California Roads - I-805 NB

I-805 northbound



Camino de la Plaza EB just north of the border. The onramp technically merges with I-5 alone, but I-805 begins just after.


The last two photos are on the Exit 1B ramp.


In case you're wondering, the training center is off of Exit 4. Not sure if they allow walk-ins.


The last photo is on the Exit 7 ramp. Yes, I'm using exit numbers before they're posted, but they were made official before I came to San Diego.


The onramp from H St. merges with the remaining I-805 traffic heading to E St., and then splits again at this sign. I left the newer sign in to show how ugly it is. The arrows should be on either side of the sign, at least approximating the concept that there are two lanes exiting. Considering the right lane is an "exit only" but not the left, that arrow should be black and in the middle of the yellow panel. Ah, but then this wouldn't be Caltrans.


Why is this "43rd St. Exit" but the next exit is "47th Street"? Minor technicality, but the upcoming Exit 11A is actually a pair of long ramps before touching down at 43rd St. The ramps were intended to be extended as CA 252, the El Toyon Freeway, meeting the I-5/CA 15 interchange. But that doesn't explain the ratty fence on the gantry.


Because of the proposed freeway status of the ramps, they were able to get their own sign supports. The last photo would therefore have been on my CA 252 page if such a route existed.


I included one photo of new signs to show how much California can get wrong. I-805 should be in a wider shield, all of the directions should have larger first letters, the exit tabs should not be within the sign (no matter how many times I point this out, it won't change), there's not enough space between "King" and the 94 shield, and most gallingly of all, there is maddening inconsistency with "exit only" application. Exit 12B gets the wording right but doesn't put the arrow inside the yellow banner. What's shown is the way signs are supposed to be retrofitted if they were already in the field, but this is a new sign. However, and this is about the only time I've ever seen this, California actually got the down arrow right for Exit 13A and put it inside the yellow banner. Great, excellent, except a) why didn't you do it on both signs? and b) what happened to the word "Exit"? Inconsistency, thy name is Caltrans.


The last two photos are on the left and right of the same gantry. The greenouts for "Junction" are covering "40th Street," which was the connection between I-805 and I-8 until 2000 when the CA 15 freeway was punched through. (Carefully punched, if that makes any sense.) That doesn't explain the "Jct" greenout on the median exit sign, though. What could be that short? (40th St. was technically CA 15 in the interim, so it wouldn't have been "TO.")


The last two photos are on the left and right sides of the same gantry. Mesa College Dr. was patched over its old name of Artillery Dr.


On the Exit 17 ramp.


The last four photos are on the left and right of two consecutive gantries. I trust you'll figure it out.


The last photo is on the Exit 21 ramp, which is for just plain Balboa Ave. CA 274 was decommissioned in 2001. Also, the small greenout on the advance sign covers up "West" for CA 52, because its eastward extension is relatively new (1988).


The last three photos are on the same gantry from left to right. There's again the greenout for "West," but what would have been greened out underneath "Junction"? California standards would preclude it being a destination, and there was never a road to the east until the freeway was extended as 52.


The first and last photos are on the Exit 22 and Exit 23 ramps, respectively. All of these Exit 23 signs are newer than other button copy, with improperly inset borders and a lighter shade of green.


The last photo is on the Exit 25B ramp. MCAS Miramar is a direct shot from there, but it would be shorter to take Exit 25A (Nobel Rd., which must have had new signage because I didn't photograph it) and turn right to get to Miramar Rd.



Over to the SB lanes
Back to I-805 main page


To I-5
Onto CA 905
Onto CA 54
Onto CA 94
Onto CA 15
Onto El Cajon Blvd.
Onto I-8
Onto Kearny Villa Rd.
Onto CA 163
Onto CA 52
Onto Mira Mesa Blvd.
See more of San Diego
Back to California Roads
Back to Roads