A vast network of interconnected

freeways A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

in the megaregion of

Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and Cultural area, cultural List of regions of California, region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its densely populated coastal reg ...

serves a population of over 23 million people. The Master Plan of Metropolitan Los Angeles Freeways was adopted by the Regional Planning Commission in 1947 and construction began in the early 1950s. The plan hit opposition and funding limitations in the 1970s, and by 2004, only some 61% of the original planned network had been completed.

History

Origins

Southern California's romance with the automobile owes in large part to resentment of the

Southern Pacific Railroad The Southern Pacific (or Espee from the railroad initials) was an American Railroad classes#Class I, Class I Rail transport, railroad network that existed from 1865 to 1996 and operated largely in the Western United States. The system was oper ...

's tight control over the region's commerce in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. During his successful campaign for governor in 1910, anti-Southern Pacific candidate

Hiram Johnson Hiram Warren Johnson (September 2, 1866August 6, 1945) was an American attorney and politician who served as the 23rd governor of California from 1911 to 1917 and represented California in the U.S. Senate for five terms from 1917 to 1945. Johns ...

traveled the state by car, which was no small feat at that time. In the minds of Southlanders, this associated the automobile with clean, progressive government, in stark contrast to the railroads' control over the corrupt governments of the

Midwest The Midwestern United States (also referred to as the Midwest, the Heartland or the American Midwest) is one of the four census regions defined by the United States Census Bureau. It occupies the northern central part of the United States. It ...

and

Northeast The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A '' compass rose'' is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—eac ...

. While the Southern Pacific-owned

Pacific Electric Railway The Pacific Electric Railway Company, nicknamed the Red Cars, was a privately owned mass transit system in Southern California consisting of electrically powered streetcars, interurban cars, and buses and was the largest electric railway system ...

's famous Red Car streetcar lines were the axis of urbanization in

Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...

during its period of spectacular growth in the 1910s and 1920s, they were unprofitable and increasingly unattractive compared to automobiles. As cars became cheaper and began to fill the region's roads in the 1920s, Pacific Electric lost ridership. Traffic congestion soon threatened to choke off the region's development altogether. At the same time, a number of influential

urban planners An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...

were advocating the construction of a network of what one widely read book dubbed "Magic

Motorway A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway, and expressway. Other similar terms ...

s", as the backbone of

suburb A suburb (more broadly suburban area) is an area within a metropolitan area. They are oftentimes where most of a metropolitan areas jobs are located with some being predominantly residential. They can either be denser or less densely populated ...

an development. These "

greenbelt A green belt or greenbelt is a policy, and land-use zone designation used in land-use planning to retain areas of largely undeveloped, wild, or agricultural land surrounding or neighboring urban areas. Similar concepts are greenways or gree ...

" advocates called for decentralized, automobile-oriented development as a means of remedying both urban overcrowding and declining rates of home ownership. Traffic congestion was of such great concern by the late 1930s in the

Los Angeles metropolitan area Greater Los Angeles is the most populous metropolitan area in the U.S. state of California, encompassing five counties in Southern California extending from Ventura County in the west to San Bernardino County and Riverside County in the east, ...

that the influential

Automobile Club of Southern California The Automobile Club of Southern California is the Southern California affiliate of the American Automobile Association (AAA) federation of motor clubs. The Auto Club was founded on December 13, 1900, in Los Angeles as one of the nation's first mo ...

engineered an elaborate plan to create an elevated freeway-type "Motorway System," a key aspect of which was the dismantling of the streetcar lines, to be replaced with buses that could run on both local streets and on the new express roads. In the late 1930s, when the freeway system was originally planned locally by Los Angeles

city planner An urban planner (also known as town planner) is a professional who practices in the field of town planning, urban planning or city planning. An urban planner may focus on a specific area of practice and have a title such as city planner, tow ...

s, they had intended for

light rail Light rail (or light rail transit, abbreviated to LRT) is a form of passenger urban rail transit that uses rolling stock derived from tram technology National Conference of the Transportation Research Board while also having some features from ...

tracks to have been installed in the center margin of each freeway (which would presumably have carried

red cars), but this plan was never fully implemented.

Planning and construction

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, transportation bottlenecks on Southern California roads and railways convinced many that if Southern California was to accommodate a large population, it needed a completely new transportation system. The city of Los Angeles favored an upgraded rail transit system focused on its central city. However, the success of the

Arroyo Seco Parkway The Arroyo Seco Parkway, also known as the Pasadena Freeway, is one of the oldest controlled-access highway, freeways in the United States. It connects Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles with Pasadena, California, Pasadena alongside the Arr ...

, built between Los Angeles and

Pasadena Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

in 1940, convinced many that a freeway system could solve the region's transportation problems. Leaders of surrounding cities, such as Whittier, South Gate,

Long Beach Long Beach is a coastal city in southeastern Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is the list of United States cities by population, 44th-most populous city in the United States, with a population of 451,307 as of 2022. A charter ci ...

, and Pasadena, accordingly called for a web of freeways to connect the whole region, rather than funneling their residents out of their own downtowns and into that of Los Angeles. Pro-freeway sentiments prevailed, and by 1947, a new comprehensive freeway plan for Los Angeles (based largely on the original locally planned 1930s system, but without the light rail tracks in the median strips of the freeways) had been drawn up by the California Department of Public Works (now

Caltrans The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

soon followed suit, and by the early 1950s, construction had begun on much of the region's freeway system.

