southeast of the Mast Boulevard interchange, after the San Diego River overpass. The opening of this stretch of SR 52 had many effects on the transportation of the East County region. Traffic decreased significantly on I-8 in early 1994, with an estimated 30,000 commuters switching from I-8 to SR 52. Fewer cars traveled on the western part of Mission Gorge Road, leading to a decrease in revenue for businesses located along that road. On Mast Boulevard and Mission Gorge Road in Santee, much more traffic was present, leading to residents complaining to the city. In 1998, the city began to widen Mission Gorge Road between Carlton Hills Drive and Fanita Road to handle the extra traffic from the incomplete SR 52. The year after the September 11, 2001 attacks, the military erected a fence to block a deer tunnel underneath the freeway that connected the base and Mission Trails Regional Park, since the tunnel could be used to gain unauthorized access to the base. In 2006, construction began to add a third lane on westbound SR 52 between Mast Boulevard and Santo Road. The expansion cost $3.4 million (about $ in dollars) and was funded by the state and the county TransNet sales tax. The new lane opened on May 8, 2007; however, the widening generated complaints from angry commuters facing a "bottleneck" at Santo Road. Because the additional lane was constructed in portions, the opening of the third lane between Santo Road and the existing third lane closer to I-15 was delayed; however, construction for the missing was approved in April 2007. The extension opened on July 20, 2007. Mission Gorge Road to SR 67 Construction on the next portion of SR 52, from Mission Gorge Road to SR 125, was scheduled to begin in late 1995, at a total cost of $60 million (about $ in dollars) for the entire project. Property acquisition began in 1994, with many property owners along the south side of Mission Gorge Road being forced to move out of the way of the freeway and subsequent road construction, as Mission Gorge Road was moved south to accommodate the new freeway. About $40 million ($ in dollars) was spent on the property acquisition. After weather-related construction delays due to the El Niño season of the winter of 1997–1998, the extension of SR 52 between Mission Gorge Road and SR 125 was dedicated on May