View Finder: SR-52 Expansion Grand Opening Festival

Many people are wondering when the extension actually opens to traffic, this is scheduled for March 26, Santee Patch will let you know more when it becomes available.

Saturday's opening of the final was celebrated with great fanfare by about 20,000 people.

Bicyclists and runners took over the soon-to-be-busy freeway lanes, and bands played after the by city and county leaders.

The first 3,500 who arrived at the event got free “SR 52 Sea to Santee” T-shirts, and free food and other goodies were in abundance.

Aircraft from the Gillespie Air Show performed flyovers for the celebration, and guests also took in a car show, wandering clowns and balloon sculptors, gymnastics demonstrations and high school bands.

The brought its , lending a serious note.

The 3.5-mile portion of state Route 52 completes the 17.7-mile link between state Route 67 at Santee and Interstate 5 near La Jolla. Its completion is expected to remove heavy traffic from Mission Gorge Road and Mast Boulevard.

City News Service contributed to this report.