Site Navigation Baja California California Colorado Idaho Hawaii Nevada New Mexico Oregon Utah Washington Wyoming     Interstate 805 South #2 Interstate 805 Guide Interstate 805 is split into the following pages: Interstate 805 Guide Northbound: Exits 0 to 13A Exits 13B to 29 Southbound: Exits 27 to 15 Exits 14 to 0 Interstate 805/Jacob Dekema (Inland) Freeway south The next exit on southbound Interstate 805 is Exit 14, Junction Southbound California 15 to Westbound California 94. Use California 15 south to California 94 west to reach downtown San Diego, including Gaslamp Quarter, East Village, and PETCO Park, home of the San Diego Padres. Continue south on Interstate 805 to reach Exit 13A, California 94 east to Oak Park, Southeastern San Diego, Lemon Grove, and Spring Valley. Photo taken 04/23/06. This mileage sign along southbound Interstate 805 provides the distance to Exit 14, Junction California 15 south to westbound California 94; Exit 13B, Home Avenue; and Exit 13A, Junction California 94 east to Lemon Grove and Spring Valley. Photo taken 04/23/06. California 15 is the extension of Interstate 15 south of Interstate 8, and it originally followed 40th Street through Mid-City/City Heights. The freeway for California 15 was completed in 2002, and it remains a state route today, largely because the interchange with California 94 is substandard with limited sight distance, two through lanes in each direction, and minimal shoulders. From Interstate 805 north, California 15 is known as the Escondido Freeway; from here south, it is known as Wabash Boulevard (even though it is a freeway). Photo taken 04/23/06. Southbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 14, Junction California 15/Escondido Freeway south to westbound California 94/Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway. Continue straight ahead on Interstate 805 to connect to eastbound California 94. There is no connection to northbound California 15. Photo taken 04/23/06. The next exit along southbound is Exit 13B, Home Avenue, three-quarters of a mile. Photo taken 04/23/06. This mileage sign provides the distance to the cities of National City and Chula Vista as well as the control point of the International Border with Mexico, which is 15 miles south of here. Photo taken 04/23/06. This mileage sign provides the distance to the next three exits along southbound: Exit 13B, Home Avenue; and Exit 13A, Junction California 94/Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway east; and Exit 12B, Market Street. Photo taken 07/18/04. Use Home Avenue to enter the neighborhoods of Fairmount Park and Chollas Creek. Photo taken 07/18/04. All traffic for Exits 13B (Home Avenue) and 13A (Junction California 94 east) should use the right lane in preparation for the exit. Photo taken 04/23/06. Southbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway reaches Exit 13B, Home Avenue. The next exit along southbound is Exit 13A, Junction California 94/Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway east to the city of Lemon Grove and the unincorporated San Diego County communities of Spring Valley, Rancho San Diego, Jamul, Tecate, Campo, and ultimately Boulevard. From Rancho San Diego east, California 94 shifts from a freeway to a rural, two-lane conventional highway. However, through San Diego, California 94 has between eight and twelve lanes of traffic, making it an important commuter route from the suburbs into downtown. Photo taken 04/23/06. Southbound Interstate 805 next reaches Exit 13A, Junction Eastbound California 94/Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway. This California 94 overhead sign was among the first to be replaced with the new reflective green signage in San Diego County in 1999. It was erected prior to the 2001 decision to place exit numbers on all freeway exits statewide. The sign (and others like it along California 94) was placed in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, and it was paid with local transportation funds with the approval of the San Diego City Council. Photo taken 04/23/06. The next exit along southbound is Exit 12B, Market Street. Use Market Street east to Chollas View and west to Mount Hope, Stockton, Grant Hill, Sherman Heights, and downtown. Photo taken 04/23/06. The next three exits along southbound are Exit 12B, Market Street; Exit 12A, Imperial Avenue; and Exit 11B, 43rd Street (former/partially constructed California 252/El Toyon Freeway). Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 12B, Market Street. Photo taken 07/18/04. The ramp to Market Street crosses over the ramp from eastbound California 94 to southbound Interstate 805 on this bridge. Photo taken 04/23/06. Now approaching Market Street, turn left (west) to Mount Hope and Stockton. To the east lie Chollas View, Lincoln Park, and Emerald Hills (all neighborhoods within the city of San Diego). Photo taken 04/23/06. The next exit along southbound Interstate 805 is Exit 12A, Imperial Avenue. Use Imperial Avenue west to Greenwood Cemetery, Mountain View, Logan Heights, and ultimately PETCO Park. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next three exits along southbound are: Exit 12A, Imperial Avenue; Exit 11B, 43rd Street (former/partially constructed California 252/El Toyon Freeway); and Exit 11A, Palm Avenue. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway reaches Exit 12A, Imperial Avenue. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 approaches Exits 11A-B, 43rd Street (Unconstructed California 252) and Palm Avenue. