CALIFORNIA STATE ROUTE 78

'State Route 78' runs from Oceanside to Blythe. Its western terminus is in San Diego County, California and its eastern terminus is in Riverside County, California.

Contents

Route description

Communities along the route

History

Future developments

Major intersections

Exit list

State law

References

External links

Route description

For the first few miles starting out from Oceanside CA-78 is a freeway. It begins at a nonstandard interchange with Interstate 5 and Vista Way, including a traffic signal. Then Route 78 goes through Vista. The freeway then continues into San Marcos and Escondido and intersects with Interstate 15. After that the freeway abruptly ends at the intersection with Broadway, after the Centre City Parkway interchange (old U.S. Highway 395). Route 78 then snakes through the Escondido city streets and leaves the city on the way to the San Diego Wild Animal Park and Ramona. In Ramona, Route 78 meets State Route 67. 78 then continues on a curvy mountain road to Julian where it meets State Route 79. After that, the highway goes into Imperial County and Brawley, when it is concurrent with State Route 86. The highway goes through the desert into Riverside County where it ends in Blythe at Interstate 10.
It is known as 'Ronald Packard Parkway' from Interstate 5 in Oceanside to Interstate 15 in Escondido, and 'Ben Hulse Highway' from Route 86 near Brawley to Interstate 10 near Blythe.

Communities along the route

Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs.

★ 'Oceanside'

★ 'Escondido'

★ 'Ramona'

★ San Ysabel

★ Julian

★ Brawley

★ Blythe

History

A new interchange has been constructed at Las Posas Road in San Marcos, which will aid Palomar College students and hopefully clear up traffic on the Rancho Santa Fe exit.
Before the freeway was built, CA-78 was routed on Vista Way from Oceanside east to downtown Vista. After this, it followed Santa Fe Drive (currently County Route S14) east. Then it followed Mission Road to the current end of the freeway and the current highway routing at Interstate 15. ^[2]
In the 1980s, the section of CA-78 east of Brawley was known as Imperial County Route S78.^[2]
Construction took place in 1998 to add the Vista Village Drive interchange, and another lane was added to the ramp between I-5 NB and CA-78 eastbound to alleviate the congestion at that intersection.
In 1999 there was a standoff between an armed woman and the California Highway Patrol, jamming traffic on the freeway for several hours.

Future developments

There may be another interchange added to CA-78 to meet Rancho Del Oro Road in Oceanside.
The I-5 interchange will be improved to get rid of the traffic signal, although that would involve getting rid of the Park and Ride lot next to the end of the freeway.
In the Imperial and Riverside County portion from Brawley to Blythe, the road goes through several washes. After a rain during the desert monsoon season, these washes can be left with several inches of water, sand, and rock debris. There is a proposal to improve drainage by raising the roadway and installing culverts. Proposed upgrades to Imperial County portion.

Major intersections

Exit list

This exit list is for the freeway section connecting Oceanside with Escondido. Mileposts derived from^[5] and exit numbers derived from.^[6]

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Westbound traffic defaults onto Vista Way
San Diego	Oceanside	0.00		Vista Way	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			1A		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			1B		Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		0.74	1	Jefferson Rd	Exit 1C westbound
		1.50	2	– Westfield Plaza Camino Real
		R3.32	3	College Blvd – MiraCosta College	Westbound exit accessible via Vista Way; eastbound entrance accessible via Plaza Dr
			4A	Plaza Dr	Eastbound exit; Westbound entrance accessible via College Blvd
		4.38	4B	Emerald Dr	Exit 4 westbound
	Vista	5.94	6A	Melrose Dr	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
		R6.19	6B		Exit 6 westbound
		6.94	7	Escondido Ave
		7.71	8	Mar Vista Dr
		9.08	9	Sycamore Ave
	San Marcos	10.61	11A
		11.18	11B	Las Posas Rd – Palomar College	Eastbound ramps accessible via Grand Ave
		12.13	12
		R12.91	13	Twin Oaks Valley Rd – Cal State San Marcos
		14.24	14	Barham Dr, Woodland Pkwy	Westbound ramps accessible via Rancheros Dr
		15.49	15	Nordahl Rd
	Escondido	R16.54	17A		Combined as Exit 17 westbound
			17B
		R17.27	17C		Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
'Freeway ends at Broadway'

State law

'Legal Definition of Route 78:' California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 378

References

1. January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
2. California Highways: State Route 78
3. California Highways: State Route 78
4. California Highways: State Route 78
5. January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
6. Cal-NExUS Interchange Exit Numbering

External links

★ WestCoastRoads - California 78

★ California Highways: CA-78

★ The Big Highways Page: California Route 78

★ Western Exit Guide - California 78

★ Cal-NExUS: Route 78 West

★ Cal-NExUS: Route 78 East