Weekend traffic guide

Heads up on these weekend traffic issues:

--INTERSTATE 5: Traffic heading north from the L.A. area will find itself squeezed on the 5 Freeway, the state's main north-south artery, 5 miles north of Castaic. One of the freeway's four northbound lanes will be closed, as it has been for the last 18 months, while repairs continue on a hillside rendered unstable by heavy storms. Travelers can expect delays as long as 30 minutes.

--BORDER: People heading to San Diego and Mexico today can expect delays because all southbound lanes of Interstates 5 and 805, just north of the border crossing, were to be closed. A protest scheduled between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. on the Mexican side will probably close down crossings on both sides for most of today at San Ysidro, Otay Mesa and Tecate, said Edward Cartagena, a Caltrans spokesman.

--VEGAS: Getting to Las Vegas will present the usual holiday weekend challenges, said Marie Montgomery, a spokeswoman for the Automobile Club of Southern California. "The standard time from the L.A. region is four to five hours, and on bad holiday weekends it can be double that," she said. She advised Vegas-bound motorists to delay setting out until Saturday or at least late tonight.

--BAY AREA: The heavily traveled San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge will be shut down from tonight to Tuesday morning for repairs, and traffic in the region is expected to suffer.

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