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State Route 163
State Route 163
Cabrillo Freeway
	SR 163 highlighted in red
Route information
	Maintained by Caltrans
Length	11.088 mi (17.844 km)
History	1948 as US 395, 1969 as SR 163
Tourist; routes	Cabrillo Parkway through Balboa Park
Major junctions
South end	I-5 in San Diego
	I-8 in San Diego; I-805 in San Diego; SR 52 in San Diego;
North end	I-15 in San Diego
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Counties	San Diego
Highway system
	State highways in California; Interstate; US; State; Scenic; History; Pre‑1964; Unconstructed; Deleted; Freeways;

State Route 163 (SR 163), or the Cabrillo Freeway, is a state highway in San Diego, California. The 11.088-mile (17.844 km) stretch of the former US 395 freeway runs from downtown San Diego just south of an interchange with Interstate 5 (I-5), extending north through historic Balboa Park and various neighborhoods of San Diego to an interchange with I-15 in the neighborhood of Miramar. The freeway is named after Juan Rodríguez Cabrillo, the first European to navigate the coast of present-day California.

The historic section of freeway through Balboa Park south of I-8 was the first freeway in San Diego County and one of the first in California.^[2] Prior to 1964, this was the southernmost section of U.S. Route 395 (US 395), which was truncated to Hesperia when it was replaced by I-15. This section is also designated as a State Scenic Highway.

Route description

SR 163 begins in downtown San Diego at an at-grade intersection with A Street and 11th Avenue. Shortly after, the freeway has an interchange with I-5 before entering Balboa Park. This 2.5-mile (4.0 km) section of SR 163 is built to parkway standards, featuring a wide, grassy median with trees, four through traffic lanes, and several very sharp curves, also passing under the Cabrillo Bridge. Shortly after leaving Balboa Park, SR 163 has an interchange with I-8 in Mission Valley. North of this interchange, SR 163 becomes a modern, Interstate-standard, eight-lane freeway. Continuing north, the freeway climbs uphill from Mission Valley to Linda Vista, where it has a partial interchange with I-805; traffic northbound on one freeway can only transfer only onto northbound of the other and southbound traffic can only transfer onto southbound direction of the other freeway. In Kearny Mesa, the freeway has a partial interchange with SR 52, one of the biggest bottlenecks in San Diego County. The freeway then heads north to and merges with I-15 near Miramar, where the southern terminus of the high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes of I-15 are located. Ramps were built to allow traffic on SR 163 to enter and exit the express lanes of I-15.^[3]

SR 163 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System^[4] and is part of the National Highway System,^[5] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.^[6] SR 163 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System,^[7] and is designated as a scenic highway in Balboa Park by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans),^[8] meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.^[9]

History

The southernmost portion of the highway, running through Balboa Park, began construction in 1942 and opened in 1948 as part of US 395; it was the first freeway in San Diego County and one of the first in California.^[10] The Cabrillo Freeway was also part of US 80 from the late 1940s until 1964.^[11] This stretch of road has been called one of America's most beautiful parkways,^[12] and was designated a California Historic Parkway in 2002.^[13]

On May 17, 1995, former US soldier and plumber Shawn Nelson stole a tank from the National Guard armory and went on a destructive rampage throughout San Diego. Driving onto SR 163, the tank was eventually disabled when it became stuck on a traffic barrier, where Nelson was shot and killed by San Diego police.^[14]

Exit list

The entire route is in San Diego, San Diego County.

mi^[15]	km	Exit^[15]	Destinations	Notes
0.00	0.00	–	10th Avenue	Continuation beyond Ash Street; south end of SR 163; northbound entrance only accessible from 11th Avenue and A Street
0.06	0.097	1A	Ash Street	No exit number northbound
0.06	0.097	1A	I-5 north / 4th Avenue – Los Angeles	Southbound exit is part of exit 1B; I-5 south exit 16
0.36	0.58	1B	I-5 south / Park Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-5 north exit 16A
0.36	0.58	1B	Quince Street – Balboa Park	Northbound exit only
1.27	2.04	1C	Richmond Street – San Diego Zoo, Museums	Northbound exit only
2.22	3.57	2A	Robinson Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
2.22	3.57	2A	Washington Street east (I-8 Bus.)	Signed as exit 2B northbound
2.22	3.57	2B	Washington Street west (I-8 Bus.)	No northbound exit
2.45	3.94	2C	6th Avenue, University Avenue	No northbound exit
3.21	5.17	3	I-8 / Hotel Circle – El Centro, Beaches	Signed as exits 3A (east) and 3B (west); I-8 east exits 4B-C, west exits 4A-B
3.84	6.18	4	Friars Road	Northbound exit is part of exit 3B
5.26	8.47	5	Genesee Avenue	Signed as exits 5A (east) and 5B (west) northbound
6.01	9.67	6	Mesa College Drive / Kearny Villa Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
6.51	10.48	7A	I-805 north – Los Angeles	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-805 south exit 20
6.51	10.48	7A	I-805 south (Jacob Dekema Freeway) – Chula Vista	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; I-805 north exit 20B
7.48	12.04	7B	Balboa Avenue	Former SR 274
8.28	13.33	8	Clairemont Mesa Boulevard
9.02	14.52	9A	SR 52 east	Northbound exit and southbound entrance; SR 52 exit 6
9.02	14.52	9B	SR 52 west	Signed as exit 9 southbound; no northbound entrance; SR 52 exit 6
10.31	16.59	10	Kearny Villa Road	Former US 395
		–	I-15 Express Lanes north	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
11.23	18.07		I-15 north – Escondido	No access to I-15 south; I-15 south exit 12
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Electronic toll collection Incomplete access

References

^ California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
^ Marshall, David (2007). San Diego's Balboa Park. Arcadia Publishing. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-7385-4754-1.
^ "State Route 163 Transportation Concept Summary" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. Retrieved August 18, 2016.
^ "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
^ Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: San Diego, CA (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
^ "Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets & Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
^ California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
^ California Department of Transportation (2012). Scenic Highway Guidelines (PDF). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. p. 5. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
^ Marshall, David (2007). San Diego's Balboa Park. Arcadia Publishing. p. 110. ISBN 978-0-7385-4754-1.
^ Jensen, Jeff (2013). Drive the Broadway of America!. Tucson, AZ: Bygone Byways. pp. 216–217. ISBN 9780978625900.
^ Marshall, David (2007). San Diego's Balboa Park. Postcard History Series. Charleston, SC: Arcadia. p. 110. ISBN 9780738547541. OCLC 154662185 – via Google Books.
^ Kehoe, Christine (November 11, 2002). "State Route 163 Gets Historic Designation". San Diego Business Journal. p. 53.
^ Rotella, Sebastian; Kraul, Chris (May 19, 1995). "Tank's Driver Beset by Drug, Money Problems". Los Angeles Times. San Diego. ISSN 2165-1736. OCLC 3638237. Archived from the original on May 25, 2020. Retrieved November 11, 2022.
^ ^a ^b Warring, KS (March 7, 2008). "State Route 163 Freeway Interchanges" (PDF). California Numbered Exit Uniform System. California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 1, 2014.