Proposed/future freeways

Caltrans or local transportation agencies have identified the following priority freeway projects: *A

toll road A toll road, also known as a turnpike or tollway, is a public or private road for which a fee (or ''Toll (fee), toll'') is assessed for passage. It is a form of road pricing typically implemented to help recoup the costs of road construction and ...

that will go through a tunnel in the Santa Ana Mountains from

Irvine Irvine may refer to: Places On Earth Antarctica *Irvine Glacier * Mount Irvine (Antarctica) Australia * Irvine Island * Mount Irvine, New South Wales Canada * Irvine, Alberta * Irvine Inlet, Nunavut Scotland *Irvine, North Ayrshire, Scotlan ...

Corona Corona (from the Latin for 'crown') most commonly refers to: * Stellar corona, the outer atmosphere of the Sun or another star * Corona (beer), a Mexican beer * Corona, informal term for the coronavirus or disease responsible for the COVID-19 ...

. *Upgrading State Route 210 to

Interstate standards Standards for Interstate Highways in the United States are defined by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) in the publication ''A Policy on Design Standards: Interstate System''. For a certain highway t ...

and renumbering the route Interstate 210. *A new freeway, the

Mid County Parkway The Mid County Parkway is a proposed highway in Riverside County, California, United States which would link San Jacinto in the east and Perris in the west in response to high levels on congestion on existing routes. The corridor was identifi ...

, from Interstate 215 in Perris to State Route 79 in San Jacinto. *An extension for

Interstate 710 Route 710, consisting of the non-contiguous segments of State Route 710 (SR 710) and Interstate 710 (I-710), is a major north–south state highway and auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of the ...

, the Long Beach Freeway, to its originally planned terminus at Interstate 210, the

Foothill Freeway The Foothill Freeway is a freeway in the Greater Los Angeles in the U.S. state of California, running from the Sylmar district of Los Angeles east to Redlands. The western segment is signed as Interstate 210 (I-210) from its western end ...

, in

, via a

tunnel A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

underneath the city of South Pasadena or some other means. Caltrans, however, cancelled the project in November 2018. *An extension to the State Route 241

to meet

Interstate 5 Interstate 5 (I-5) is the main north–south Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway on the West Coast of the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific coast of the contiguous U.S. from Mexico to Canada. It travels thro ...

in or near

San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement" ) is a coastal city in southern Orange County, California, United States. It was named in 1925 after the Spanish colonial island (which was named after a Pope from the first century). Located in the O ...

. *Upgrading State Route 71, the Chino Valley Freeway, to a full controlled-access freeway north of State Route 60, the

Pomona Freeway Pomona may refer to: Places Argentina * Pomona, Río Negro Australia * Pomona, Queensland, Australia, a town in the Shire of Noosa * Pomona, New South Wales, Australia Belize * Pomona, Belize, a municipality in Stann Creek District Mexico * ...

, to

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost transcontinental highway in the Interstate Highway System of the United States. It is the fourth-longest Interstate in the country at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. It was part of the origina ...

, the

San Bernardino Freeway Interstate 10 (I-10) is a transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from Santa Monica, California, to Jacksonville, Florida. The segment of I-10 in California, also known as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway, ru ...

, in Pomona. *Upgrading State Route 55, the

Costa Mesa Freeway Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge o ...

, from south of its current freeway terminus at 19th Street in

Costa Mesa Costa may refer to: Biology * Rib (Latin: ''costa''), in vertebrate anatomy * Costa (botany), the central strand of a plant leaf or thallus * Costa (coral), a stony rib, part of the skeleton of a coral * Costa (entomology), the leading edge o ...

to State Route 1, Pacific Coast Highway, in

Newport Beach Newport Beach is a coastal city of about 85,000 in southern Orange County, California, United States. Located about southeast of downtown Los Angeles, Newport Beach is known for its sandy beaches. The city's harbor once supported maritime indu ...

, potentially via a tunnel. *Construction of the High Desert Corridor, a freeway and expressway between State Route 14, the

Antelope Valley Freeway State Route 14 (SR 14) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California that connects Los Angeles to the northern Mojave Desert. The southern portion of the highway is signed as the Antelope Valley Freeway. Its southern te ...

, in

Palmdale Palmdale is a city in northern Los Angeles County, California, United States. The city lies in the Antelope Valley of Southern California. The San Gabriel Mountains separate Palmdale from the Los Angeles Basin to the south. On August 24, 1962 ...

and

Interstate 15 Interstate 15 (I-15) is a major Interstate Highway in the Western United States, running through Southern California and the Intermountain West. I-15 begins near the Mexican border in San Diego County and stretches north to Alberta, Ca ...

, the Mojave Freeway, near

Victorville Victorville is a city in Victor Valley in San Bernardino County, California. Its population as of the 2020 census was 134,810. Victorville is the principal city of a Victor Valley–based urban area defined by the United States Census Bureau: ...

