Interstate 805 - North - Exits 0 to 13A

Upon entering the United States after leaving Mexico and passing through the U.S. Border Inspection Station, northbound Interstate 5 and Interstate 805 split at this interchange. The left three lanes angle northwest to follow Interstate 5 along the bayfront toward downtown San Diego, while the right two lanes become northbound Interstate 805. Interstate 805, known as the Jacob Dekema or Inland Freeway, travels north through San Ysidro, Chula Vista, National City, and San Diego.

04/09/06

Due to the proximity of the border and the potential for pedestrians on the freeway in this area, these large warning signs were once posted at the Interstate 5 and Interstate 805 split. These signs were controversial and related to the experience of people crossing the border who have difficulties with the border crossing experience. Another set of these signs was found on Interstate 5 at the U.S. Border Patrol Inspection Station located in Camp Pendleton. All were removed by 2011.

04/09/06

The first exit along northbound is Exit 1A, San Ysidro Boulevard (To former U.S. 101 north, Beyer Boulevard). This exit is immediately after northbound Interstate 5 and Interstate 805 split.

04/09/06

This is the first reassurance shield for Interstate 805 along northbound. Along northbound Interstate 805, there are not many roadside reassurance shields for Interstate 805, including one in Serra Mesa and another after the Sorrento Valley Road interchange.

04/09/06

Trucks and autos with trailers are required to use the right two lanes per California state law.

04/09/06

The succeeding exit along northbound Interstate 805 is with SR 905. SR 905 follows the Otay Mesa Freeway, which was formerly SR 117 and SR 75 before that.

04/09/06

Although California generally does not use mast lighting extensively, it is prevalent in border regions, including this stretch of Interstate 805 between Interstate 5 and SR 905. Interstate 805 is the Jacob Dekema Freeway, named after the man (Caltrans District 11 Director) who oversaw the planning and construction of much of San Diego's core freeway system in the 1960s and 1970s.

04/09/06

Interchange sequence sign along northbound Interstate 805 listing the next three exits. Historic U.S. 101 (Beyer Boulevard) and the San Diego Trolley cross over Interstate 805 on separate bridges ahead.

04/09/06

SR 905, completed as a freeway in 2012, provides a high speed route between Interstates 5 and 805 and the Otay Mesa Port of Entry.

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 1B, SR 905/Otay Mesa Freeway. Oddly enough, even though the pull through sign says "Interstate 805 north San Diego," this interchange is actually within San Diego! Ahead, Interstate 805 will enter the city of Chula Vista.

04/09/06

Now on the collector distributor lanes for the SR 905 interchange, this sign directs travelers en route to the Otay Mesa Border Crossing and Brown Field Airport to use SR 905 east.

04/09/06

The first ramp on the collector distributor lanes connects northbound Interstate 805 to eastbound SR 905.

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The next exit along the main lanes of northbound Interstate 805 is Exit 2, Palm Avenue; however, the next ramp on the collector distributor lanes connects to westbound SR 905.

04/09/06

This ramp connects the collector distributor lanes of northbound Interstate 805 to westbound SR 905. SR 905 west is signed as "To Interstate 5," which harkens back to its original role as a connector between Interstate 805 and Interstate 5. Today, the route has more significance in its own right, especially as traffic counts to and from the Otay Mesa border crossing via SR 905 continue to explode.

04/09/06

This distance sign along northbound Interstate 805 provides the distance to the next two exits: Exit 2, Palm Avenue and Exit 3, Main Street/Auto Park Drive.

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 2, Palm Avenue. Use Palm Avenue west to cross the Otay-Nestor community of San Diego; Palm Avenue transitions onto northbound SR 75 at the Interstate 5 interchange. SR 75 serves Imperial Beach, the Silver Strand, and Coronado. The next exit along northbound Interstate 805 is Exit 3, Main Street in Chula Vista.

