{"id":11825,"date":"2025-10-18T20:45:10","date_gmt":"2025-10-18T20:45:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/11825\/"},"modified":"2025-10-18T20:45:10","modified_gmt":"2025-10-18T20:45:10","slug":"5-freeway-to-close-through-camp-pendleton-today-during-250th-anniversary-exercise-to-be-attended-by-vp-vance-orange-county-register","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/11825\/","title":{"rendered":"5 Freeway to close through Camp Pendleton today during 250th anniversary exercise to be attended by VP Vance \u2013 Orange County Register"},"content":{"rendered":"

The 5 Freeway will close for four hours today, Oct. 18, from Harbor Drive to Basilone Road, during a Camp Pendleton event that expects Vice President J.D. Vance to be in attendance<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The closure starts at 11 a.m., \u201cdue to safety concerns,\u201d according to a CHP advisory sent out this morning. It will prevent travel between Orange and San Diego counties using the freeway. Metrolink service between the two counties had previously been canceled for the afternoon.<\/p>\n

Camp Pendleton is hosting a training exhibition at its oceanfront range, Red Beach, along the 5 Freeway, which is scheduled to include Vance, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Navy Secretary John C. Phelan and Gen. Eric Smith, the commandant of the Marine Corps, giving remarks.<\/p>\n

The mock assault is being called America\u2019s Marines 250: From Sea to Shore \u2013 A Review of Amphibious Strength, and is part of a series of celebrations for the service branch\u2019s anniversary.<\/p>\n

Earlier in the week, Gov. Gavin Newsom raised the possibility of the freeway needing to be closed by the event, but the Marines, which often do similar training at Red Beach, said it would not be necessary.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAll training events will occur on approved training ranges and comply with established safety protocols,\u201d Lt. Col. Lindsay Pirek, a spokesperson for the I Marine Expeditionary Force overseeing the planning, said late Wednesday. \u201cNo public highways or transportation routes will be closed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Marines also said in a press release earlier in the week that a \u201cdetailed risk assessment\u201d had been conducted and \u201call air, surface and ground movements are scripted and rehearsed.\u201d<\/p>\n

The governor\u2019s office press release this morning said the Marines had confirmed on Thursday for state officials \u201ctheir exercise would be conducted on its training ranges, as it routinely does, but not over the freeway.\u201d<\/p>\n

But in an early Saturday morning press release, the governor\u2019s office said, \u201cLate on Friday, the state then received notice from event organizers asking for CalTrans signage to be posted along the I-5 freeway that would read: \u2018Overhead fire in progress.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

And state officials near the base saw live munitions being fired near the freeway, the governor\u2019s office said.<\/p>\n

So state officials said the decision was made to close the freeway from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m., based on the recommendation of traffic safety experts at the California Highway Patrol. The CHP advisory this morning said the decision was due to the event at the base \u201cinvolving live ammunition being discharged by the federal government over the freeway.\u201d<\/p>\n

Reached Saturday morning, Capt. Gregory Dreibelbis a spokesperson for the I Marine Expeditionary Force, said in an emailed response, \u201cToday\u2019s historic amphibious capabilities demonstration will include M777 Howitzers firing 155mm high explosive rounds from west of I-5 into designated ranges east of the interstate with all safety precautions in place. The Marine Corps did not request the closure of the I-5. We appreciate the public\u2019s patience as Marines and sailors conduct realistic training, showcasing the strength and unity of the Navy-Marine Corps team and ensuring we remain ready to defend the homeland and our nation\u2019s interests abroad.\u201d<\/p>\n

A spokesperson with Marine Corps Installations \u2013 West said Saturday the M777 will be \u201cfiring into designated ranges with all safety precautions in place.<\/p>\n

\u201cSimulated explosives and visual effects were used to enhance training value and audience understanding,\u201d he added. \u201cSafety remains our top priority. All ordnance and pyrotechnics were use under strict safety controls with emergency support on site.\u201d<\/p>\n

Newsom said in a Saturday morning statement, \u201cThe president is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety. Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn\u2019t just wrong \u2014 it\u2019s dangerous. Using our military to intimidate people you disagree with isn\u2019t strength \u2014 it\u2019s reckless, it\u2019s disrespectful, and it\u2019s beneath the office he holds. Law and order? This is chaos and confusion.\u201d<\/p>\n

The White House could not be immediately reached for comment. An automatic response noted there may be delays because of the government shutdown.<\/p>\n

The base exercise comes amid the federal government shutdown that is now on its 18th day.<\/p>\n

Rep. Mike Levin (CA-49), whose congressional district spans southern Orange County and northern San Diego County, called the Marine Corps\u2019 250th anniversary a milestone moment to celebrate their service and sacrifice, but said the freeway closure it necessitated to ensure public safety would cause significant disruptions.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe can and should celebrate the Marine Corps in a manner consistent with those values \u2014 one that honors their proud legacy without compromising safety or community wellbeing,\u201d he said in a statement. \u201cThe best way to pay tribute to our Marines is to give them the modern facilities, resources, and support they need to remain the world\u2019s finest fighting force.\u201d<\/p>\n

CHP urged travelers to check http:\/\/quickmap.dot.ca.gov\/<\/a> for real-time traffic information and directed drivers heading to San Diego to use the 15 Freeway.<\/p>\n

Originally Published: October 18, 2025 at 7:57 AM PDT<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 5 Freeway will close for four hours today, Oct. 18, from Harbor Drive to Basilone Road, during…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11826,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[7,7338,3159,100,611,74,76,75,136,1967],"class_list":{"0":"post-11825","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-california","9":"tag-camp-pendleton","10":"tag-driving","11":"tag-news","12":"tag-orange-county","13":"tag-san-diego","14":"tag-san-diego-headlines","15":"tag-san-diego-news","16":"tag-top-stories","17":"tag-transportation"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11825","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11825"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11825\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11825"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11825"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11825"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}