. It would also carry a high-speed rail line to

Las Vegas, Nevada Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

. Caltrans put the freeway on hold in 2019. *State Route 48 is a completely unconstructed 25.5-mile (41.03 km) freeway to connect at the current SR 14/138 junction and West Avenue E, go east running parallel with East Avenue E and East Avenue G, and terminate in Hi Vista at East Avenue G/200th Street East, at the planned SR 122 freeway. *State Route 122 is a completely unconstructed 61.3-mile (98.7 km) freeway, defined to run from SR 14 south of Palmdale, and proceed northeast through Hi Vista, and terminate at the current U.S. 395/SR 58 at Kramer Junction. *State Route 249 is a 13.5-mile (21.7 km) unconstructed route that would connect SR 2 north of La Cañada Flintridge with SR 14 south of Palmdale. Angeles Forest Highway (CR N3) follows the general alignment, but Caltrans has no plans to take it over. However, there are plans to explore the building of this route between Palmdale and Los Angeles by tunneling through the mountains. *A toll road that would run from SR 126 to SR 118 in Simi Valley through the

Santa Susana Mountains The Santa Susana Mountains are a transverse range of mountains in Southern California, north of the city of Los Angeles, in the United States. The range runs east-west, separating the San Fernando and Simi valleys on its south from the Santa ...

(proposed in August 1990). The only north–south highways that connect SR 126 with SR 118 are I-5 and SR 23. Motorists on SR 126 can use this route to reach Simi Valley without having to use

via

Newhall Pass Newhall Pass is a low mountain pass in Los Angeles County, California. Historically called Fremont Pass and San Fernando Pass, with Beale's Cut, it separates the Santa Susana Mountains from the San Gabriel Mountains. Although the pass was visi ...

to SR 118 or SR 23 to Moorpark and vice versa. A good traversable route would be Tapo Canyon Road, Windmill Canyon Road, and Pico Canyon Road, but Caltrans has no plans to take it over.

Naming

Freeway names

Southern California residents idiomatically refer to freeways with the definite article, as "the reeway number/nowiki>", e.g. "the 5" or "the 10". This use of the article differs from other American dialects, including that of Northern California, but is the same as in the UK (e.g. "Take the M1 to the M25") and other European countries (e.g. "die A1" in German). In addition, sections of the southern California freeway system are often referred to by names rather than by the official numbers. For example, the names Santa Monica and San Bernardino are used for segments of the

even though overhead freeway signs installed at interchanges since the 1990s don't display these names, using instead the highway number, direction, and

control city A control city is a city, locality, or other location posted on a series of traffic signs along a particular stretch of road indicating destinations on that route. Together with route numbers and cardinal directions, these focal points aid the mo ...

. A freeway "name" may refer to portions of two or more differently numbered routes; for example, the

Ventura Freeway The Ventura Freeway is a freeway in southern California, United States, that runs from the Santa Barbara County, California, Santa Barbara/Ventura county line to Pasadena in Los Angeles County. It is the principal east–west route (designate ...

consists of portions of

U.S. Route 101 U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a major north–south highway that traverses the states of California, Oregon, and Washington on the West Coast of the United States. It is part of the United States Numbered Highway Syst ...

and State Route 134, and the

San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway is one of the named principal Southern California freeways. It consists of the following two segments: *Interstate 5, from California State Route 94 in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of South ...

consists of portions of

and the full length of Interstate 405. When Southern California freeways were built in the 1940s and early 1950s, local common usage was primarily the freeway name preceded by the definite article. It took several decades for Southern California locals to start to also commonly refer to the freeways with the numerical designations, but the usage of the definite article persisted. For example, the San Gabriel River Freeway evolved into "the 605 Freeway" and then shortened to "the 605".

Named interchanges

* Four Level (

Bill Keene Bill Keene (1927 – April 5, 2000) was a television and radio personality who became famous in the Los Angeles, California, market as a traffic and weather announcer. He was particularly known for his colorful, humorous traffic reports which inc ...

Memorial): * Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Memorial: *

East Los Angeles East Los Angeles (), or East L.A., is an unincorporated community and census designated place (CDP) situated within Los Angeles County, California, United States. According to the United States Census Bureau, East Los Angeles is designated as ...

: *

Hollywood Split The Hollywood Split (officially Bruce T. Hinman Memorial Interchange) is a freeway interchange in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles, California. The interchange is officially named in the memory of California Highway Patrol officer Bru ...

(Bruce T. Hinman Memorial): * Judge Harry Pregerson: * El Toro Y: Southern junction of * Kellogg: *

Orange Crush Crush is a brand of carbonated soft drinks owned and marketed internationally by Keurig Dr Pepper, originally created as an orange soda, Orange Crush. It was created in 1911, 30 years before Coca-Cola's Fanta, by beverage and extract chemist ...

: *

(Clarence Wayne Dean Memorial): * Glendora Curve: * Jack Schrade (Mission Valley Viaduct): * David M. Gonzales Memorial: * Marilyn Jorgenson Reece Memorial: * Sadao S. Munemori Memorial:

Other named features

* Downtown Slot: where

Highway 101 Highway 101 was an American country music band founded in 1986 in Los Angeles, California. The initial lineup consisted of Paulette Carlson (lead vocals), Jack Daniels (guitar), Curtis Stone (bass guitar, vocals), and Scott "Cactus" Moser (drum ...

passes through a trench in downtown Los Angeles. * South Bay Curve: where Interstate 405 bends from north–south to east–west in Torrance *

Sepulveda Pass Sepulveda Pass (elevation ) is a low mountain pass through the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles. It is named after the Sepúlveda family of California, a prominent Californio family that owned the land where the pass lies. It connects ...

