91 Express Lanes

I found out recently that the 91 Express Lanes, the toll lanes in the median of the 91 Freeway from the 55 to the Riverside County Line are free for motorcyclists. Now, as I love to travel all roads that are available to me, I ended up signing up for a transponder. It has offered me an interesting look at what goes into getting one and how they work. I shall be posting photos and videos about how these devices work in the near future.

In addition to the transponder, I also obtained a special bag to put the device in when I travel toll lanes that are free and don’t need a transponder. Eventually, I hope that all lanes are the same and won’t need such devices.

91 Express Lanes Welcome Kit and Transponder.
91 Express Lanes Welcome Kit and Transponder.

M5.1 Earthquake hits La Habra

From the USGS – Updated:

http://earthquake.usgs.gov/earthquakes/eventpage/ci15481673#summary

intensity

lahabraci15481673_ciim

Event Time

  1. 2014-03-29 04:09:42 UTC
  2. 2014-03-28 21:09:42 UTC-07:00 at epicenter
  3. 2014-03-28 21:09:42 UTC-07:00 system time

Location

33.919°N 117.944°W depth=7.5km (4.6mi)

Nearby Cities

  1. 1km (1mi) S of La Habra, California
  2. 4km (2mi) W of Brea, California
  3. 5km (3mi) NNW of Fullerton, California
  4. 6km (4mi) E of La Mirada, California
  5. 546km (339mi) W of Phoenix, Arizona

Tectonic Summary

A M5.1 earthquake occurred at 9:09PM on March 28, 2014, located 1 mile easy of La Habra, CA, or 4 miles north of Fullerton, CA. The event was felt widely throughout Orange, Los Angeles, Ventura, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties.  It was preceded by two foreshocks, the larger of M3.6 at 8:03pm.  The demonstration earthquake early warning system provided 4 second warning in Pasadena.

There have been 23 aftershocks as of 10:00PM on March 28, the largest of which was a M3.6 at 9:30PM, and was felt locally near the epicenter. The aftershock sequence may continue for several days to weeks, but will likely decay in frequency and magnitude as time goes by.

The maximum observed instrumental intensity was VII, recorded in the LA Habra and Brea areas, although the ShakeMap shows a wide area of maximum intensity of VI. The maximum reported intensity for the Did You Feel It? map was reported at VI in the epicentral area.

This sequence could be associated with the Puente Hills thrust (PHT).  The PHT is a blind thrust fault that extends from this region to the north and west towards the City of Los Angeles.  It caused the M5.9 1987 Oct. 1 Whittier Narrows earthquake.

Previously, the M5.4 2008 Chino Hills earthquake occurred in this region.  It caused somewhat stronger shaking in Orange County and across the Los Angeles Basin.

The moment tensor shows oblique faulting, with a north dipping plane that approximately aligns with the Puente Hills thrust.

The demonstration earthquake early warning system provided 4 second warning in Pasadena.

Related Links

Angels Flight in Los Angeles

Angels Flight is a short funicular railway in downtown Los Angeles. It has been around since 1901, though not continuously. It used to run from Hill St and 3rd St west up Bunker Hill. It was moved about 1/2 block south about 15 years ago. I took this video of it in 2010.

Old signs in Downtown San Diego

Some buildings were demolished a few years ago on Kettner Blvd between Ash St and A St revealing some really cool old signs. I’m not sure how old they are but I’m guessing 1940’s.

Closeup of the Hires Root Beer sign.
Closeup of the Hires Root Beer sign.
Southern end of the sign.
Southern end of the sign.
Dr Pepper and Hires sign at an old bottling plant
Dr Pepper and Hires sign at an old bottling plant

Tracks remain on Park Blvd

Walking today, I saw that the former San Diego Electric Railway tracks in the median of Park Blvd seem to be staying put. Construction is underway for a “busway” which is tearing out most of the old track and poles. However, at Howard Ave, the tracks are being left in place and reburied beneath the new median. Why this is the case here and not anywhere else is something of a mystery. Hopefully it marks a trend to keep some of the old infrastructure in place instead of destroying it.

Section of rail removed at Howard Ave.
Section of rail removed at Howard Ave.
South of Howard Ave to near Polk Ave, the old rails remain.
South of Howard Ave to near Polk Ave, the old rails remain.

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