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Interstate 10 (I-10) is a transcontinental
Interstate Highway The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
in the United States, stretching from
Santa Monica, California 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 ...
, to
Jacksonville, Florida Jacksonville ( ) is the most populous city proper in the U.S. state of Florida, located on the Atlantic coast of North Florida, northeastern Florida. It is the county seat of Duval County, Florida, Duval County, with which the City of Jacksonv ...
. The segment of I-10 in California, also known as the Pearl Harbor Memorial Highway, runs east from Santa Monica through
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, ...
,
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 ...
, and
Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...
before crossing into the state of
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 ...
. In the
Greater Los Angeles 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 eas ...
area, it is known as the Santa Monica and San Bernardino freeways, linked by a short concurrency on I-5 (Golden State Freeway) at the East Los Angeles Interchange. I-10 also has parts designated as the Rosa Parks and Sonny Bono Memorial freeways. Some parts were also formerly designated as the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway. However, the
California State Legislature The California State Legislature is the bicameral state legislature of the U.S. state of California, consisting of the California State Assembly (lower house with 80 members) and the California State Senate (upper house with 40 members). ...
removed this designation following the passage of a bill on August 31, 2022. I-10 is also known colloquially as "the 10" to
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 ...
residents . The entirety of Interstate 10 in California is defined in the California ''Streets and Highways Code'' as Route 10.


Route description

The California ''Streets and Highways Code'' defines Route 10 (I-10) from:
(a) Route 1 State Route 1 (SR 1)">California_State_Route_1.html" ;"title="nowiki/>California State Route 1">State Route 1 (SR 1)in Santa Monica, California">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 ...
to Route 5 [I-5] near Seventh Street in Los Angeles.
(b) Route 101 [U.S. Route 101 in California, US Route 101 (US 101)] near Mission Road in Los Angeles to the Arizona state line at the
Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...
via the vicinity of Monterey Park, Pomona, Colton,
Indio Indio may refer to: Places * Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England * Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States People with the name * Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson * Índi ...
, and Chiriaco Summit and via Blythe. Because I-10 west of I-5 cannot access US 101, and I-10 east of I-5 cannot access US 101 southbound, signage instead directs motorists to the continuation of I-10 via I-5 between the East Los Angeles Interchange and the Santa Monica Freeway. The
Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
(FHWA)'s Interstate Highway route logs, along with most maps, also indicate that I-10 is cosigned along this segment, despite the legal definition. The short unsigned section of Route 10 between Route 5 and Route 101, which was formerly defined as Route 110 (signed as I-110) until 1968, carries overhead signage for I-10 eastbound and for US 101 westbound. I-10 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the FHWA. I-10 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System, but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by Caltrans. The Santa Monica Freeway is I-10 from SR 1 to I-5, as named by the State Highway Commission on April 25, 1957. The section between the
Harbor A harbor (American English), or harbour (Commonwealth English; see spelling differences), is a sheltered body of water where ships, boats, and barges can be moored. The term ''harbor'' is often used interchangeably with ''port'', which is ...
(I-110) and
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 ...
(I-405) freeways is also signed as the Rosa Parks Freeway, after the African-American civil rights activist. The I-10 freeway is signed as the Christopher Columbus Transcontinental Highway in Santa Monica. The removal of this designation, however, may result in the eventual removal of this signage.