: Interstate 405 just south of

near the

J. Paul Getty Museum The J. Paul Getty Museum, commonly referred to as the Getty, is an art museum in Los Angeles, California, United States, housed on two campuses: the Getty Center and Getty Villa. It is operated by the J. Paul Getty Trust, the world's wealthies ...

. *

Cahuenga Pass The Cahuenga Pass (, ; Tongva: ''Kawé’nga''), also known by its Spanish name Paseo de Cahuenga, is a low mountain pass through the eastern end of the Santa Monica Mountains in the Hollywood Hills district of the City of Los Angeles, Califor ...

: the

Hollywood Freeway The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California (the boundaries of which it does not leave) and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route through the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortc ...

just south of the interchange with the

* Figueroa Street Tunnels: the northbound lanes of the

Pasadena Freeway Pasadena ( ) is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States, northeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is the most populous city and the primary cultural center of the San Gabriel Valley. Old Pasadena is the city's original commercial d ...

between the

Four Level Interchange The Four Level Interchange (officially the Bill Keene Memorial Interchange) is the first stack interchange in the world. Completed in 1949 and fully opened in 1953 at the northern edge of Downtown Los Angeles, California, United States, it con ...

and the interchange with the

Golden State Freeway Interstate 5 (I-5) is a major north–south route of the Interstate Highway System in the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Coast between the Mexican border and the Canadian border. The segment of I-5 in California r ...

* Glendora Curve: the transition of the northbound 57

Orange Freeway Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

to the westbound 210

; or the eastbound 210 transition to the southbound 57. Formerly part of Interstate 210 before the completion of the newer section of the Foothill Freeway in 2003.

Comparisons and firsts

* First freeway in California (

linking

and

) * First

stack interchange A directional interchange, colloquially known as a stack interchange, is a type of grade-separated junction between two controlled-access highways that allows for free-flowing movement to and from all directions of traffic. These interchanges e ...

(

in downtown Los Angeles) * First grade-separated HOV lanes * First fully automated tollway system (

91 Express Lanes State Route 91 (SR 91, locally referred to as the 91) is a major east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that serves several regions of the Greater Los Angeles urban area. A freeway throughout its entire length, it offici ...

in northern Orange County) The Southern California area has fewer lane-miles per capita than most large metropolitan areas in the United States, ranking 31st of the top 39. As of 1999, Greater Los Angeles had 0.419 lane-miles per 1,000 people, only slightly more than Greater New York City and fewer than

Greater Boston Greater Boston is the metropolitan region of New England encompassing the municipality of Boston, the capital of the U.S. state of Massachusetts and the most populous city in New England, and its surrounding areas, home to 4,941,632. The most s ...

, the

Washington Metropolitan Area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

and the

San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, commonly known as the Bay Area, is a List of regions of California, region of California surrounding and including San Francisco Bay, and anchored by the cities of Oakland, San Francisco, and San Jose, California, S ...

. (American metros average .613 lane-miles per thousand.) San Diego ranked 17th in the same study, with 0.659 lane-miles per thousand, and the

Inland Empire The Inland Empire (commonly abbreviated as the IE) is a metropolitan area and region inland of and adjacent to coastal Southern California, centering around the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, and bordering Los Angeles County and Or ...

ranked 21st, with 0.626.http://www.publicpurpose.com/hwy-tti99ratio.htm
''publicpurpose.com''

Limited-access roads not maintained by the state

The following

limited-access road A limited-access road, known by various terms worldwide, including limited-access highway, partial controlled-access highway, and expressway, is a highway or arterial road for high-speed traffic which has many or most characteristics of a contro ...

s are not maintained by the state: * Colorado Street, former routing of State Route 134, from

San Fernando Road San Fernando Road is a major street in the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. Within the Burbank city limits it is signed as San Fernando Boulevard, and north of Newhall Pass it is signed as The Old Road. It was previously designat ...

just west of Glendale * Colorado Freeway, former routing of State Route 134, from Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock to the

*Harbor Scenic Drive from Interstate 710 at Ocean Boulevard to *

Jamboree Road Jamboree Road is a long major arterial road through Orange County, California, running through the cities of Newport Beach, Irvine, California, Irvine, Tustin, and Orange, California, Orange. Route description The southern terminus of Jamboree ...

, a non-tolled extension of State Route 261 from Walnut Avenue near Interstate 5 to Barranca Parkway * Oak Grove Drive in

, former routing of the

*Shoreline Drive in

, the downtown exit from southbound Interstate 710 to Queens Way *

La Cienega Boulevard La Cienega Boulevard is a major north–south arterial road in the Los Angeles metropolitan area that runs from the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood in the north to El Segundo Boulevard in Hawthorne in the south. It was named for Rancho Las ...

in the Baldwin Hills, originally intended to be part of the discontinued Laurel Canyon Freeway * Los Patrones Parkway in Las Flores, a non-tolled extension of State Route 241 from Oso Parkway to Cow Camp Road

List of freeways

Major freeways leading into and out of Southern California

south terminus at San Ysidro in

, northbound to the Central Valley and

Sacramento Sacramento ( or ; ; ) is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the seat of Sacramento County. Located at the confluence of the Sacramento and American Rivers in Northern California's Sacramento Valley, Sacramento's 2020 p ...

