The I-15 Nightmare
By Assemblymember Marie Waldron
Traveling I-15 in North San Diego/SW Riverside can be a nightmare. The distance between Temecula and Escondido is only a little over 30 miles, but during rush hour the trip can take well over an hour. From Deer Springs Road to Old Highway 395, Rice Canyon Road to Pala, rush-hour congestion is the norm.
Causes include population growth in San Diego and southwest Riverside Counties and the fact that gas taxes and truck weight fees are continuously siphoned away to the general fund rather than expanding roads. My bill, AB X1 14, mandates monies collected for road improvements are used as promised. I also support the Traffic Relief and Road Improvement Act this year. The bill provides $5.6 billion for transportation, without raising taxes.
With continued growth in Riverside County, and with thousands of new homes approved or under construction in Fallbrook, Bonsall, etc., I-15 is simply not adequate for current or projected traffic. But there is a local solution. The San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) updates its regional plan every four years, with the next update scheduled for 2019. Under current plans, lane expansions to I-15, are on the backburner. Since those plans can be changed next year — now is the time to make our voices heard and make this a priority in our regional planning.
SANDAG needs to hear from all of us about the importance of this issue for our region. Please send letters, petitions or emails detailing your concerns about I-15 traffic to me at the address below:
Assemblymember Marie Waldron
350 W 5th Ave, Suite 110
Escondido, CA 92025
Email: Assemblymember.waldron@assembly.ca.gov
Fax: (760) 480-7516
By working together and with SANDAG, we can make upgrading I-15 a priority. Let’s get traffic moving again!
Minority Floor Leader Marie Waldron, R-Escondido, represents the 75th Assembly District in the California Legislature, which includes the communities of Bonsall, Escondido, Fallbrook, Hidden Meadows, Pala, Palomar Mountain, Pauma Valley, Rainbow, San Marcos, Temecula, Valley Center and Vista.
