SR 163 begins in downtown San Diego at an at-grade intersection with A Street and 11th Avenue. Shortly after, the freeway has an interchange with I-5 before entering Balboa Park. This section of SR 163 is built to parkway standards, featuring a wide, grassy median with trees, four through traffic lanes, and several very sharp curves, also passing under the Cabrillo Bridge. Shortly after leaving Balboa Park, SR 163 has an interchange with I-8 in Mission Valley. North of this interchange, SR 163 becomes a modern, Interstate-standard, eight-lane freeway. Continuing north, the freeway climbs uphill from Mission Valley to Linda Vista, where it has a partial interchange with I-805; traffic northbound on one freeway can only transfer only onto northbound of the other and southbound traffic can only transfer onto southbound direction of the other freeway. In Kearny Mesa, the freeway has a partial interchange with SR 52, one of the biggest bottlenecks in San Diego County. The freeway then heads north to and merges with I-15 near Miramar, where the southern terminus of the reversible lanes of I-15 are located. Ramps were built to allow traffic on SR 163 to enter and exit the express lanes of I-15. SR 163 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration. SR 163 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System, and is designated as a scenic highway in Balboa Park by the California Department of Transportation, meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.
History
The southernmost portion of the highway, running through Balboa Park, began construction in 1942 and opened in 1948 as part of US 395; it was the first freeway in San Diego County and one of the first in California. The Cabrillo Freeway was also part of US 80 from the late 1940s until 1964. This stretch of road has been called one of America's most beautiful parkways, and was designated a California Historic Parkway in 2002. There were previously southbound entrances at Quince and Richmond Streets, but these have been closed. The single-lane bridge at Richmond Street which allowed this entrance still exists but is closed to traffic, and the remainder of the ramp has been demolished. On May 17, 1995, Shawn Nelson, a U.S. Army soldier and plumber, stole a tank from the National Guard and drove it outside the base and onto the highway. After the tank got stuck in the median, he was shot and killed by police.