04/09/06

Main Street provides the most direct route to the Coors Amphitheatre and the Water Park. Both attractions are situated in the Otay Valley, which comes into view after crossing under Palm Avenue.

04/09/06

The next two exits along northbound Interstate 805 are Exit 3, Main Street/Auto Park Drive in Chula Vista and Exit 4, Olympic Parkway and East Orange Avenue. This distance sign is mounted on the Palm Avenue overpass, which is a good distance above the freeway.

04/09/06

Otay Valley comes into view as northbound Interstate 805 passes under the Palm Avenue overcrossing. Otay Valley is largely preserved as part of the Otay Valley Regional Park, which is jointly managed by the City of San Diego and the City of Chula Vista. The freeway will depart San Diego (temporarily) and enter Chula Vista shortly.

04/09/06

Interstate 805 leaves the city of San Diego and enters the city of Chula Vista. There is no land connection between the section of San Diego south of Chula Vista, but the southern part of San Diego and the main part of San Diego are connected through a narrow strip of water in San Diego Bay. Chula Vista is estimated to have 201,210 people (as of 2003), and demographic estimates suggest that it will continue to grow at a high rate, especially as more residential properties are developed in the eastern part of the city (in the Eastlake and Otay Ranch communities).

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 3, Main Street/Auto Park Drive.

04/09/06

The next exit along northbound Interstate 805 is Exit 4, Olympic Parkway and East Orange Avenue. This exit is the second to serve the city of Chula Vista.

04/09/06

The right lane, which emerges from the Main Street onramp, becomes exit only for the Olympic Parkway and East Orange Avenue interchange. This major interchange was reconstructed in the early 2000s to accommodate the new Olympic Parkway corridor. Built with six lanes and a wide median with provisions for a future San Diego Trolley extension, Olympic Parkway is the gateway to the new Otay Ranch development.

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 4, Eastbound Olympic Parkway and Westbound East Orange Avenue. Orange Avenue leads west into the downtown area of Chula Vista, while Olympic Parkway is a new, six lane expressway that passes through a variety of new communities en route to the Arco Olympic Training Facility at Otay Lakes.

04/09/06

The Olympic Parkway and East Orange Avenue interchange is the first along Interstate 805 to feature exit numbers in both directions (they were added in 2005 after the interchange reconstruction project was completed). This gore point sign is especially nice with its large numbers and easy to read format (which is unlike most others of its ilk in California).

04/09/06

The next exit along northbound Interstate 805 is Exit 6, L Street and Telegraph Canyon Road, 1.25 miles.

04/09/06

Distance sign along northbound Interstate 805 for the next couple of exits: Exit 6, L Street and Telegraph Canyon Road and Exit 7, H Street and Junction San Diego County Route S-17/E Street/Bonita Road.

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This transmission power line originates at the natural gas power generation facility located along San Diego Bay near Interstate 5. It travels east to the San Miguel Power Substation, then transmits that energy to the rest of the rest of the region.

04/09/06

Use Telegraph Canyon Road east to the ARCO Olympic Training Center.

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Southwestern College, a community college that serves Chula Vista and southern San Diego, is located east of Interstate 805 along Telegraph Canyon Road, near the intersection with Otay Lakes Road.

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Northbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 6, L Street and Telegraph Canyon Road.

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The next exit is Exit 7, which creates a brief dual freeway. While through traffic stays in the four main lanes, two lanes exit to serve traffic trying to reach H Street and Junction San Diego County Route S-17/Bonita Road/E Street.

04/09/06

This distance sign provides the distance to the next two exits: Exit 7, H Street and Junction San Diego County Route S-17/Bonita Road/E Street and Exit 8, SR 54/South Bay Freeway.

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805 approaches Exit 7, which connects to collector distributor lanes with exits to H Street and Junction San Diego County Route S-17/Bonita Road/E Street.

