Category Archives: Roads

Featured Image – 12/4/2021

From the Archives – 1959

Looking southerly at US 101 (Now I-5) at Avery Parkway in 1959. Courtesy – Caltrans.

A lot has changed in southern Orange County since 1959. Gone are most of the orange groves and wide-open spaces. Today, this view is very different but a surprising amount of what is seen does remain. This photo, taken in 1959, shows the US 101 freeway and the original alignment to the right, known as Camino Capistrano. In the intervening years, the roadway has been widened at least four times. Instead of a four-lane freeway, it is now eight lanes plus two HOV lanes. Even today, the roadway is being widened yet again, this time to add an additional HOV lane in each direction. The State 73 freeway interchange is also missing from this view. It would be added in 1996.

Some of the concrete visible in this photo on both the freeway and old alignment still remain to this day. It is truly amazing to see what things looked like before they became one giant suburban mess.

Upcoming Ridge Route Event

Next weekend, on October 23, 2021, the Ridge Route Preservation Organization will be holding a Clean Up The Ridge Route event. These events are work parties to help repair and preserve the historic Ridge Route. They are open to all, though donations are always welcome. For more information and specific details, please check out their website:

http://www.ridgeroute.org/october-cutrr-event/

Fire on the Ridge Route

There is currently a fire, #RouteFire, burning on the Ridge Route near Templin Highway. I-5 is closed both directions and the Old Ridge Route may be in danger. For information, follow the Twitter feed for the Ridge Route Preservation Organization – @ridgeroute99.

Featured Image – 9/4/2021

1967 aerial photo showing the interchange between La Cienega Blvd (lower roadway) and Slauson Ave. Courtesy – Caltrans

In 1949, La Cienega Blvd was extended through the Baldwin Hills. This roadway was eventually to become a part of the State Route 170 Laurel Canyon Freeway. Interchanges and grade separations were built with this in mind. Access to the roadway was also controlled, making it easier to upgrade the roadway to a full freeway in the future. It became the only section constructed not long after.

Today, the roadway remains as a freeway and expressway-grade roadway through those hills acting as a “cutoff” for travelers coming from the westside of Los Angeles to the airport area. The photo above shows the interchange between La Cienega Blvd (right-left) and Slauson Ave in 1967. The photo was taken as a part of a study for a freeway routing for State Route 90, another stub freeway nearby. That freeway gained the moniker of the “Slauson Cutoff” by Johnny Carson.

Los Angeles may be known as “The Land of Freeways” but many of those freeway dreams didn’t come to pass. This is an example of one of those.

For further information:

September 2021 Presentation

Join the Historic Highway 99 Association of California for a presentation on the history of US 99 and the Newhall Pass on September 14, 2021 at 6pm via Zoom. The history of the roadway will be covered from the Newhall Tunnel in 1910 to the HOV ramp at the I-5 / State 14 interchange in 2012. Q&A to follow the presentation. Please register using the link below.

https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcrc–rpzIoGdxQYOYkViOpSZQHqw2rEpl1