** John J. Montgomery Freeway from the U.S.-Mexico border crossing at San Ysidro to

downtown San Diego Downtown San Diego is the central business district of San Diego, California, the eighth largest city in the United States. It houses the major local headquarters of the city, county, state, and federal governments. The area comprises seven d ...

from downtown

to the El Toro Y **

Santa Ana Freeway The Santa Ana Freeway is one of the principal freeways in Southern California, connecting Los Angeles and its southeastern suburbs including the freeway's namesake, the city of Santa Ana. The freeway begins at its junction with the San Diego F ...

from the El Toro Y to the East L.A. Interchange **

from the East L.A. Interchange to Wheeler Ridge *

Interstate 8 Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with I-10, ...

west terminus in Ocean Beach in

, eastbound to the

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

State Line towards Yuma ** Ocean Beach Freeway from Ocean Beach to

Old Town In a city or town, the old town is its historic or original core. Although the city is usually larger in its present form, many cities have redesignated this part of the city to commemorate its origins. In some cases, newer developments on t ...

** Mission Valley Freeway, also known as the Alvarado Freeway, from

El Cajon El Cajon ( , ; Spanish: El Cajón, lit. 'the box') is a city in San Diego County, California, United States, east of downtown San Diego. The city takes its name from Rancho El Cajón, which was named for the box-like shape of the valley tha ...

Kumeyaay Highway The Kumeyaay, also known as 'Iipai-Tiipai or by the historical Spanish name Diegueño, is a tribe of Indigenous peoples of the Americas who live at the northern border of Baja California in Mexico and the southern border of California in the Uni ...

from Ocean Beach to the

Imperial County Imperial County is a county located on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 179,702, ranking as the least populous county in Southern California. The county seat and largest city is ...

Line as well as

El Centro El Centro ( Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the most populous city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the co ...

and Imperial *

west terminus in

Santa Monica Santa Monica (; Spanish language, Spanish: ''Santa Mónica'') is a city in Los Angeles County, California, Los Angeles County, situated along Santa Monica Bay on California's South Coast (California), South Coast. Santa Monica's 2020 United Sta ...

, eastbound to the

State Line towards Phoenix **

Santa Monica Freeway Interstate 10 (I-10) is a transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from Santa Monica, California, to Jacksonville, Florida. The segment of I-10 in California, also known as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway, ru ...

from

to the East L.A. Interchange **

from the East L.A. Interchange to

San Bernardino San Bernardino ( ) is a city in and the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States. Located in the Inland Empire region of Southern California, the city had a population of 222,101 in the 2020 census, making it the List of ...

south terminus in Barrio Logan in

, northbound to the

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a landlocked state in the Western United States. It borders Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. Nevada is the seventh-most extensive, th ...

State Line towards

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

** Wabash Freeway (signed as State Route 15) from Barrio Logan in San Diego to

Interstate 805 Interstate 805 (I-805) is a major north–south List of auxiliary Interstate Highways, auxiliary Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass (road), bypass auxiliary route of Interstate 5 in California, I-5, running roughly t ...

** Escondido Freeway from

to the

- Riverside County Line ** Temecula Valley Freeway from the San Diego-Riverside County Line to

Lake Elsinore Lake Elsinore is a natural freshwater lake in Riverside County, California, United States, located east of the Santa Ana Mountains and fed by the San Jacinto River. Originally named ''Laguna Grande'' by Spanish explorers, it was renamed for t ...

** Corona Freeway from Lake Elsinore to

** Ontario Freeway from Corona to the Devore neighborhood of

** Mojave Freeway, also Barstow Freeway, from Devore to the

State Line *

Interstate 40 Interstate 40 (I-40) is a major east–west transcontinental Interstate Highway System, Interstate Highway in the Southeastern United States, southeastern and Southwestern United States, southwestern portions of the United States. At a leng ...

west terminus in Barstow, eastbound to the

State Line towards Kingman ** Needles Freeway *

south terminus at the East L.A. Interchange, westbound to Santa Barbara then northbound through the Central Coast region to

Silicon Valley Silicon Valley is a region in Northern California that is a global center for high technology and innovation. Located in the southern part of the San Francisco Bay Area, it corresponds roughly to the geographical area of the Santa Clara Valley ...

and

San Francisco San Francisco, officially the City and County of San Francisco, is a commercial, Financial District, San Francisco, financial, and Culture of San Francisco, cultural center of Northern California. With a population of 827,526 residents as of ...

from the East L.A. Interchange to the

from the Four Level Interchange to the junction with the Ventura Freeway **

from the junction with the Hollywood Freeway to

Seacliff Seacliff comprises a beach, an estate and a harbour. It lies east of North Berwick, East Lothian, Scotland. History The beach and estate command a strategic position at the mouth of the Firth of Forth, and control of the area has been conte ...

