A reader informed me about a really interesting website on the origins of street names in the Los Angeles area. You can find it at – https://lastreetnames.com/ .
Category Archives: Los Angeles
I-10 Closure Resources
I-10 (Santa Monica Freeway) is closed for an extended period in both directions through Downtown Los Angeles between I-5 and the 110 due to fire damage. To get around, here are some good resources:
Los Angeles Metro – Detours and Transit Options
City of Los Angeles – Emergency Management
Caltrans Quickmap – Real-Time Traffic Updates
Historic Sign Revealed in Los Angeles
Either through heavy wind, corrosion, or a combination of the two, a section of “greenout” fell off a sign on the eastbound Ventura Freeway (State 134) recently at Victory Blvd. This sign, approaching the Golden State Freeway (I-5) has been there since 1961 when the freeway opened. In 1961, the Golden State Freeway was still US Highway 99. In 1965, the sign was covered over with an overlay for I-5. In early 2023, that overlay (“greenout”) fell off, revealing a portion of the original signage. The left side of the sign has a State 134 EAST sign as 134 proceeded east toward Pasadena via the Golden State Freeway and Colorado St until 1968.
For more information about US 99:
Enjoy it while it lasts!
Featured Image – 9/4/2021
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:
Air Raid Sirens
Curious about those sirens around Los Angeles? This person mapped them all and has information about each one as well.