Santa Monica Freeway

The Santa Monica Freeway is the westernmost segment of I-10, beginning at the east end of the McClure Tunnel 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 ...
and ending southeast of
Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
at the East Los Angeles Interchange. I-10 begins its eastward journey in the city of Santa Monica after SR 1 turns east through the McClure Tunnel. Note that the McClure Tunnel is part of SR 1 in its entirety, and the western terminus of I-10 is to the east of the tunnel at 4th Street. SR 1 then exits onto Lincoln Boulevard and heads south while I-10 continues east. Soon after it enters the city of Los Angeles, I-10 has a four-level interchange with I-405. I-10 then continues through Sawtelle, Rancho Park,
Cheviot Hills The Cheviot Hills (), or sometimes The Cheviots, are a range of uplands straddling the Anglo-Scottish border between Northumberland and the Scottish Borders. The English section is within the Northumberland National Park. The range includes ...
, Beverlywood, and Crestview in
West Los Angeles West Los Angeles is an area within the city of Los Angeles, California, United States. The residential and commercial neighborhood is divided by the Interstate 405 freeway, and each side is sometimes treated as a distinct neighborhood, mapped ...
; Lafayette Square and
Wellington Square Wellington Square may refer to: * Wellington Square, North Adelaide, South Australia * Wellington Square, Perth, in Western Australia * A neighbourhood in Burlington, Ontario, Canada * A square in Kolkata, India, renamed Subodh Chandra Mallik Squar ...
in Mid City; and Arlington Heights, West Adams, and Jefferson Park into Downtown Los Angeles. On the western edge of downtown at the Dosan Ahn Chang Ho Memorial Interchange, I-10 has an interchange with I-110 to the south and SR 110 to the north. I-10 then travels along the southern edge of downtown to the East Los Angeles Interchange. At the East Los Angeles Interchange, SR 60 diverges east toward Riverside and Pomona. I-10 then turns north, running concurrently with I-5 for approximately . Then, I-10 heads east and merges with the traffic from the spur to US 101 onto the San Bernardino Freeway. The freeway is 14 lanes wide (two local and five express lanes in each direction) from the Harbor Freeway ( I-110) interchange to the Arlington Avenue offramp. Most of these lanes are full at peak travel times (even on Saturdays). The remainder of the freeway varies between eight and 10 lanes in width. The whole freeway opened in 1965 with four to six lanes, with a formal dedication held in 1966. While the construction of 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 ...
several miles to the south reduced
traffic congestion Traffic congestion is a condition in transport that is characterized by slower speeds, longer trip times, and increased vehicular queueing. Traffic congestion on urban road networks has increased substantially since the 1950s, resulting in m ...
to a considerable amount by creating an alternate route from downtown to
Los Angeles International Airport Los Angeles International Airport is the primary international airport serving Los Angeles and its Greater Los Angeles, surrounding metropolitan area, in the U.S. state of California. LAX is located in the Westchester, Los Angeles, Westcheste ...
, the Santa Monica Freeway is still one of the busiest freeways in the world. All three freeway-to-freeway interchanges along its length are notorious for their congestion and are routinely ranked among the top 10 most congested spots in the US. Due to the high traffic volume,
car accident A traffic collision, also known as a motor vehicle collision, or car crash, occurs when a vehicle collides with another vehicle, pedestrian, animal, road debris, or other moving or stationary obstruction, such as a tree, pole or building. T ...
s are so common that Caltrans has constructed special accident investigation sites separated from the freeway by fences. These enable the
California Highway Patrol The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the principal state police agency for the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary jurisdiction, including patrol and Criminal investigation, investigations, over all California Controlled-access highw ...
to quickly clear accidents from the through traffic lanes, and the fences reduce congestion by preventing rubbernecking (in which vehicles slow down so their occupants can watch the accident investigation). The Santa Monica Freeway is considered the border between
Downtown ''Downtown'' is a term primarily used in American and Canadian English to refer to a city's sometimes commercial, cultural and often the historical, political, and geographic heart. It is often synonymous with its central business district ( ...
and
South South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both west and east. Etymology The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
Los Angeles. Part of the freeway also skims the Byzantine-Latino Quarter.


San Bernardino Freeway

I-10 heads east from the East Los Angeles Interchange to I-710 in Monterey Park. It then continues through the
San Gabriel Valley The San Gabriel Valley (), sometimes referred to by its initials as SGV, is one of the principal valleys of Southern California, with the city of Los Angeles directly bordering it to the west and occupying the vast majority of the southeastern ...
suburbs of
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 ...
, Rosemead, San Gabriel, El Monte, and Baldwin Park before intersecting with I-605. It then travels through West Covina, briefly enters
Covina Covina (Help:IPA/English, /koviːnə/) is a city in the San Gabriel Valley region of Los Angeles County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles The population was 51,268 according to the 2020 United States census, 2020 ...
, and then travels up the Kellogg Hill into San Dimas, where I-10 intersects with SR 57 (formerly part of I-210) and SR 71 at 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 ...
. I-10 then heads east through Pomona and Claremont, leaving Los Angeles County to enter
San Bernardino County San Bernardino County ( ), officially the County of San Bernardino and sometimes abbreviated as S.B. County, is a county located in the southern portion of the U.S. state of California, and is located within the Inland Empire area. As of th ...
. In San Bernardino County, I-10 travels through Montclair, Upland, and
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
, providing access to
Ontario International Airport Ontario International Airport is an international airport east of downtown Ontario, California, Ontario, in San Bernardino County, California, United States, about east of downtown Los Angeles and west of downtown San Bernardino. It is ow ...
. I-10 then has a four-level interchange with I-15 before traveling through Fontana, Rialto, and Colton. I-10 then intersects with I-215, where the San Bernardino Freeway ends, before briefly entering
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 ...
city proper and traveling through Loma Linda and Redlands. In Redlands, I-10 intersects with the SR 210 freeway (future I-210) and with SR 38 before entering Yucaipa and eventually Riverside County. In 2019, SBCTA planned to add two more interchanges in Fontana at Beech and Alder Avenues to reduce congestion at the Sierra and Cherry avenue exits.


