ROSARITO.- The on-ramp and off-ramp located at kilometer 58 of the toll road from Rosarito to Ensenada has reopened to traffic. Although the toll road is still closed off south of Baja Mar while ongoing repairs to the collapsed portion of the highway continue, the reopening of this stretch comes as welcome respite for local residents and businesses.

According to George Mccord, owner at The Lighthouse Sports Bar and Restaurant, "it is great that they opened this on-ramp. It hurt businesses a little but now I think it will help, and I think that this means that the toll road is closer to being opened."

Prior to the on-ramp reopening, northbound travelers were only able to get on the toll road at Cuenca Lechera, near Splash restaurant, and all southbound travelers were detoured off the toll road onto the free road at La Fonda. As it is, southbound drivers still are forced to exit the road at La Mision in order to travel to Ensenada.

It has been a year since the toll road collapsed along the coast near Salsipuedes Bay. Authorities took advantage of the road closure to repave the blacktop and repair on-ramps and off-ramps from La Salina to Primo Tapia. The free road, which runs parallel to the toll road, has also recently been repaired starting at K58 to Rosarito, with fresh black top and a new center divide.

Authorities had promised to reopen the toll road entirely by September, and later postponed the reopening to this December. But, it seems as though the road may not be ready by the end of this year as authorities have gone silent. Just last week, protesters gathered at the toll booth in Ensenada out of frustration for the lack of response received from the highway authorities as to when the road will officially be reopened.

Residents of Ensenada and surrounding communities have been forced to use the free road along the coast or travel via the Tecate free road. The closure of the toll road, which is a vital connection for the city of Ensenada to northern cities, has taken a toll on tourism and life in general. Although the free road has greatly improved over the past few years in terms of signage and road conditions, the two lane highway is still considered dangerous and even more so with the extra traffic as it has become the main alternative route.

With only one road to get to Rosarito, residents and visitors in Ensenada are constantly at risk becoming cut off from the North. During the last week of November at kilometer 76 of the La Mision-Ensenada free road, a rain water pipe under the road caught on fire, forcing a shut down of the road for repairs. The road was reopened within a matter of hours, but the incident became an exemplary case of the urgent need to reopen the toll road.

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