this incident to assess the actions taken and identify lessons learned for future incidents. At this time, there’s really not much more we can provide.”