Riverside County

In Riverside County, I-10 goes through Calimesa before entering Beaumont and merging with the eastern end of SR 60 (itself formerly the California segment of US 60). In Banning, I-10 has a diamond intersection with SR 243 before passing through
San Gorgonio Pass The San Gorgonio Pass, or Banning Pass, is a elevation Gap (landform), gap on the rim of the Great Basin between the San Bernardino Mountains to the north and the San Jacinto Mountains to the south. The pass was formed by the San Andreas Faul ...
between the
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 ...
and San Jacinto mountains (where the vegetation makes a rapid change between Mediterranean and desert ecology) and entering
Palm Springs Palm Springs (Cahuilla language, Cahuilla: ''Séc-he'') is a desert resort city in Riverside County, California, United States, within the Colorado Desert's Coachella Valley. The city covers approximately , making it the largest city in Rivers ...
. The next of the freeway, between SR 111 and Dillon Road, was named the Sonny Bono Memorial Freeway in 2002. Although I-10 intersects with the northern terminus of SR 111, the major artery to Palm Springs, it mostly bypasses the city, then connects to SR 62, a major east–west route through the
Colorado Desert The Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert located in California, United States, and Baja California, Mexico. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella, Imperial and Mexicali valleys. It is home to ...
. I-10 cuts through
Cathedral City City status in the United Kingdom is granted by the the Crown, monarch of the United Kingdom to specific centres of population, which might or might not meet the generally accepted definition of city, cities. , there are List of cities in the Un ...
and passes just outside the northern city limits of
Rancho Mirage Rancho Mirage is a city in Riverside County, California, United States. The city is a low-density desert community with resorts, golf courses, and country clubs within the Colorado Desert section of the Sonoran Desert. Nestled along the foothills ...
, Palm Desert, and La Quinta before entering
Indio Indio may refer to: Places * Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England * Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States People with the name * Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson * Índi ...
. I-10 then has an interchange in
Coachella Coachella (officially called the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival and sometimes known as Coachella Festival) is an annual music festival, music and arts festival held at the Empire Polo Club in Indio, California, in the Coachella Valle ...
with the northern end of the SR 86 expressway, which also leads to SR 111. Several miles east and roughly halfway between Indio and Blythe, in the community of Desert Center, I-10 intersects with SR 177, a turnoff that leads to Desert Center Airport and connects to SR 62. south of I-10 at the
Wiley's Well Wiley's Well is a natural artesian well in the Colorado Desert of Southern California as well as the name of the surrounding region. It is west of Blythe, California, in Riverside County. It is named after Palo Verde storekeeper and postmaster ...
exit, between Desert Center and Blythe, are the Chuckawalla Valley and
Ironwood Ironwood is a common name for many woods that have a reputation for hardness, or specifically a wood density that is denser than water (approximately 1000 kg/m3, or 62 pounds per cubic foot), although usage of the name ironwood in English ma ...
state prisons. Near the Arizona state line, I-10 meets the terminus of SR 78. In the city of Blythe, I-10 runs concurrently with US 95 as both routes cross the
Colorado River The Colorado River () is one of the principal rivers (along with the Rio Grande) in the Southwestern United States and in northern Mexico. The river, the List of longest rivers of the United States (by main stem), 5th longest in the United St ...
into
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 ...
. The speed limit on the entire Riverside County segment of I-10 is . I-10 westbound is usually signed as toward San Bernardino and/or Los Angeles in the
Colorado Desert The Colorado Desert is a part of the larger Sonoran Desert located in California, United States, and Baja California, Mexico. It encompasses approximately , including the heavily irrigated Coachella, Imperial and Mexicali valleys. It is home to ...
. Eastbound, in the San Gorgonio Pass, the signage indicates "Indio, Other Desert Cities" and indicates "Blythe" after Indio; the first sign for Phoenix does not occur until Indio.


