California State Route 905

California State Route 905, also called the Otay Mesa Freeway, is a short highway that is just under nine miles long. It is located in San Diego, California, and runs from the intersection of two big highways, I-5 and I-805, in a place called San Ysidro, all the way to the Mexican border at Otay Mesa.

Before it became State Route 905, this road was known as Otay Mesa Road, which existed as early as 1927. Over the years, it was part of other highway numbers before finally becoming SR 905 in 1986. The freeway section between I-5 and Otay Mesa Road was finished in 1976, and the border crossing opened in 1985.

The road went through several changes, starting as an expressway and then being upgraded to a full freeway between 2010 and 2011. In the future, this important route is planned to become Interstate 905, which means it will be part of a bigger network of major highways.

Route description

SR 905, also called the Otay Mesa Freeway, starts at Tocayo Avenue and Oro Vista Road in Nestor. It is a freeway that meets I-5 at a special interchange called a partial cloverleaf. The road continues with stops at Beyer Boulevard and Picador Boulevard before meeting I-805. After this, SR 905 turns southeast and passes by several places like Pacific Gateway Park. It also connects to the SR 125 toll road and the planned SR 11 freeway, which will help traffic at a new border crossing. Finally, SR 905 ends at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry, where big trucks must stop to cross the border into Mexico.

SR 905 is an important part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and the National Highway System. In 2013, about 58,000 cars traveled between Beyer Boulevard and I-805 each day, which was the busiest part of the road.

History

The road that is now called the "Otay Mesa Freeway" started as a dirt road in 1927. By 1935, it was paved to connect San Ysidro to nearby farms and fields. In 1959, most of this road became part of the state highway system. Over the years, plans grew to extend the road to the Mexican border.

In 1972, new plans added a road to the border near Otay Mesa. Building began in the 1970s, and more parts opened over the next few years. In 1986, the road's number changed to 905. By 2012, the whole road was built as a freeway, connecting to major highways and the border. More connections were added in later years to link it with other nearby roads.

Future

Interstate 905

There are plans to change State Route 905 into Interstate 905. However, it cannot be built using the same federal money that was used for other parts of the Interstate Highway System. This is because Interstate 905 was not built by 1978, when new rules said that extra highways could not use those federal funds.

Exit list

The entire route of California State Route 905 is located in San Diego, San Diego County.

mi	km	Exit	Destinations
0.00	0.00		Oro Vista Road / Tocayo Avenue
0.37	0.60	1A–B	I-5 (San Diego Freeway)
0.97	1.56	1C	Beyer Boulevard
1.56	2.51	2A	Picador Boulevard / Smythe Avenue
2.32	3.73	2B	I-805 (Jacob Dekema Freeway)
3.88	6.24	4	Caliente Avenue
4.91	7.90	5	Heritage Road
5.94	9.56	6	Britannia Boulevard – Tijuana International Airport, Brown Field Municipal Airport
6.93	11.15	7	La Media Road
7.68– 7.77	12.36– 12.50	8	SR 11 east
			SR 125 Toll north (South Bay Expressway)
8.53	13.73	9	Siempre Viva Road
8.89	14.31		Mexico–United States border (Otay Mesa Port of Entry)
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Incomplete access        Tolled       Unopened