Lake Hodges Bridge

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The Lake Hodges Bridge is a component of I-15 that spans Lake Hodges, just south of Escondido, California. Lake Hodges Bridge is an important part of San Diego's North-South transportation axis.

The original bridge was constructed in 1919. The bridge later became integrated into the newly constructed Highway 395. As part of a roadway realignment and improvement project, the original structure was demolished in 1968, and replaced with a new structure in 1969. That bridge was subsequently replaced in 1981, when I-15 was built to supersede Highway 395.

Currently, the bridge is one of the major traffic headaches in North San Diego County. The nature of the lake and the surrounding land makes the bridge the only way into the city of San Diego on the inland route. The only two ways around are the Del Dios Highway, a two-lane winding road to Interstate 5 via Del Mar, and the 25-mile trip through Ramona into Escondido. The bridge is thus effectively the only crossing point for drivers on the route.

The current bridge is a concrete viaduct and as of 2005 is being widened as part of a project to add additional traffic lanes in the I-15 corridor. There have also been plans to add a separate pedestrian/bicycle bridge just to the west of Lake Hodges Bridge.

Depending on the amount of rainfall in San Diego County, Lake Hodges's water level fluctuates significantly. As such, Lake Hodges Bridge may cross over water or a dry lake bed from time to time. Due to the vast amount of vegetation that springs up when water levels are low, the area below the bridge has been jokingly referred to as Hodges National Forest.