State Route 14, south terminus at

, northbound to U.S. Route 395 and

Bishop A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

from Tunnel Station to Mojave

San Diego area

** John J. Montgomery Freeway from U.S.-Mexico border crossing at San Ysidro to

from

to the El Toro Y in Orange County *

** Ocean Beach Freeway from Ocean Beach to Old Town San Diego ** Mission Valley Freeway from Old Town San Diego to

** Kumeyaay Freeway from Ocean Beach to

and State Route 15 ** Escondido Freeway from Barrio Logan to Escondido * California 52

State Route 52 **

Soledad Freeway Soledad, Spanish for "solitude", often refers to María de la Soledad (Our Lady of Solitude), a title of Mary the mother of Jesus in Roman Catholic tradition and a form of devotion. Soledad may refer to: People * Chalon people or Soledad, a Nativ ...

from

La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood in San Diego, California, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. The climate is mild, with an average daily temperature o ...

to Santee * California 54

State Route 54 ** South Bay Freeway from National City to Jamacha Road exit * California 56

State Route 56 ** Ted Williams Freeway from Carmel Valley to Sabre Springs * California 67

State Route 67 ** San Vicente Freeway from

to Lakeside * California 75

State Route 75 ** San Diego-Coronado Bay Bridge * California 78

State Route 78 ** Ronald Packard Parkway from

Oceanside Oceanside may refer to: Places United States *Oceanside, California ** Oceanside Transit Center *Oceanside, New York Oceanside is a Hamlet (New York), hamlet and census-designated place (CDP) located in the southern part of the town of Hempst ...

to Escondido * California 94

State Route 94 ** Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway from downtown San Diego to Spring Valley * California 125

State Route 125 ** South Bay Expressway from Otay Mesa to Jamacha Road exit ** Ramona Freeway from Jamacha Road exit to Santee * California 163

State Route 163 ** Cabrillo Freeway from downtown San Diego to

Kearny Mesa Kearny Mesa is a community in the central part of San Diego, California. It is bounded by State Route 52 to the north, Interstate 805 to the west, Aero Drive to the south, and Interstate 15 to the east. Adjacent communities include Serra Mesa, ...

Jacob Dekema Freeway Jacob, later known as Israel, is a Hebrew patriarch of the Abrahamic religions. He first appears in the Torah, where he is described in the Book of Genesis as a son of Isaac and Rebecca. Accordingly, alongside his older fraternal twin brother E ...

, also known as the Inland Freeway from San Ysidro to "The Merge" at Sorrento Valley * California 905

State Route 905 ** Otay Mesa Freeway from San Ysidro to the Otay Mesa border crossing

Controlled access routes not maintained by the state

* Kearny Villa Road near

Marine Corps Air Station Miramar Marine Corps Air Station Miramar (MCAS Miramar) is a United States Marine Corps installation that is home to the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, which is the aviation element of the I Marine Expeditionary Force. It is located in Miramar, a commu ...

, former routing of U.S. Route 395 * Pacific Highway near

San Diego International Airport San Diego International Airport is the primary international airport serving San Diego and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. The airport is located northwest of downtown San Diego. It is the busiest single- ...

(

Lindbergh Field San Diego International Airport is the primary international airport serving San Diego and its surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. The airport is located northwest of downtown San Diego. It is the busiest single-r ...

), former routing of

* Friars Road in

Mission Valley Mission Valley is a wide river valley trending east–west in San Diego, California, United States, through which the San Diego River flows to the Pacific Ocean. For planning purposes the City of San Diego divides it into two neighborhoods: Mi ...

near the site of the former

San Diego Stadium San Diego Stadium was a multi-purpose stadium in San Diego, California, United States. Opened in 1967 as San Diego Stadium; it was renamed Jack Murphy Stadium for sportswriter Jack Murphy (sportswriter), Jack Murphy from 1981 to 1997. From 1997 t ...

Inland Empire Metropolitan Area

(Includes San Bernardino and Riverside Counties) *

from the East L.A. Interchange to

** Temecula Valley Freeway from

San Diego County San Diego County (), officially the County of San Diego, is a county in the southwest corner of the U.S. state of California, north to its border with Mexico. As of the 2020 census, the population was 3,298,634; it is the second-most populous ...

line to

. ** Corona Freeway from Lake Elsinore to

** Ontario Freeway from

** Mojave Freeway from

to the

State Line *

** Needles Freeway from Barstow to the

State Line * California 60

State Route 60 **

from the East L.A. Interchange to Riverside **

Moreno Valley Freeway Moreno may refer to: Places Argentina * Moreno (Buenos Aires Metro), a station on Line C of the Buenos Aires Metro *Moreno, Buenos Aires Moreno is a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the head town of Moreno Partido. It forms par ...

from Riverside to the junction with

State Route 71 ** Chino Valley Freeway from just north of State Route 91 to State Route 57 * California 91

State Route 91 ** Riverside Freeway from Fullerton at

to Riverside * Interstate 210 and State Route 210 **

from

Sylmar Sylmar is a suburban neighborhood in the San Fernando Valley and the northernmost neighborhood within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. Historically known for its profusion of sylvan olive orchards, Sylmar can trace its past t ...

to Redlands * Interstate 215 ** Escondido Freeway from

Murrieta Murrieta is a city in southwestern Riverside County, California, United States. The population of Murrieta was 110,949 as of the 2020 census. Murrieta experienced a 133.7% population increase between 2000 and 2010, making it one of the fastest ...

to Riverside ** Riverside Freeway from Riverside to

** Barstow Freeway from

to the northern junction with

Greater Los Angeles

(includes Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, Ventura Counties) * California 1

State Route 1 **freeway stub in Dana Point, leading north from

from Pacific Coast Highway in

**freeway stub east of

Oxnard Oxnard () is a city in Ventura County in the U.S. state of California, United States. On California's Central Coast (California), Central Coast, it is the most populous city in Ventura County and the List of largest California cities by populati ...

