Suspicious roadside object detonated; I-15 closed twice
By Joe Hughes
STAFF WRITER
August 18, 2004
JOHN R. McCUTCHEN / Union-Tribune
Debris lay on an exit ramp from Interstate 15 at Clairemont Mesa Boulevard yesterday after a second, successful attempt was made to detonate a suspicious object.
Interstate 15 near the Miramar Marine Corps Air Station was shut down twice and surrounding streets were blocked for hours yesterday morning after a suspicious object was found beside a freeway off-ramp.
The object turned out to be a string of milk cartons filled with sand.
Frustrated motorists – some of whom had to put up with a nearby closure on the freeway the day before – were not amused.
"I'm late for traffic court and I can't get out of here," said Peggy Marsh, who was sitting behind the wheel of her Lexus after giving up on finding an easy route to her appointment in Kearny Mesa from her home in Tierrasanta.
Marsh and countless others had to endure a miles-long detour after the device forced closure of Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, a major east-west artery, along with ramps to and from the freeway.
"I've been chewed out pretty good," said Harry Gold, a San Diego Police Department volunteer who was given the task of handling traffic control and calming upset drivers.
The worst part came more than an hour after the ramps were closed. That's when I-15 between state Route 52 and Balboa Avenue was closed twice as authorities tried to destroy the device.
The second shutdown was ordered when the first detonation didn't do the job.
Freeway traffic began reaching normal speeds shortly before noon – more than three hours after authorities were notified of the object.
The suspicious object was reported by a motorist on the exit ramp from northbound I-15 to Clairemont Mesa Boulevard about 8:30 a.m. After a California Highway Patrol officer was sent to take a look, authorities decided to close roads in the area and call the Metro Arson Strike Team's bomb squad.
"We were taking no chances, with terrorism always in the back of our minds," said Maurice Luque, spokesman for the San Diego Fire-Rescue Department. "What we had here looked like a real pipe bomb."
As curious workers from nearby offices lined a canyon rim to watch, emergency workers, some in protective clothing, carefully examined the object, which appeared to be about 10 inches long and 4 inches in diameter and was welded at each end.
At 10:30 a.m., the freeway was closed and authorities attempted to detonate the object. The freeway was briefly reopened, but when authorities saw that the object was not destroyed, the steps were repeated.
This time, the blast did the trick.
So what caused the mess? Officials said it was a string of milk cartons filled with sand, a rigging commonly used to weigh down tarps at construction sites.
It probably fell off a vehicle.
Monday morning, a 55-gallon drum containing detergent for concrete spilled onto a nearby stretch of I-15, forcing the closure of ramps near Route 52 from about 6 a.m. to 9 a.m.
Sooner of later no matter how careful you are, you're going to get hit with something... 
