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
high-occupancy toll (HOT) 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 (Caltrans), 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==