A plan to fire live artillery shells over a major Southern California highway as part of a military showcase attended by Vice President JD Vance has drawn strong objections from Governor Gavin Newsom, who stated that safety concerns forced him to close a 17-mile (27 kilometers) stretch of Interstate 5.
“The President is putting his ego over responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” the Democratic governor proclaimed. “Firing live rounds over a busy highway isn’t just wrong — it’s dangerous.”
Vance, alongside U.S. Marine officials at Camp Pendleton, asserted that there is nothing unsafe about the artillery exercise and no necessity to disrupt traffic along this main coast highway connecting San Diego and Los Angeles.
The Republican vice president, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, is visiting Camp Pendleton to celebrate the Marine Corps’ 250th anniversary. The event will showcase amphibious vehicles and aircraft with a beach landing demonstration.
Initially, the state considered closing the freeway earlier in the week. However, the U.S. Marines stated that the events would take place on approved training ranges in accordance with established safety protocols.
Despite these assurances, state transportation officials decided to close the freeway after practice firings over the freeway on Friday evening, following a request from event organizers to caution motorists by placing signage stating “Overhead fire in progress.”
Ultimately, the California Highway Patrol confirmed that the freeway would be closed on Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time, with travelers likely to experience delays at all times surrounding the event.
“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,” stated California Department of Transportation spokesperson Matt Rocco.
The closure may add an additional two hours to travel times for commuters between San Diego and Los Angeles, with I-5 handling around 80,000 travelers and $94 million in freight daily, as noted by the governor's office. Passenger rail services running parallel to I-5 have also faced cancellations for the afternoon.
Following the governor’s statements, a spokesperson for Vance contended that Newsom is misleading the public regarding safety risks, emphasizing that the training exercises are routine and crucial for maintaining military readiness.
