Freeways of Los Angeles
@FreewaysLA
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Everything you always wanted to know about Los Angeles area freeways but were afraid to ask. We cover state highways too.
LA, Orange & Ventura Counties
Joined April 2018
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Common abbreviations:
CA - California (State Route)
c. - Circa
DOH - Division of Highways
EB - Eastbound
NB - Northbound
OC - Overcrossing
OH - Overhead
POC - Pedestrian Overcrossing
SB - Southbound
UC - Undercrossing
UP - Underpass
US - United States Route
WB - Westbound
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1948 vs. 2021 - Looking southeast over Hollywood Fwy (US-101) from Barham Blvd OC in Cahuenga Pass. 1952 was the last year Pacific Electric Railway trolleys ran down the center of the "Cahuenga Pass Freeway" (Water & Power Assoc photo courtesy of Jack Feldman).
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2022 - Looking NW over a brightly lit Los Angeles. Hollywood Fwy (US-101) passes through Cahuenga Pass at center. Great photo by Jennifer Cho.
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Evolution of Coast Hwy (later US-101 Alt) near Point Mugu. Also known as Roosevelt Hwy, now Pacific Coast Hwy (CA-1).
1 - 1923
2 - 1924
3 - 1925
4 - 1929
Photos published June 29, 1929, in California Highways (later CH&PW) magazine.
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1948-Jan-25 - Facing west on Aliso St along Union Station. Santa Ana Fwy (US-101) built here in 1953.
Failure to set brakes on Super Chief caused it to break through wall. Original Philippes French dip sandwich shop at left. Photos of this are displayed at current Philippes.
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The recent fire under the Santa Monica Fwy (I-10) viaduct was very similar to the 2011 tanker fire under the Pomona Fwy (CA-60) Paramount Blvd OC. That one required replacement of the entire structure, a herculean effort that took three months under an expedited schedule.
December 2011 - Tanker explosion and fire damages Paramount Blvd OC on Pomona Fwy (CA-60). Extensive damage to structure required a complete replacement of the overcrossing (CT photos).
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And finally . . .
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Good night and good luck.
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Looking NE over Century Fwy (I-105)/Harbor Fwy (I-110) five level interchange, I-110 at bottom of stack. Considered by some to be the most complex interchange in Los Angeles; photo courtesy of David Ortega.
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1970 - A barren wilderness surrounds construction of Moorpark Fwy (CA-23) near future Avenida de Los Arboles off-ramp (facing south). Sign in background reads Janss Rd (DOH D7 Archives photo).
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1968 - Facing north on Sepulveda Blvd (CA-1) at International Airport OC, better known as the LAX tunnel. International Hotel in background now Hyatt Regency (photo source unknown).
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Winter 1949 - "Cars wait for icy roads to melt on Sepulveda Boulevard [old CA-7] in Sherman Oaks so they can head over the Sepulveda Pass (LA Times photo)."
Photo courtesy of Courtesy John Nelson of Southern California Nostalgia page.
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1959-Jan-09 - Looking west at newly constructed Ventura Fwy (US-101) on Conejo Grade in Camarillo, near Grove Park (DOH D7 Archives photo).
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1939 - Once upon a time: The greater Los Angeles area nearly 80 years ago, before freeways and before most of today's route numbers.
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NOTICE: As is our tradition, on Halloween, we will be posting "ghost" pictures of freeways, state highways, and ramps in the Los Angeles area.
We define a ghost as a defunct roadway, either completely gone or with remnants remaining.
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1959-Jan-09 - Looking west over newly reconstructed Ventura Fwy (US-101) at Conejo Grade in Camarillo (DOH D7 Archives photo).
Original road at lower right; a chunk of this hill was removed and benched. The existing highway was widened using massive embankment (foreground).
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Undated - NB Pasadena Fwy -- now CA-110 -- at the northernmost tunnel (Los Angeles Photographers Collection).
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State highway shields . . . so many boring squares. California is the only state whose sign isn't square and the only state that cuts out U.S. (national) highway shields.
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c. 1956 - Facing east on Colorado St (then US-66 Alt) between Raymond Ave and Arroyo Pkwy. Photo courtesy of Brian Biekofsky.
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1930 - Metropolitan Los Angeles map -- pre-freeway LA (ACSC vintage map).
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2017 - Twin overcrossings on Harbor Fwy (CA-110) at W. 4th St (view east). US Bank Tower in center background. Photo by Ryan Mosse.
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". . . a striking overlook of Downtown LA and beyond. Though the sun dove too soon through clouds yesterday evening and never properly illuminated the buildings, it nevertheless provided the backdrop here for the mostly empty freeway and mostly dark skyscrapers." - Vahe Peroomian
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"Then and Now: Tejon Pass, May 2, 1905 at 10:55am vs. November 27, 2013 at 5:41pm. What a difference in 108 years!"
