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Plan to fire live artillery shells at a Major Southern California Highway as part of a military showcase in which Vice participated chairman JD Vance The government has expressed strong objection. Gavin Newsomwho said safety concerns forced them to close a 17-mile (27 kilometer) stretch of the interstate.
“The President is putting his ego above responsibility with this disregard for public safety,” the Democratic governor said in a statement. “Firing live rounds onto a busy highway is not only wrong – it’s dangerous.”
Vance and US Marine officials at Camp Pendleton have said there is nothing unsafe about the artillery practice and there is no need to disrupt traffic on Interstate 5, the main highway on the Pacific Coast between San Diego and Los Angeles.
Republican Vice President and Secretary of Defense pete hegseth The Marines are visiting Camp Pendleton in northern San Diego County to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Corps, and soldiers will demonstrate amphibious vehicles and aircraft along with a landing demonstration on the beach.
The state had considered closing the freeway earlier in the week, but the U.S. Marines said Thursday the event would take place at an approved training range and would conform to established safety protocols.
State transportation officials ultimately decided to close the freeway after practice firing Friday evening on the freeway and a request by event organizers to erect a roadside sign that read “Overhead fire underway.”
The California Highway Patrol said a section of the highway will be closed from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. local time on Saturday, although travelers should expect delays before, during and after the incident.
California Department of Transportation spokesman Matt Rocco said, “This is all due to a military incident directed by the White House, for the safety of the public, we need to close the freeways because they are sending out live ordinance on the freeways.”
The Associated Press has contacted Vance’s office and the U.S. Marines for comment.
In a statement to The New York Times, Vance spokesman William Martin said Newsom was misleading the public about the security risk. He said it was routine training.
Martin said, “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, he can go right ahead.”
Rocco said the I-5 closure could add two hours to travel time for those traveling between San Diego and Los Angeles. According to the Governor’s Office, the freeway carries 80,000 passengers and $94 million in freight through the corridor daily. Passenger rail services running parallel to I-5 were also canceled for the afternoon.