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 approaches Exit 11B, Junction Unconstructed California 252/To 43rd Street. This is not a direct connection to 43rd Street; the ramp goes west approximately one-half mile to end at 43rd Street. The one-half mile "ramp" was to be the connection to California 252/Southcrest (El Toyon) Freeway that would have connected to the Interstate 5/California 15 interchange, but the 252 freeway was canceled due to local opposition in 1980. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 11B, Junction Unconstructed California 252/Southcrest Freeway. This is now a half-mile long exit ramp from southbound Interstate 805 to 43rd Street. It was to be part of a freeway corridor that would have connected to Interstate 5 and California 15. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 approaches Exit 11A, Palm Avenue. The ramps for the unconstructed California 252 are visible in the background. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 approaches Exit 10, Plaza Boulevard, under the ramps of the planned but never constructed California 252 (Southcrest Freeway). California 252 was to provide a freeway connection between Interstates 5 and 805, thus alleviating traffic on California 54 and California 94 for people in eastern Chula Vista and unincorporated San Diego County headed toward downtown San Diego. These high flyover ramps are a monument to constructing a facility that ultimately was not needed (they were built as part of the initial construction of Interstate 805 in 1975 before it was determined that California 252 would not be constructed due to community protest in the San Diego neighborhood of Southcrest). Since the California 252 freeway was not constructed, these ramps merely connect to surface streets, and they do not handle nearly the amount of traffic that they were designed to handle. Since the California 252 corridor is currently being redeveloped into a park and business area, the prospects of this freeway being resurrected are slim to none. Photo taken 07/18/04. For the first time, southbound Interstate 805 departs the city of San Diego and enters National City, population 55,408 as of 2000. Photo taken 07/18/04. Use Exit 10/Plaza Boulevard west to downtown National City, including its civic center. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 approaches Exit 10, Plaza Boulevard, one-quarter mile. The next two exits (per the mileage sign) are Exit 9, Junction California 54/South Bay Freeway and Exit 8, Sweetwater Road. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 10, Plaza Boulevard, in National City. Plaza Boulevard leads east into the city of San Diego (Paradise Hills community). Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 approaches Exit 9, Junction California 54, the South Bay Freeway, one mile. This sign is located above the Plaza Boulevard undercrossing. Note that the fifth lane (right lane) ends here. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next three exits along southbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway are Exit 9, Junction California 54/South Bay Freeway; Exit 8, Sweetwater Road; and Exit 7C, Junction San Diego County Route S-17/Bonita Road and E Street. Photo taken 07/18/04. California 54/South Bay Freeway was constructed in stages, with the most recent section completed near the California 125 interchange. Together with California 125 and California 52, California 54 is part of a belt system through northern, eastern, and southern San Diego. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 at Exit 9, Junction California 54. The next exit is Exit 8/Sweetwater Road, which parallels California 54 from Old U.S. 101/National City Boulevard all the way east to the new California 125. It is interesting to note that Exits 8 and 9 basically share the same interchange complex, which is a fluke of the mileposting of Interstate 805. Photo taken 07/18/04. As part of the same interchange complex is the offramp from southbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway to Sweetwater Road. There is not much advance warning for this exit, so merge right in advance of the California 54 interchange. This interchange marks the boundary between National City and Chula Vista. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next three exits along southbound Interstate 805 are Exit 7C, Junction San Diego County Route S-17/Bonita Road and E Street and Exits 17B-A, H Street. Photo taken 07/18/04. Interstate 805 departs from National City and enters Chula Vista. Photo taken 07/18/04. Use the right lane to exit only onto San Diego County Route S-17/Bonita Road and E Street. San Diego County Route S-17 parallels California 54 between Interstate 5 in Chula Vista and California 94 in Rancho San Diego. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 7C, Junction San Diego County Route S-17/Bonita Road and E Street. Bonita Road extends east into unincorporated Bonita, while E Street continues along the county route into Chula Vista. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next exit along southbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway is Exits 7B-A, H Street west and east. Photo taken 07/18/04. Use H Street west to Chula Vista Center and east to Rancho del Rey, Eastlake, and Proctor Valley Road. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 7B, H Street west. The next offramp is Exit 7A, H Street east. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 next reaches the offramp for H Street east (Exit 7A). Some of the newest housing construction in southern San Diego County is in Chula Vista east of Interstate 805. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next exit along southbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway is Exit 6, Telegraph Canyon Road east and L Street west. Photo taken 07/18/04. This mileage sign provides the distance to the next two exits: Exit 6, Telegraph Canyon Road/L Street and Exit 4, East Orange Avenue/Olympic Parkway. Photo taken 07/18/04. Use the right lane to exit only to L Street/Telegraph Canyon. Use Telegraph Canyon Road east to Eastlake and west to downtown Chula Vista. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 6, Telegraph Canyon Road/L Street. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next exit along southbound is Exit 4, East Orange Avenue/Olympic Parkway, 1.50 miles. Photo taken 07/18/04. This mileage sign provides the distance to the next two exits: Exit 4, East Orange Avenue/Olympic Parkway and Exit 3, Otay Valley Road/Main Street/Auto Park Drive. Photo taken 07/18/04. The first sign of the pending border crossing appears here, four miles north of the southern terminus. All trucks must take California 905/Otay Mesa Freeway east to the Otay Mesa Truck Port of Entry. trucks are not permitted at the San Ysidro Port of Entry. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway reaches Exit 4, East Orange Avenue/Olympic Parkway. Use Olympic Parkway east to the ARCO Olympic Training Center on the shore of Lower Otay Reservoir. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next exit along southbound is Exit 3, Main Street/Auto Park Drive/Otay Valley Road. The variable message sign is used in times of congestion at the border or at Coors Amphitheatre. Photo taken 07/18/04. Use Otay Valley Road east to Coors Amphitheatre and the water amusement park. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway reaches Exit 3, Main Street/Auto Park Drive/Otay Valley Road. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next exit along southbound is Exit 2, Palm Avenue, one-half mile. Interstate 805 crosses the Otay River just ahead and skirts the Otay Valley Regional Park, a shared responsibility between the cities of Chula Vista and San Diego. Photo taken 07/18/04. Due to the approaching border crossing and increased Border Patrol presence, signs such as this one warn of people running across the freeway. Photo taken 07/18/04. Upon crossing the Otay River, Interstate 805 departs from Chula Vista and reenters San Diego for the second and final time. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 2, Palm Avenue. Use this exit to reach the new communities of Otay Mesa to the east and older communities of Otay-Nestor to the west. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next exit along southbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway is Exit 1B, Junction California 905/Otay Mesa Freeway east to Otay Mesa, Brown Field, and Otay Mesa Truck Port of Entry and west to San Ysidro and the Tijuana River Valley. Photo taken 07/18/04. The last four exits along southbound Interstate 805 are Exit 1B, Junction California 905; Exit 1A, San Ysidro Boulevard; Exit 0B, Camino de la Plaza; and Exit 0A, merge onto southbound Interstate 5. After merging with Interstate 5, Interstate 5 almost immediately ends as the freeway crosses into Mexico. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 1B, Junction California 905. Currently, California 905 is not a full freeway east of Interstate 805, but plans call for the freeway to be constructed east of Interstate 805 by 2006 or 2007. After the highway meets Interstate standards, plans call for California 905 to become recommissioned as Interstate 905. Photo taken 07/18/04. The next exit along southbound is Exit 1A, San Ysidro Boulevard, 0.75 mile. Photo taken 07/18/04. The last four exits along southbound Interstate 805 are Exit 1A, San Ysidro Boulevard; Exit 0B, Camino de la Plaza; and Exit 0A, Junction Interstate 5 south. Photo taken 07/18/04. Guns and other forms of ammunition are not permitted in Mexico. Possession of such will likely result in incarceration, possibly indefinitely. Photo taken 07/18/04. The San Diego Trolley passes over Interstate 805 as the freeway approaches its second to last exit, Exit 1A, San Ysidro Boulevard. This is former U.S. 101, prior to the construction of the Interstate 5 freeway, but Interstate 805 did not exist at any time while U.S. 101 was still signed in San Diego County. In fact, in 1964, much of the "Inland Freeway" (today's Interstate 805) was unconstructed. Photo taken 07/18/04. After the interchange with California 905/Otay Mesa Freeway, southbound Interstate 805 prepares to meet Interstate 5 and enter Mexico. The last exit before entering Mexico is Exit 0, Camino de la Plaza. All other main lanes merge with Interstate 5 and then cross the border into Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. Photo taken 07/18/04. Signage for the end of the freeway (one mile) along southbound as Interstate 805 crosses over the southbound lanes for Interstate 5 en route to the border crossing. There is no "END" Interstate 805 shield assembly, but it is pretty clear that the route is ending. Photo taken 07/18/04. View of Interstate 5 as seen from the transition ramp from southbound Interstate 805. Photo taken 07/18/04. Southbound Interstate 805 approaches Camino de la Plaza. Note how no mention is made that Interstate 805 is transitioning onto Interstate 5. Photo taken 07/18/04. End Freeway, 0.25 mile ahead. The last exit is just ahead. Photo taken 07/18/04. Interstate 805 southbound comes to its end here, as the left lanes merge onto southbound Interstate 5 and then enter Mexico. The right lane exits onto Exit 0, Camino de la Plaza, the last U.S. exit. Photo taken 07/18/04. Page Updated October 9, 2004.