[Photos and caption from "Antique Images from the Collection of Michael J. Semas."]
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1964 - Looking north on newly constructed San Gabriel River Fwy (I-605) approaching Rose Hills Rd in Whittier (DOH D7 Archives photo).
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"Happy birthday California. 171 years ago California was admited as the 31st state of the Union. Todays little known fact, our state highway signs are designed to look like the blade of a gold miners shovel [spade]."
[Courtesy of Tim Farley of California History.]
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2012 - Space Shuttle Endeavour is slowly towed on Manchester Blvd (CA-42) across the San Diego Freeway (I-405) by a Toyota Tundra with the iconic Randy’s Donuts in the background. Photo date: October 12, 2012. Water & Power photo courtesy of Jack Feldman.
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RIP Vin Scully. Now may be a good time to bring back this proposal.
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Looking north over Harbor Fwy (I-110) at Century Fwy (I-105) interchange (2024).
Photo courtesy of Explore Los Angeles.
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1959-Jan-09 - Looking SE over newly constructed Ventura Fwy (US-101). View from Santa Rosa Rd OC in Camarillo; Conejo Grade in background (DOH D7 Archives photo).
Imagine that, palm trees in the median!
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News Report:
The new wildlife crossing over the 101 freeway is a resounding success (for the animals).
Meanwhile, officials are now trying to figure out how to get the humans across. 🫣🤔
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1949 - Freshly fallen snow in Cahuenga Pass on then Cahuenga Pkwy (US-101), now Hollywood Fwy (Water & Power photo).
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1931 - Figueroa Street tunnel construction. Photo by Dick Whittington, courtesy of James J. Chun.
Figueroa St tunnels now part of NB Arroyo Seco Pkwy (CA-110).
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c. 1965 - Santa Ana Fwy (I-5) at Harbor Blvd; Disneyland at center. Orchards galore in properly named Orange County. Source unknown.
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1969 - Newly constructed NB-5 to NB-405 connector in a barren Irvine -- the south end of I-405 (DOH D7 Archives photo). Apparently the photographer brought along an "assistant."
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1959-Jan-09 - Facing NW on newly constructed Ventura Fwy (US-101) at Camarillo Grove Park exit, now Camarillo Springs Rd, on the downside of Conejo Grade. Calleguas Rd now Pleasant Valley-Santa Rosa Rd (DOH D7 Archives photo).
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For those of you who can't get enough of vintage maps, here's the full version of the partial 1961 map we posted earlier.
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1924 - Looking NW over early Coast Hwy (now Pacific Coast Hwy CA-1) construction near Sycamore Canyon, approaching Point Mugu in background (California Highways magazine). Nearly 100 years ago!
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1930 - Metropolitan Los Angeles map -- pre-freeway LA (ACSC).
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Today as we celebrate the City of Los Angeles on the 238th anniversary of its 1781 founding, we present this 1938 pre-freeway map of the greater Los Angeles area (CA State Highway Map).
@CaltransDist7
@LAhistory
@RoadSageLA
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1953 - Facing west on Los Angeles Ave (old CA-118) at Arroyo Simi Bridge, west of First St in Simi Valley. Photo courtesy of Daniel Nauman.
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c. 1965 - Sunset Blvd at PCH (CA-1) -- think cool thoughts today! 😎😎
[source unknown]
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2023 - Looking south over Rose Bowl; Foothill Fwy (I-210) at left center. Ventura Fwy (CA-134) at center right. Photo courtesy of Edward Martinez.
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Courtesy of Ricardo Perez:
"Pacific Electric streetcar hugs the coast of Huntington Beach, running parallel to the Pacific Coast Highway [at far left] (1946)."
[At that time the Coast Hwy was signed US-101 Alt; it's now CA-1.]
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NB Pasadena Fwy (then CA-11), now Arroyo Seco Pkwy (CA-110), at the fourth Figueroa St tunnel. Converted to NB freeway in 1943.
[undated] Northbound traffic on the 110 Pasadena Freeway showing the turnoff for the Golden State Freeway, No. 5. (Tom LaBonge Collection)
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1940 & 2016 - Looking north over tunnels on Figueroa St (US-66/CA-11)/Arroyo Seco Pkwy (CA-110) at Solano Ave. Until 1943, these tunnels were exclusively used for two way Figueroa St traffic until a SB freeway roadway was built; Solano Ave intersection was closed at that time.
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Aug 1962 - Looking west over Ventura Fwy (US-101) construction at Telephone Rd in Ventura. Future Santa Paula Fwy (CA-126) interchange at right (CH&PW).
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c. 1932 - Figueroa Street (US-66/CA-11) tunnels under construction, as seen from Elysian Park. The first three tunnels were built between Solano Ave and Riverside Drive. The southern-most tunnel (No. 4) was added a few years later.
