California State Route 52

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State Route 52

(CS&HC Section 352)

Length:

15 mi^[1] (24 km)

West end:

I-5 in San Diego

Major
junctions:

I-805 in San Diego

SR-163 in San Diego

I-15 in San Diego

East end:

SR-125 in Santee

Major cities:

San Diego
Santee

California State Routes
< SR 51		SR 53 >
Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 52 is a California State Highway in San Diego County, California, that extends from La Jolla Parkway at Interstate 5 in La Jolla to Route 125 in Santee. Route 52 is a freeway for its entire length.

Highway 52 successfully relieved a parallel East-West route Interstate 8, five miles to the south, of some congestion. However, it was overwhelmed as soon as it opened in 1983, being the only freeway connecting directly with the suburban City of Santee, California.

Near its center, where it meets with Interstate 15 and Route 163, is one of the worst traffic bottlenecks in the county during morning rush-hour. This is where three Westbound lanes narrow to two. To lessen the bottleneck a construction crew in March, 2007 is currently widening this 2 1/2-mile stretch to three lanes in both directions -- 24 years after the bottleneck was first apparent.

Another anomaly of this well-used route: A portion of Highway 52 was built on top of the old Miramar Landfill; As a result, between Interstate 805 and Interstate 15 it has many pronounced undulations due to the trash below it settling slowly over time. Some drivers find these frequent dips unsettling, and they have sometimes been associated with high-speed traffic accidents. The freeway is occasionally closed overnight to fill-in these undulations.

Construction from its present terminus eastward to Route 67 is currently being planned, with work projected to begin in 2009.

Two reversible HOV traffic lanes are scheduled to be built around 2012.

1 Control Cities
2 Controversy
3 State Law
4 External links

[edit] Control Cities

Eastbound

San Clemente Canyon

Westbound

No Control Cities

[edit] Controversy

Delays in construction and project cost increases resulted from attempts to protect the habitat of the Grey-throated Gnatcatcher later known as the California Gnatcatcher (Polioptila californica). However, this species was known to have a wide habitat extending from Riverside, San Bernadino, and Ventura counties, to Baja California, Mexico.

The cost of constructing Highway 52 near Mission Trails Regional Park was increased by approximately two million U.S. dollars. The money was used to protect the Least Bell's Vireo, an endangered bird, from the commotion of construction. However, the Least Bell's Verio is known for not being easily disturbed.