State Route 2 **

Glendale Freeway State Route 2 (SR 2) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It connects the Los Angeles Basin with the San Gabriel Mountains and the Victor Valley in the Mojave Desert. The highway's southwestern end is at the intersection of C ...

from Silver Lake to junction with State Route 134 in Glendale ** Frank D. Lanterman Freeway from junction with State Route 134 to La Cañada-Flintridge *

from

to the El Toro Y **

from the El Toro Y to the East L.A. Interchange **

from the East L.A. Interchange to Wheeler Ridge in

Kern County Kern County is a county (United States), county located in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, the population was 909,235. Its county seat is Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield. Kern County compris ...

from

to the East L.A. Interchange **

from the East L.A. Interchange to

State Route 14 **

from Tunnel Station to Mojave in

Sierra Highway Sierra Highway or El Camino Sierra is a historic route in California, United States, that connects Los Angeles with the Eastern Sierra and Lake Tahoe. The trail formed in the 19th century before it was rebuilt as highways in the early 20th centu ...

(old Rte 14) from Newhall Avenue (formally SR 126/San Fernando Road) to Rainbow Glen Drive. This section is still maintained by Caltrans and is signed as 14U – Unrelinquished. *

** Temecula Valley Freeway from

line to

. ** Corona Freeway from Lake Elsinore to

** Ontario Freeway from

** Mojave Freeway from

to the

State Line * California 22

State Route 22 **7th Street freeway stub from

to Seal Beach at the Interstate 405 and

Interstate 605 Interstate 605 (abbreviated I-605, officially known as the San Gabriel River Freeway and locally referred to as The 605) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Greater Los Angeles urban area of Southern California. I ...

interchange **

Garden Grove Freeway A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate both ...

from

Westminster Westminster is the main settlement of the City of Westminster in Central London, Central London, England. It extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street and has many famous landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Buckingham Palace, ...

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower ** Orange juice *Orange (colour), the color of an orange fruit, occurs between red and yellow in the vi ...

State Route 23 ** Moorpark Freeway from

Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks is the second-largest city in Ventura County, California, located in the northwestern part of Greater Los Angeles. Approximately from the city of Los Angeles and from Downtown Los Angeles, it is named after the many oak trees pr ...

Moorpark Moorpark is a city in Ventura County in Southern California. Moorpark was founded in 1900. The town grew from just over 4,000 citizens in 1980 to over 25,000 by 1990. In 2006, Moorpark was one of the fastest-growing cities in Ventura County. Th ...

State Route 33 ** Ojai Freeway from Ventura to

Foster Park Foster may refer to: People * Foster (surname) * Foster Brooks (1912–2001), American actor * Foster Moreau (born 1997), American football player * Foster Sarell (born 1998), American football player * John Foster Dulles (1888–1959), American ...

** Needles Freeway from Barstow to the

State Line * California 47

State Route 47 **

Vincent Thomas Bridge The Vincent Thomas Bridge is a suspension bridge, crossing Los Angeles Harbor in Los Angeles, California, linking San Pedro with Terminal Island. It is the only suspension bridge in the Greater Los Angeles area. The bridge is part of State ...

connecting San Pedro to

Terminal Island Terminal Island, historically known as , is a largely artificial island located in Los Angeles County, California, between the neighborhoods of Wilmington, Los Angeles, Wilmington and San Pedro, Los Angeles, San Pedro in the city of Los Angeles ...

** Terminal Island Freeway from Seaside Avenue to Henry Ford Avenue exit (splitting off from State Route 103) * California 55

State Route 55 ** Newport Boulevard freeway stub north from State Route 1 in

, formerly

Newport Freeway Newport most commonly refers to: *Newport, Wales *Newport, Rhode Island, US Newport or New Port may also refer to: Places Asia *Newport City, Metro Manila, a Philippine district in Pasay * Newport (Vietnam), a United States Army and Army of t ...

from

Anaheim Anaheim ( ) is a city in northern Orange County, California, United States, part of the Greater Los Angeles area. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 346,824, making it the most populous city in Orange County, the tenth-most ...

State Route 57 **

from the

Orange Crush interchange The Orange Crush interchange, frequently called The Crush, is a freeway interchange in the cities of Orange, California, Orange and Santa Ana, California, near the city limits of the cities of Anaheim, California, Anaheim, and Garden Grove, Cali ...

to Glendora * California 58

State Route 58 **freeway stub from Keene to Mojave in

**freeway stub from North Edwards to Kramer Junction **freeway stub from Hinkley to Barstow * California 60

State Route 60 **

from the East L.A. Interchange to Riverside **

from Riverside to the junction with

State Route 71 ** Chino Valley Freeway from just north of State Route 91 to State Route 57 **freeway stub from the

Kellogg Interchange The Kellogg Interchange complex is a freeway interchange in Southern California, connecting the San Bernardino Freeway, San Bernardino (Interstate 10 in California, Interstate 10), Orange Freeway, Orange (California State Route 57, State ...

leading to the Corona Expressway * California 73

State Route 73 ** Corona del Mar Freeway from

** San Joaquin Hills Transportation Corridor from

Laguna Niguel Laguna Niguel () is a city in Orange County, California, United States. The name Laguna Niguel is derived from the words "Laguna" (Spanish for "lagoon") and "Niguili" (the name of a Native American village once located near Aliso Creek). It al ...