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1948-Jan-25 - Looking west on Aliso St heading into downtown LA; note so-called "Chinese Wall" at right, which formed the southern border of Union Station. A Santa Fe Super Chief engine blew through the wall due a failure to properly engage the brakes.
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March 1953 - Looking north over newly constructed Sepulveda Blvd (then US-101 Alt, now CA-1) tunnel under LAX runways (Water & Power Assoc photo). Prior to this realignment, Sepulveda Blvd used to loop around the west end of LAX.
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1922, 1940, 1955 & 1960 (respectively) - The evolution of Pacific Electric rail tracks on the Hollywood Fwy (US-101) in Cahuenga Pass at Mulholland Drive OC (facing south) -- tracks were removed in 1953. Photos by Ralph Cantos.
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Undated - Then and now pictures of Tejon Pass on Ridge Route (later US-99) and I-5.
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January 1949 - Snow on Hollywood Fwy (US-101) in Cahuenga Pass during the great Los Angeles blizzard of 1949.
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1984 - Rendering of proposed Los Angeles Olympics event sign on NB San Diego Fwy (I-405) at Wilshire Blvd (CT photo).
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1956-Feb-06 - Coast Hwy (then US-101 Alt, now PCH CA-1) in Pacific Palisades. Hillside heaters installed in 1928 to reduce soil moisture buildup; a landslide had never been reported in this area (Herald Examiner Collection).
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Feb 1936 - Looking northeast on Figueroa St (US-66/CA-11) tunnels through Elysian Park (CH&PW). Now NB Arroyo Seco Pkwy (CA-110) approaching Golden State Fwy (I-5).
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A true Valentine's card for Los Angeles freeway motorists. 💜💜💜
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"1961 photo of grading work on the San Diego (I-405) Freeway. I wasn't sure what brand the scrapers were so I made them Caterpillar yellow/orange." -- colorization by Imbued With Hues, courtesy of Mike Hayashi.
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Really cool pic! Harbor Fwy (CA-110) in downtown LA; Wilshire Blvd in foreground.
📷: philsutphin - courtesy of Wilhelm Ignatz Rahnenfhrer Meischer.
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Freeway Engineering 401 - A contrast in interchanges. The US-101/CA-110 four level (with 35 mph connectors) designed in 1943, and the I-105/I-110 five level (with 50+ mph connectors) in 1987. The four level was the world's first fully directional freeway to freeway interchange.
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c. 1964 - Summer day along Pacific Coast Hwy (CA-1), possibly in Malibu? (Getty Images photo)
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c. 1955 - Beach Blvd (CA-39), on the left, at Knott's Berry Farm in Buena Park. Note old-style bear state shield to the left of prospector.
Photo courtesy of author Martin Turnbull, who adds:
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1952 - LA's first freeways (CH&PW):
1940 -- Arroyo Seco Pkwy (CA-110)
1941 -- Cahuenga/Hollywood Fwy (US-101)
1945 -- Ramona Fwy (San Bernardino Fwy I-10)
1947 -- Santa Ana Fwy (I-5)
1952 -- Colorado Fwy (Ventura Fwy CA-134)
1953 -- Los Angeles River Fwy (Long Beach Fwy I-710)
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1943 actually.
[ca.1931] Construction of the Figueroa Street Tunnels in Elysian Park. In 1940 they were incorporated into California State Route 110/Arroyo Seco Parkway (Pasadena Freeway). (Eyre Powell Chamber of Commerce Collection)
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1943 - "What is a Freeway? . . . and parkways . . ."
Taken from "Freeways for the Region", a planning study of a proposed freeway/parkway system for the Los Angeles region.
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1947 - Intersection of Sunset Blvd (then US-101) and Vine St in Hollywood. Note semaphore signal lights with STOP sign underneath; there's one behind US-101 shield. STOP sign with flashing red light typically used after hours when
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January 1949 - Worst case scenario for LA drivers, and a once in a lifetime event: Snow on Hollywood Fwy (US-101) in Cahuenga Pass during the Los Angeles blizzard of 1949.
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1954 - Directional guide sign and classic "button copy" shields on NB Harbor Fwy (then US-6/CA-11, now CA-110) to Hollywood Fwy/Santa Ana Fwy (US-101) connector at four level interchange (DOH photo).
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1938 vs. 2022 – Driving through the Figueroa St Tunnels. Note two-way traffic in 1938 photo; by 1943, the two-way Figueroa St Tunnels were repurposed for four lanes of NB traffic, and a higher SB roadway was cut into the hills to the west. [Courtesy of Jack Feldman]
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1963 film stock from: "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World."
[Pacific Coast Hwy (then US-101 Alt, now CA-1) at Solstice Canyon Rd & Corral Canyon Rd.]
Photos courtesy of Lisajo McGhee of 1950s Malibu Parents Photographic Society.
