NORTH COUNTY —— An old idea for a third freeway connecting North County with San Diego is getting a new look.

Call it the Grandson of 680, a once-proposed east-west, and later a north-south route, that was considered in the 1980s and '90s but flattened by community opposition.

For those motorists tired of today's daily commute-time logjam on Interstate 5, and those equally weary of the bottleneck along Interstate 15, a new arterial linking North County with job and entertainment centers to the south could find a much better reception.

For decades, county planners wanted to build another road linking I-5 and 15, and there was discussion in the 1980s and 1990s about a highway between Encinitas and Mira Mesa.

But heavy opposition along the coast drove the county Board of Supervisors to abandon what was called Highway 680 in 1995. A subsequent plan dubbed the Son of 680 that turned the highway to a north-south alignment also was shelved.

Fast forward to 2005.

"What we're proposing in the next regional transportation plan is to put it back on the radar screen," said Gary Gallegos, executive director of the San Diego Association of Governments, the county's transportation planning and funding agency. "As congestion grows on 5 and 15, we need to look at ways to increase capacity."

Commuters now spend an average of nearly 50 hours a year stuck in traffic during the peak travel times, according to a recent association report.

One of those commuters is Beryl Nasworthy of Leucadia, whose 13-mile drive from her home to her job in La Jolla is representative of the average commuting distance for all county residents, according to traffic studies.

Nasworthy said Friday her relatively short drive can take as little as about 20 minutes when there is no traffic. But the drive time is often double that because of congestion, she said, adding the traffic is about the same whether she leaves at 6 a.m. or 9 a.m.

"Something is needed to relieve congestion, but whether it is more freeways or a better means of transportation such as mass transit is not something I am certain about," she said. "Another freeway might be the answer for the short term, but I'm just not sure about the long term."

Gallegos said Thursday that's one of the reasons association planners will include the idea of a new freeway in a countywide transportation plan update due in March. The update may include a discussion on a limited-access route east of I-15 as well as a proposal to put a new north-south freeway between I-5 and I-15.

To help sell a route east of I-15 that would not promote urban sprawl, Gallegos said he envisions a limited-access highway with a minimal number of on- and offramps to help prevent the establishment of gas stations, fast-food restaurants and new homes.

"There are folks who would see a new freeway east of 15 as sprawl-inducing," said Gallegos, who before joining that agency, was head of the state Department of Transportation's San Diego district office. "But strict access control would help limit development."

County Supervisor Bill Horn supports a third north-south freeway east of I-15. He called for an advisory vote on the matter in 2002, but the issue never made it to the ballot.

"A third freeway east of 15, even if it is a toll road, would be a real solution," Horn said Thursday. "It's a very practical solution and there's a whole lot of open space out there where a new freeway could be built."

Horn, whose district stretches from Rancho Santa Fe to Valley Center to Fallbrook, favors a route that would travel through San Pasqual Valley past Ramona, down Highway 67 and east of Poway.

John Weil, chief of staff for Pam Slater-Price, chairwoman of the county Board of Supervisors and a member of the association of governments board, said his boss generally likes the idea of a new highway. Her district is composed of mid-coastal and inland areas, including Escondido.

"Supervisor Slater-Price thought a new highway east of 15 was a good idea when it was brought up before, but that does have difficulties because of all the bridging that would be involved and some environmentally protected areas," Weil said.

Solana Beach City Councilman Joe Kellejian, who also sits on the association of governments board and is chairman of its transportation committee, said he strongly supports a comprehensive study for another highway.

"We have to look into the future to 2030 and beyond," Kellejian said. "We have to open our eyes to all the possibilities to address the situation we have in North County."

Those possibilities should include a tunneled highway to ease environmental and habitat concerns and any other innovation that helps ease congestion, he said.

As for the cost of a new freeway, estimates in the 1990s put the price tag at $1 billion. No updated cost estimate has been produced, and Kellejian said that shouldn't prevent the region's policy makers from revisiting the issue.

Gallegos put it this way:

"We need to take a smorgasbord of ideas, throw them up against the wall and see what sticks," he said.

Contact staff writer Mark Walker at (760) 740-3529 or mlwalker@nctimes.com.