State Route 90 **

Marina Freeway A marina (from Spanish , Portuguese and Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or ...

freeway stub east and west of the Interstate 405 near

Marina del Rey Marina del Rey ( Spanish for "Marina of the King") is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, United States. The eponymous harbor is a major boating and water recreation destination of the Greater Los Angeles ar ...

** Richard M. Nixon Parkway freeway stub west from State Route 91 in

Yorba Linda Yorba Linda is a suburban city in northeastern Orange County, California, United States, approximately southeast of downtown Los Angeles. It is part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area, and had a population of 68,336 at the 2020 census. Yorb ...

State Route 91 **

Gardena Freeway State Route 91 (SR 91, locally referred to as the 91) is a major east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that serves several regions of the Greater Los Angeles urban area. A freeway throughout its entire length, it offici ...

from Interstate 110 in Gardena to

Artesia Freeway State Route 91 (SR 91, locally referred to as the 91) is a major east–west state highway in the U.S. state of California that serves several regions of the Greater Los Angeles urban area. A freeway throughout its entire length, it offici ...

from

to Fullerton at

** Riverside Freeway from Fullerton at

to Riverside *

from the East L.A. Interchange to the

from the

to the junction with State Route 134 and State Route 170 **

from the junction with State Route 134 and State Route 170 to

just west of Ventura * California 103

State Route 103 ** Terminal Island Freeway co-signed from Seaside Avenue with State Route 47 to Sepulveda Boulevard/Willow Street in

* Interstate 105 ** Glenn Anderson Freeway, more commonly known as the

Century Freeway A century is a period of 100 years or 10 decades. Centuries are numbered ordinally in English and many other languages. The word ''century'' comes from the Latin ''centum'', meaning ''one hundred''. ''Century'' is sometimes abbreviated as c. A ...

from El Segundo to Norwalk * Interstate 110 **

Harbor Freeway Route 110, consisting of State Route 110 (SR 110) and Interstate 110 (I-110), is a state and auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Los Angeles metropolitan area of the US state of California. The entire route connects San Pe ...

from San Pedro to Downtown L.A. at the interchange with the

State Route 110 **

from the interchange with the

to the

from the

State Route 118 ** Ronald Reagan Freeway, also known as the Simi Valley-San Fernando Valley Freeway, or more simply, the

Simi Valley Freeway Simi may refer to: Places Greece * Symi, also transliterated as Simi, a Greek island * California, United States * Rancho Simi, a 1795 Spanish land grant * Simi Valley * Simi Hills, a mountain range ** Simi Peak * Arroyo Simi, sometimes called ...

from

San Fernando San Fernando may refer to: People *Ferdinand III of Castile (c. 1200–1252), called ''San Fernando'' (Spanish) or ''Saint Ferdinand'', King of Castile, León, and Galicia Places Argentina *San Fernando de la Buena Vista, city of Greater Buenos ...

State Route 133 ** Laguna Freeway from just south of Interstate 405 to

** Eastern Transportation Corridor from

to State Route 241 * California 134

State Route 134 **

from

North Hollywood North Hollywood is a neighborhood and district in the San Fernando Valley of Los Angeles, California. The neighborhood contains the NoHo Arts District, El Portal Theater, several art galleries, and the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Th ...

at the junction with the

State Route 138 ** Lancaster Freeway freeway stub east from

near Gorman * California 170

State Route 170 **

from the interchange with the

to the

* Interstate 210 and State Route 210 **

from Tunnel Station to Redlands * Interstate 215 ** Escondido Freeway from

to Riverside ** Riverside Freeway from Riverside to

** Barstow Freeway from

to the northern junction with

State Route 241 ** Foothill Transportation Corridor from Oso Parkway to the Eastern Transportation Corridor ** Eastern Transportation Corridor from the Foothill Transportation Corridor to the Riverside Freeway * California 261

State Route 261 ** Eastern Transportation Corridor from Jamboree Road near the

to State Route 241 * Interstate 405 **

from the El Toro Y to

** San Gabriel River Freeway from Seal Beach to Duarte *

** Long Beach Freeway from

Alhambra The Alhambra (, ; ) is a palace and fortress complex located in Granada, Spain. It is one of the most famous monuments of Islamic architecture and one of the best-preserved palaces of the historic Muslim world, Islamic world. Additionally, the ...

**freeway stub south from the

References

External links

The History of Southern California Freeway DevelopmentSouthern California Area Highways PageCalifornia Department of Transportation
Live Streaming Traffic Cams
California Highway Patrol
Los Angeles Traffic Incident Information Page
Sigalert
Los Angeles Traffic Report
California Department of Transportation
Named Freeways (

PDF Portable document format (PDF), standardized as ISO 32000, is a file format developed by Adobe Inc., Adobe in 1992 to present documents, including text formatting and images, in a manner independent of application software, computer hardware, ...

file) *{{usurped,

} Southern California Trucking Accidents
California Institute for Telecommunications
Wireless Traffic Reports for Southern Cal
The Urban Mobility Report 2007, Texas Transportation InstituteShould I buy a home near the freeway? (from SCPCS)
Southern California freeways, Lists of roads in California

History

Origins

Planning and construction

Proposed/future freeways

Naming

Freeway names

Named interchanges

Other named features

Comparisons and firsts

Limited-access roads not maintained by the state

List of freeways

Major freeways leading into and out of Southern California

San Diego area

Controlled access routes not maintained by the state

Inland Empire Metropolitan Area

Greater Los Angeles

See also

References

Further reading

External links