Abandoned Freeway Stub on State Route 163 – San Diego, California - Atlas Obscura
Help us give a voice to the lesser-known stories and places around the world. Become a Member

Abandoned Freeway Stub on State Route 163

San Diego, California

The freeway that never was. 

Looking northeast toward California Tower. rushwaver (Atlas Obscura User)
Looking south along the freeway stub toward SR 163 and I-5. rushwaver (Atlas Obscura User)
Top of the staircase to access the abandoned freeway johnhealey (Atlas Obscura User)
The 'onramp' leading to the actual freeway. johnhealey (Atlas Obscura User)
64
141
Top Places in San Diego
Lucha Libre Taco Shop
San Diego, California
1895 Looff Carousel
San Diego, California
Harper's Topiary Garden
San Diego, California
 See All
This entry is a stub
Help improve Atlas Obscura by expanding Abandoned Freeway Stub on State Route 163 with additional information or photos.

In the 1960s, San Diego proposed to expand what is now known as State Route 163, the Cabrillo Freeway, through Balboa Park to an 8- to 10-lane freeway. Public protest stopped the freeway from expanding more than its existing four lanes, but not before a portion of the SR 163/I-5 freeway connection began construction. The built portion would have extended north over a pedestrian walkway. The stub is still visible today from the Bridle Trail in Balboa Park and connects to the SR 163/I-5 interchange, modeled after the “Four Level” US 101/SR 110 interchange in Los Angeles.

Know Before You Go

Walk south on the paved pedestrian path on the south side of El Prado that is west of the Cabrillo Bridge and just east of Balboa Drive. Stay on this paved path, bearing left until you see the top of the signed Juniper Staircase. Walk down the stairs and continue straight ahead off the trail until you come to the fence around the Abandoned Freeway Stub.  

Atlas Obscura Trips

Escape: Art of Joshua Tree and the Mojave

Join us as we venture deep into the High Desert, glimpsing massive sculptures, fluorescent painted mountains, and revitalizing domes along the way.
Book Now
infrastructure transportation
Nearby
Louie Mattar’s Fabulous Car
0.17 miles
Lemon Grove Mummies
0.25 miles
San Diego Museum of Man
0.25 miles
Near This Place
San Diego, California

Louie Mattar’s Fabulous Car

One man's quest for the ultimate road trip vehicle.
San Diego, California

Lemon Grove Mummies

Lemon Grove, California is known for its giant lemon...and mummified bodies.
San Diego, California

San Diego Museum of Man

An extraordinarily ornate museum in San Diego holds wondrous anthropological treasures.
San Diego, California

Spreckels Organ Pavilion

The world's largest outdoor organ is played weekly by one of just two civic organists in the U.S.
Related Places
Omsk, Russia

Pushkin Library Metro Station

A "station to nowhere" marks the site of a Siberian subway project that never saw the light of day.
Brooklyn, New York

Smith-9 Street Station

The highest rapid transit station in the world.
Japan

Seikan Tunnel

The world's longest tunnel with an undersea section.
Oxford, England

Site of the Rewley Road Rail Station

A plaque is all that remains of a lost Oxford transport hub.