San Diego traffic: Construction to take place in Clairemont, La Jolla through December

SAN DIEGO — Through the first week of December, a traffic alert has been issued for several San Diego neighborhoods where road repairs are underway. Residents in Clairemont, La Jolla, and more may run into a speed bump on the way home.

“They’ve torn it all up and restricted the traffic,” Tom Roden, a University City resident, told FOX 5 on Monday. “That made things a little bit difficult for a while, but you’ve got to break a few eggs if you want an omelet.”

This holiday season, Roden has smooth streets to be thankful for. His neck of the woods is getting a facelift.

“They’ve been out with the heavy equipment. They’ve cut, they’ve laid down asphalt, they’ve got a lot of patch work here,” Roden said, referring to repairs in a Clairemont neighborhood where his mother-in-law lives.

Rocky roads, split pavement and potholes in communities like Clairemont, La Jolla, Torrey Hills, Mira Mesa and University City are being resurfaced for the next three weeks.

Jose Ysea with the City of San Diego says the construction could lead to some detours and traffic delays as drivers hit the road for their Thanksgiving feast, but not by much.

“You’ll see that a lot of these roadways are in the residential areas like we’re in now, so we’re just asking residents to be patient and allow our workers to come through,” Ysea explained. “We’re usually done with it within a day or two, so it shouldn’t take too long.”

Slurry seal is what is being used to patch up the pavement. The city says it keeps streets in good condition for years, all at a low price.

“They’ll have to be a little patient a little bit longer as we come in with our slurry seal equipment and get this done and then we’ll be out of their way at least for three, four, five, six, seven years,” Ysea said.

While delays are inevitable with construction underway, the roads should keep damage at bay when rain begins to pour, especially with an expected wet winter ahead.

“Basically, I’m all for investing up front to make things better for the long haul,” Roden said. “We’ll have to spend most of our time in the future, so we might as well make it better.”

According to San Diego officials, selected streets for resurfacing are done through a pavement management system that judges when certain roads should be treated.

In a press release on Monday, the city explained that “each street segment is assigned an Overall Condition Index (OCI) score based on the pavement’s roughness and cracks.”

“To prioritize street paving, the OCI is used in conjunction with other factors, such as traffic volume, road type, equity, climate resiliency, mobility, maintenance history, other construction projects, and available funding,” city officials continued. “Repairs are often grouped within a neighborhood to include streets in similar conditions or performed after other projects, such as pipeline replacement.”

A map of street repair and other projects across San Diego can be accessed on the city’s website, while a list of roads being resurfaced through the first week of December can be found below: