CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) - San Diego County’s only toll road is now 10-years-old and getting a facelift.
San Diego Association of Governments crews are in the midst of resurfacing the toll road, which connects the 905 in Otay Mesa with the 54. “I just told my wife on Saturday when we were on the black asphalt how nice it was,” said Ward Lannom, who uses the 125 Southbay Expressway daily.
SANDAG said usage of the toll road has risen steadily since rates were dropped five years ago. More than 16.9 million trips were taken on the toll road in fiscal year 2017. Roughly 9 million trips were taken in 2012.
Critics argue traffic is still bad on ancillary Chula Vista streets like Olympic, Telegraph Canyon, and H Street and rush hour traffic on Interstate 805 is still a nightmare. However, the City of Chula Vista, which generates a bulk of the toll road trips, continues to grow.
The population has jumped 50,000 since the toll road opened. SANDAG’s website said the resurfacing project should take roughly 90 days to complete. In the meantime, the Southbay Expressway will remain a toll road until 2043, when the private roadway is paid off.
