California Interstate 15 Escondido Freeway Photographs (Escondido to Temecula)
Left - Facing north along Interstate 15 in Escondido approaching the Hwy 78 Freeway Interchange. Hwy 78 is the northernmost freeway connection between Interstate 5 and Interstate 15 in San Diego County. The next major link between these two Interstates is the Riverside Freeway (Hwy 91), which is situated about 65 miles to the north.
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Overhead signs marking the Hwy 78 Freeway Interchange on Interstate 15 in Escondido. From here, motorists can travel west along Hwy 78 to Interstate 5 at Oceanside or travel east along Hwy 78 towards Ramona. The freeway only continues for about two miles to the east before ending at a traffic signal in Downtown Escondido. However, Hwy 78 continues as a conventional highway beyond Escondido. The highway runs all the way across the state to Blythe, located on Interstate 10 near the California-Arizona State Line. With the exception of the Pacific Coast Highway (Hwy 1), Hwy 78 is the longest state highway south of Los Angeles.
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing west along the Hwy 78 Freeway towards the Interstate 15 Interchange in Escondido. This section of Hwy 78 is also known as the Ronald Packard Freeway.
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Approaching the Interstate 15 Interchange in Escondido. This three-level interchange was completed in the late 1970s when Escondido was bypassed.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Guide sign marking the distance to the Interstate 15 Interchange on westbound Hwy 78, approaching the Centre City Parkway (Interstate 15B) Underpass. Interstate 15 is the first accessible interchange along Hwy 78 heading westbound from Escondido. There is no access to Centre City Parkway from westbound Hwy 78. The Centre City Parkway Interchange is a partial cloverleaf interchange, which is only accessible from eastbound Hwy 78.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Overhead sign marking the Interstate 15 Interchange on westbound Hwy 78 in Escondido. Note the unusual cantilevered steel tube sign gantry. This overhead sign gantry style was used extensively during the construction of Interstate 15 and its associated interchanges in San Diego County.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Overhead freeway guide signs at the Hwy 78 and Interstate 15 Interchange in Escondido. Just before this interchange, westbound traffic exiting from Hwy 78 is funnelled into a short "sub-collector" roadway before the ramps split between Interstate 15 North and Interstate 15 South.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Once on the sub-collector roadway, traffic has the option of going either north or south on Interstate 15. However, this sub-collector lane does not rejoin Hwy 78.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Overhead freeway guide signs on the sub-collector roadway. The ramp to Interstate 15 North is a directional ramp, while the ramp to Interstate 15 South is a loop ramp. These simple steel tube sign gantries along Interstate 15 in San Diego County add to the unique character of this interesting and rather atypical California freeway.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing north along Interstate 15 towards the El Norte Parkway Interchange in Escondido. Note the hedge growing in the freeway's median.
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Ramp from southbound Interstate 15 to Centre City Parkway (Interstate 15B) north of Escondido. Note the enormous "Do Not Enter - Wrong Way" sign installed in the median. California does an excellent job of signing complicated rural freeway interchanges with these oversized signs, to help prevent motorists from inadvertently making wrong-way movements on the freeway. For scale, note the size of the car parked on the left shoulder.
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing north along Centre City Parkway (Interstate 15B) towards the Interstate 15 Interchange north of Escondido. The route of Interstate 15B through Escondido was the former alignment of U.S. Route 395. Interstate 15 replaced the entire route of former U.S. Route 395 between Temecula and San Diego.
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Reflectorized "button copy" freeway guide sign on Interstate 15B marking the on-ramp to Interstate 15 North
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Close-up view of the reflectorized "button copy" freeway guide sign for Interstate 15 North
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Signs marking the entrance to Interstate 15 from Centre City Parkway (Interstate 15B) north of Escondido. This is the only signed business route on Interstate 15 between Riverside and San Diego. The business route passes through Downtown Escondido, which is located about a mile east of Interstate 15.
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing north along Interstate 15 approaching the Old U.S. Route 395 Interchange between Escondido and Temecula
(Photograph taken on June 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Facing north along Interstate 15 towards the West Lilac Road Overpass between Escondido and Temecula. This graceful open-spandrel concrete arch bridge was built in 1978. Due to the surrounding topography, the structure's eastern abutment is considerably higher than the western abutment, which gives the deck a distinctly tilted longitudinal profile. The West Lilac Road Overpass is the most interesting structure along this section of Interstate 15.
(Photograph taken on June 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Looking down onto Interstate 15 from the West Lilac Road Overpass, facing north towards Temecula. This open-spandrel concrete arch overpass is likely one of the highest freeway overpasses in the entire state. The view of the highway and adjacent Pala Mesa Village from this overpass is simply spectacular.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Looking down onto Interstate 15 from the West Lilac Road Overpass, facing south towards Escondido
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Facing south along Interstate 15 from the West Lilac Road Overpass. When Interstate 15 was constructed in the 1970s, a massive cut was excavated through this hill to bring the freeway's grade down to a more acceptable level. From a highway engineering standpoint, the depth of this earth cut is quite remarkable.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing north along Interstate 15 towards Pala Mesa Village and the Hwy 76 Interchange from the West Lilac Road Overpass
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing south along Interstate 15 towards Escondido from the Hwy 76 Interchange at Pala Mesa Village. Interstate 15 spans the San Luis Rey River just south of the Hwy 76 Interchange, before climbing into the valley in the background. The West Lilac Road Overpass spans across Interstate 15 just beyond this long reverse curve.
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Overhead guide sign marking the Hwy 76 Interchange on Interstate 15 between Temecula and Escondido. These unusual cantilevered steel tube sign gantries are very common on Interstate 15 in San Diego County, but are infrequently used in other parts of the state.
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Bridge-mounted guide sign for the Hwy 76 Interchange on southbound Interstate 15 near Pala Mesa Village
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Approaching the Hwy 76 Interchange on southbound Interstate 15 near Pala Mesa Village. Note the West Lilac Road Overpass in the distance.
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Facing south along Interstate 15 between Fallbrook and the Hwy 76 Interchange near Pala Mesa Village
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing south along Interstate 15 south of Fallbrook
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing south along Interstate 15 approaching the Mission Road Interchange near Fallbrook
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Facing north along Interstate 15 towards Temecula from the Rainbow Valley Boulevard Overpass. This overpass is located at the Riverside-San Diego County Boundary, and marks the southern terminus of the Temecula Valley Freeway. From this point south to San Diego, Interstate 15 is known as the Escondido Freeway.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing south along Interstate 15 towards Escondido from the Rainbow Valley Boulevard Overpass. The former alignment of U.S. Route 395 can be seen at left. Interstate 15 bypassed most sections of U.S. Route 395 between San Diego and Temecula. This section of Interstate 15 in quite new, having only been completed in 1985.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Rainbow Valley Boulevard Overpass on Interstate 15 between Temecula and Escondido. This road connects Old U.S. Route 395 to Interstate 15.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - While most counties in California use high-pressure sodium illumination, San Diego County uses fluorescent tube illumination on most of its freeways and ramp entrances. This orange fluorescent tube luminaire marks the entrance to the Rainbow Valley Truck Scales on southbound Interstate 15, between Escondido and Temecula.
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Night view of the Rainbow Valley Truck Scales on southbound Interstate 15 south of Temecula
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Entrance to the Rainbow Valley Truck Scales on Interstate 15. I took this photo to demonstrate the different reflective properties of the highway signs. On that note, I find it rather funny that the obsolete fully reflectorized "Truck Scales" sign at right is actually the easiest sign to read at this intersection. The supposedly "improved" signs manufactured with reflective sheeting just appear to drivers as a burst of light, where the sign's message is simply lost in the reflection.
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Night view of Interstate 15 (Escondido Freeway) from the Rainbow Valley Boulevard Overpass, facing south towards Fallbrook
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Reflectorized "button copy" freeway guide sign marking an on-ramp to Interstate 15 North to Riverside
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Night view of the same reflectorized "button copy" freeway guide sign marking an on-ramp to Interstate 15 North
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Reflectorized "button copy" freeway guide sign marking an on-ramp to Interstate 15 South to San Diego
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Night view of the same reflectorized "button copy" freeway guide sign marking an on-ramp to Interstate 15 South
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Close-up view of a reflectorized "button copy" Interstate 15 marker. These signs are made of enamel-coated metal, with white-colored aluminum borders and numerals which have clear plastic reflectors embedded into them. The individual pieces are placed together like a jigsaw puzzle to make the shield and then riveted to the non-reflective sign panel. Most road enthusiasts would agree that California has the most interesting highway signs in the United States.
(Photograph taken on February 25, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Night view of reflectorized "button copy" sign marking the entrance to the Rainbow Valley Truck Scales on Interstate 15 south of Temecula
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Night view of reflectorized "button copy" guide sign marking Rainbow Valley Boulevard and the Truck Scales on Interstate 15 south of Temecula
(Photograph taken on February 24, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