04/09/06

Downtown San Diego's burgeoning and ever-changing skyline comes into view for the first and only time along northbound Interstate 805. This particular view rewards motorists on clear days, when the buildings can be seen from a great distance.

04/09/06

For tourist information, use San Diego County Route S-17 (E Street), which is accessible via Exit 7.

04/09/06

E Street is the most direct route into downtown Chula Vista. To the civic center, use San Diego County Route S-17 (E Street) west to 4th Avenue. The civic center, as well as police station, library, and fire station, are all located on 4th Avenue a couple blocks south of E Street near Friendship Park and F Street.

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 7. For the next mile, Interstate 805 is a dual freeway. Two lanes serve as the local lanes that connect to H Street and San Diego County Route S-17/Bonita Road/E Street. The four left lanes continue as the main lanes for through traffic.

04/09/06

Now on the collector distributor lanes (local lanes), the first offramp connects to H Street. H Street is a major east-west route, as it connects to the downtown Chula Vista street grid to the west and serves the newer communities of Rancho del Rey and Eastlake to the east. East H Street has opened up a vast section of Chula Vista to development. Once SR 125 is completed, there will be an interchange with East H Street. East H Street becomes Proctor Valley Road in eastern Chula Vista.

04/09/06

Although the E Street exit is still ahead, the next exit available to the northbound main lanes is Exit 8, SR 54/South Bay Freeway, one and one half miles.

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The dual freeway continues after the H Street interchange.

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Northbound Interstate 805 local lanes reaches the offramp to E Street, which is signed as San Diego County Route S-17. In Chula Vista, the signage is spotty at best; in Bonita (part of unincorporated San Diego County), the county route is well signed with blue pentagon shields. The roadway is known as E Street within Chula Vista city limits to the west and as Bonita Road in the unincorporated areas to the west.

04/09/06

A roadside sign is also posted for the E Street and Bonita Road exit.

04/09/06

Now back on the main lanes, this distance sign provides the distance for the next three exits along northbound: Exit 8, SR 54/South Bay Freeway; Exit 9, Sweetwater Road/Plaza Bonita; and Exit 10, Plaza Boulevard.

04/09/06

While SR 54 is the next exit (Exit 8), this sign is for Exit 9, Sweetwater Road. Use Sweetwater Road eastbound to Plaza Bonita, which is a regional shopping mall located east of Interstate 805 and south of SR 54 along the Sweetwater River.

04/09/06

The next exit along northbound Interstate 805 is Exit 8, SR 54 (South Bay Freeway). Note the control cities for Interstate 805 northbound: National City and San Diego. After Exit 8, Interstate 805 leaves Chula Vista and enters National City for the first time. By comparison, SR 54 has no control cities. (Even though an eastbound control city of El Cajon could theoretically be used, SR 54 does not have a continuous route all the way to El Cajon. A control city of Spring Valley or Rancho San Diego for eastbound SR 54 would be inappropriate since these areas are not incorporated.)

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 8, SR 54/South Bay Freeway. SR 54 heads west to meet Interstate 5, straddling the Sweetwater River and the border between the cities of Chula Vista and National City. East of here, SR 54 passes by unincorporated Bonita and the Paradise Hills community of San Diego before it links with SR 125 south of Spring Valley.

04/09/06

This view of the SR 54 exit ramp is seen from the main lanes of northbound Interstate 805. As Interstate 805 enters this interchange, the freeway crosses the Sweetwater River.

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The next exit along northbound Interstate 805 is Exit 9, Sweetwater Road. The exit ramp begins on the bridge that carries Interstate 805 over SR 54.

04/09/06

Interstate 805 leaves Chula Vista and enters National City. According to the 2000 Census, National City is home to 54,260 people. The city has 9.2 square miles.

01/18/09

The next exit along northbound is Exit 10, Plaza Boulevard.

04/09/06

This distance sign along northbound Interstate 805 provides the distance to the next three exits: Exit 10, Plaza Boulevard; Exit 11A, 43rd Street/Former SR 252; and Exit 11B, 47th Street.

