A proposal to launch live artillery rounds above a key Southern California freeway during a military exhibition attended by Vice President JD Vance has met with significant opposition from Gov. Gavin Newsom, who cited safety issues as the reason for shutting down a 17-mile (27 kilometers) stretch of the interstate.
“The President is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous.”
Vance and U.S. Marine officials at Camp Pendleton have said there is nothing unsafe about the artillery exercise and no need to disrupt traffic on Interstate 5, which is the main highway along the Pacific coast between San Diego and Los Angeles.
The Republican vice president and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth are visiting Camp Pendleton in North San Diego County to celebrate the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary, and troops will put on a show of amphibious vehicles and aircraft with a beach landing demonstration.
The state had contemplated shutting down the freeway sooner this week, but the U.S. Marines stated on Thursday that the event would take place on designated training areas and adhere to existing safety guidelines.
Following practice firings conducted over the freeway on Friday evening, state transportation officials ultimately decided to shut down the freeway, prompted by a request from event organizers for road signage indicating “Overhead fire in progress.”
The California Highway Patrol announced that a section of the highway would be shut down on Saturday between 11 a.m. And 3 p.m. Local time, though drivers should anticipate traffic disruptions before, during, and after the closure.
“This is all because of the White House-directed military event, that for the safety of the public, we need to shut down the freeway since they’re sending live ordinances over the freeway,” California Department of Transportation spokesperson Matt Rocco said.
The Associated Press has reached out to Vance’s office and the U.S. Marines for comment.
In a statement to The New York Times, a spokesperson for Vance, William Martin, said Newsom is misleading the public about the safety risk. He said it was routine training.
“If Gavin Newsom wants to oppose the training exercises that ensure our Armed Forces are the deadliest and most lethal fighting force in the world, then he can go right ahead,” Martin said.
Rocco indicated that the I-5 closure might add as much as two additional hours to travel durations for individuals journeying between San Diego and Los Angeles. The governor's office reports that the freeway accommodates 80,000 travelers and $94 million in freight daily through this route. Passenger train services operating alongside the I-5 have also been suspended for the afternoon.