SAN DIEGO (CNS) - While Caltrans crews close Interstate 805's 43rd Street on-and off-ramps Saturday, the public can walk and bike the portions of road for the Reconnecting Communities/Highway 2 Boulevards event.
The closures are planned from 5 a.m. to 2 p.m. for routine road and landscape maintenance. Motorists will be able to use alternate routes at Imperial Avenue, Palm Avenue/47th Street, or E. Plaza Boulevard I-805 ramps.
From 10 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., the ramps will open for the event. San Diego Association of Governments will host a group bike ride from National City's Pepper Park led by the San Diego County Bicycle Coalition.
The family-friendly event will feature booths from public agencies and community organizations, live art demonstrations and other activities. For those wishing to beautify the area, trash bags and pickers will be available.
The Reconnecting Communities/Highway 2 Boulevards program is a Caltrans initiative to "plan for and fund the conversion of key underutilized highways in the state into multi-modal corridors to reconnect communities divided by transportation infrastructure," according to a statement from the agency.
Throughout the 20th century, when large swathes of California's city's were bisected or outright destroyed by highway construction, many communities -- largely communities of color -- were scattered or divided. The program seeks to address the "historical harm" caused by these actions.
In 1967, the I-805 corridor split Southeast San Diego and National City and "have been deeply affected by the history of redlining and dividing infrastructure," according to a project summary submitted by SANDAG.
Event attendees are encouraged to take the MTS 955 bus, which drops off at the event entrance and is accessible from the MTS Blue Line/8th Street, Orange Line/Euclid Avenue, or Green Line/SDSU trolley stations.
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