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1959 & 1985 - Looking SE over Ventura Fwy (US-101) in Camarillo. Views from Santa Rosa Rd OC; Conejo Grade in distant background (DOH Archive and CT photos).
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[Northridge Earthquake - 30 years ago today]
Collapsed column following 1994 Northridge earthquake (magnitude 6.6) at the Santa Monica (I-10) Fwy at Venice/La Cienega Blvd undercrossing. This structure damage required a complete replacement (CT photo), done in record time.
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c. 1950 - Garvey Ave (US-60-70-99), facing west, at Puente Ave (then CA-35) in Baldwin Park. The San Bernardino Fwy (I-10) now passes through here (photo source unknown).
The original In-N-Out would be less than a mile away, on the left side, at Francisquito Ave.
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c. 1937 - Unidentified highway at Ventura County line (Herman J. Schultheis Collection).
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c. 1961 - Los Angeles Freeway Map (Security Pacific Collection).
Fwy Legend:
Black - Existing
Black Boxes - Under Construction
White Boxes - Planned
Dashed - Proposed
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c. 1950 - Pacific Electric streetcar railway in Hollywood Fwy median in Cahuenga Pass; removed in 1953.
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In celebration of the City's 240th anniversary (founded in 1781), we present this exquisite 1972 rendering of central city Los Angeles by J. Amestoy.
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1959 - SB Hollywood Fwy (US-101) at Hill St OC (photo source unknown).
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August 2023 - EB Ventura Fwy (CA-134) approaching Foothill Fwy (I-210) at Orange Grove Blvd in Pasadena.
These have got to be the worst overhead guide signs in the Los Angeles area. It's a shame they have been this bad for some time and require replacement (Admin photo).
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In keeping with Father's Day, here are some photos featuring the "daddy" of all Los Angeles freeways, the Arroyo Seco Parkway, which opened in 1940.
1961 - Arroyo Seco Pkwy: before and after (CH&PW).
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News Item (April 1st): Caltrans (finally) corrects freeway pavement shields!
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1955 - Hollywood Fwy (US-101); Red Cars were gone, replaced by buses. Tracks and overhead lines were removed, where PE trolleys glided on their right of way. A tunnel under the freeway led to the waiting station and may still be there, sealed off years ago. Courtesy of Ron Wolf.
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1940-Dec-30 - Arroyo Seco Pkwy (then US-66/CA-11, now CA-110) dedicated 82 years ago today. Posted speed limit at that time was 45 mph (DOH D7 Archives photo).
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[Courtesy of Kenny Texeira]
Flying into LAX in 2016; 110 freeway heading into downtown. Figueroa on the left and Broadway on the right. Coliseum/USC is at 10 o’clock(ish), and that very small white dot on the hill is the Observatory, with the Hollywood sign to the left of it.
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1962 & 2017 - San Diego Fwy (I-405) at Sepulveda Pass. View north from Mulholland Dr Overcrossing. I-405 has been extensively widened over the years.
1962 photo of newly opened freeway from DOH D7 Archives; 2017 photo by Scott Steeves.
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1952 - Opening day of US-101 through the downtown LA civic center "slot," between Los Angeles St and Grand Ave. Here the NB roadway begins on a temporary and steep on-ramp from Alameda St, passing under Los Angeles St OC -- facing NW. Screen capture from a DOH video.
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c. 1940 - Looking northerly on Figueroa St (then US-6-66-99/CA-11) at Riverside Dr (CH&PW). This turnoff to Riverside Dr now part of Arroyo Seco Pkwy (CA-110) connector to NB Golden State Fwy (I-5).
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[Per Rick Watts of LOST ANGELES:]
Dedication of the
Sepulveda Blvd underpass
LAX
April 1953
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In celebration of its 70th anniversary, LA's first freeway was renamed Arroyo Seco Pkwy in 2010.
This relic of a sign near Chinatown and the 110 freeway dates to the 1970s, when the Arroyo Seco Parkway was still known as the Pasadena Freeway, and we all knew freeways by their names -- no route designations necessary. The practice of adding numbers change in the 1980s.
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1960-Dec-29 - Pasadena Fwy (then US-6-99/CA-11, now Arroyo Seco Pkwy CA-110) at Sunset Blvd/Figueroa St exit.
View south from College St OC, north of the four level interchange near downtown LA (DOH D7 Archives photo).
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c. 1962 - Looking north over the Pasadena Fwy (then CA-11, now Arroyo Seco Pkwy CA-110) just south of Alpine St OC. Merging traffic is from both directions of the Hollywood and Santa Ana Freeways (US-101). View from Sunset Blvd OC; photo source unknown.
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[Photo and caption courtesy of Carlos G. Lucero.]
"110 north (Arroyo Seco Pkwy) coming out of the last tunnel nice and dramatic view!!"
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