State Route 56 (SR 56) is an east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California. It runs 9.2 miles (14.8 km) from Interstate 5 (I-5) in the Carmel Valley neighborhood of San Diego to I-15. It is named after Ted Williams, a baseball player born in San Diego. The eastern terminus of the highway meets the western end of the Ted Williams Parkway. SR 56 serves as an important connector between I-5 and I-15, being the only east–west freeway between SR 78 in north San Diego County, several miles away, and SR 52 near Marine Corps Air Station Miramar. SR 56 was added to the state highway system in 1959 as Legislative Route 278, and was renumbered SR 56 in the 1964 state highway renumbering. A plan in 1964 to connect SR 56 to the north end of SR 125 and continue east to SR 67 did not come to fruition. The eastern end from Black Mountain Road to I-15 was opened in 1993; the western end from I-5 to Carmel Creek Road was delayed until 1995 by several lawsuits. The two ends were not connected until the freeway was completed in 2004; the delay was largely due to funding issues and environmental concerns. (Full article...)