04/09/06

Use Plaza Boulevard west to reach National City's civic center.

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Northbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 10, Plaza Boulevard. The next exit is for 43rd Street, which is the ramp that was to connect to abandoned SR 252 (El Toyon Freeway). This off-ramp extends for about a half mile west of Interstate 805, then ends at 43rd Street. The freeway was to have continued northwest from 43rd Street to connect to Interstate 5 and SR 15, but it was canceled in 1980 due to community opposition. The right-of-way for SR 252 now features a shopping center (once a Lucky's/Albertson's, but the store is currently shuttered), parkland, and open space, with additional development plans for the corridor underway.

01/18/09

A roadside exit number sign for Exit 11A, 43rd Street is posted prior to an upcoming distance sign.

01/18/09

This distance sign is found along northbound Interstate 805 as the freeway approaches the next three exits: Exit 11A, Junction former SR 252/43rd Street; Exit 11B, 47th Street; and Exit 12A, Imperial Avenue.

04/09/06

A roadside exit number sign for Exit 11B, 47th Street is posted between the distance sign and the overhead lane-allocation signs.

01/18/09

The 43rd Street exit was to be part of a freeway connecting Interstate 805 with Interstate 5 at the SR 15 interchange. Known as SR 252/El Toyon Freeway, the freeway was abandoned in 1980 as a result of community opposition. The right of way corridor is today being redeveloped into a business park and recreation park. However, the oversized exit ramp (see next photobox), designed for a much higher capacity interchange, stands as a monument to the original plans.

01/18/09

Exit 11A provides the connection from northbound Interstate 805 to 43rd Street via a quarter mile segment of what was to be SR 252.

04/09/06

At the gore point, this view shows the signage for the aborted SR 252 ramp to 43rd Street.

01/18/09

Immediately thereafter, northbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway reaches Exit 11B, 47th Street.

04/09/06

Under the interchange for the canceled SR 252/El Toyon Freeway, Interstate 805 re-enters the city of San Diego.

01/18/09

The next exit along northbound Interstate 805 is Exit 12A, Imperial Avenue, three-quarters of a mile. Imperial Avenue is a major east-west thoroughfare, connecting downtown San Diego with Southeastern San Diego and the Encanto Neighborhoods.

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805 approaches Exit 12A, Imperial Avenue, one-quarter of a mile. The next exit after Imperial Avenue is for Market Street, followed by SR 94, the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway.

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805 reaches Exit 12A, Imperial Avenue. Note the design of the fence along the overcrossing. This kind of fence is a typical decorative feature used along several sections of Interstate 805, giving the freeway its own character.

01/18/09

This distance sign along northbound Interstate 805 is mounted on the Imperial Avenue overcrossing and indicates that the next offramp is Exit 12B, Market Street.

04/09/06

The San Diego Trolley passes over Interstate 805 at this point, between Imperial Avenue and Market Street.

01/18/09

Northbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway reaches Exit 12B, Market Street. Market Street leads west toward downtown San Diego and east toward the Encanto neighborhoods of San Diego. The next exit is SR 94, the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway.

01/18/09

04/09/06

Northbound Interstate 805/Dekema Freeway reaches Exit 13A, SR 94, the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway. Use SR 94 east to reach Lemon Grove and Spring Valley and SR 94 west to downtown and southbound SR 15.

01/18/09

04/09/06

Now on the exit ramp to SR 94 (Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway), the left lane transitions to westbound SR 94, while the right lane transitions to eastbound SR 94.

10/18/05

The offramp splits, with this sign acting as the gore point signage. Note that SR 94 is fully signed as the Martin Luther King, Jr. Freeway.

10/18/05

This image shows both mainline Interstate 805 northbound and the transition ramp from northbound Interstate 805 to SR 94 as seen from the onramp from Market Street.

04/23/06