Express lanes

There are two sections of
high-occupancy toll A high-occupancy toll lane (HOT lane) is a type of traffic lane or roadway that is available to high-occupancy vehicles and other exempt vehicles without charge; other vehicles are required to pay a road pricing, variable fee that is adjusted in ...
(HOT) lanes along I-10, one in Los Angeles County and the other in San Bernardino County. In Los Angeles County, the El Monte Busway is a grade-separated, shared-use HOT and
express bus Public transport bus services are generally based on regular operation of transit buses along a route calling at agreed bus stops according to a published public transport timetable. History of buses Origins While there are indications o ...
corridor running along the San Bernardino Freeway between Alameda Street near
Union Station A union station, union terminal, joint station, or joint-use station is a railway station at which the tracks and facilities are shared by two or more separate railway company, railway companies, allowing passengers to connect conveniently bet ...
in
Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
and a point west of I-605 in El Monte. From Alameda Street to I-710, the El Monte Busway runs parallel to the north side of the freeway. After the I-710 interchange, these lanes merge back to the
median The median of a set of numbers is the value separating the higher half from the lower half of a Sample (statistics), data sample, a statistical population, population, or a probability distribution. For a data set, it may be thought of as the “ ...
of I-10. Eastbound busses exit at El Monte Station in El Monte before the HOT lanes for other vehicles end west of I-605. The entire bus route of the El Monte Busway between Alameda Street and El Monte Station's bus entrance at Santa Anita Avenue carries the hidden state designation of Route 10S (for "supplemental"). The segment of HOT lanes in San Bernardino County opened in 2024, and runs between Monte Vista Avenue and Etiwanda Avenue at the
Ontario Ontario is the southernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Located in Central Canada, Ontario is the Population of Canada by province and territory, country's most populous province. As of the 2021 Canadian census, it ...
– Fontana city limit. , some toll polices differ between the counties. The HOT lanes in Los Angeles County are part of the Metro ExpressLanes project administered by the
Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority The Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority (LACMTA), branded as Metro, is the county agency that plans, operates, and coordinates funding for most of the Transportation in Los Angeles, public transportation system in Los Ang ...
(LA Metro). The ones in San Bernardino County, branded as the San Bernardino Express Lanes, are operated by the
San Bernardino County Transportation Authority The San Bernardino County Transportation Authority (SBCTA) is the successor to San Bernardino Associated Governments (SANBAG). They are responsible for administering the Measure I half-cent tax which voters in San Bernardino County, California, ...
(SBCTA) and use Transportation Corridor Agencies (TCA) as the processing partner. In both segments, solo drivers are tolled using a
congestion pricing Congestion pricing or congestion charges is a system of surcharging users of public goods that are subject to congestion through excess demand, such as through higher peak charges for use of bus services, electricity, metros, railways, tel ...
system based on the real-time levels of traffic. Carpools with three or more people and motorcycles are not charged. For two-person carpools using the Los Angeles County segment, they are charged the posted toll during the peak hours between 5:00 am and 9:00 am, and between 4:00 pm and 7:00 pm; no toll is charged during off-peak hours. Two-person carpools using the San Bernardino County segment do not receive any discount. All tolls are collected using an
open road tolling Open road tolling (ORT), also called all-electronic tolling, cashless tolling, or free-flow tolling, is the collection of tolls on toll roads without the use of tollbooths. An electronic toll collection system is usually used instead. The major ...
system, and therefore there are no toll booths to receive cash. Each vehicle using the HOT lanes is required to carry a FasTrak ''Flex'' transponder with its switch set to indicate the number of the vehicle's occupants (1, 2, or 3+). Those with clean air vehicles need to apply to get discounts (15 percent in Los Angeles County and 10 percent in San Bernardino County). Solo drivers may also use the FasTrak standard tag without the switch. Drivers without any FasTrak tag will be assessed a toll violation regardless of whether they qualified for free. For those violators on the San Bernardino County segment, they will get TCA's benefit of being able to pay online 5 days after their trip without an additional toll violation penalty. There are longer-term plans to have a continuous HOT lanes network between Alameda Street in Downtown Los Angeles and Ford Street in Redlands. This expansion is planned in four phases. , the proposed segment in Los Angeles County to convert the new HOV lanes to HOT lanes and bridge the gap between I-605 and Monte Vista Avenue is under environmental review, the section from Etiwanda Avenue to Pepper Avenue in Colton is planned to break ground in 2025, and the segment from Pepper Avenue to Ford Street in Redlands is still in the planning stage.


History

What is now I-10 east of Los Angeles was generally part of the Atlantic and Pacific Highway, one of many transcontinental
national auto trail The system of auto trails was an informal network of marked routes that existed in the United States and Canada in the early part of the 20th century. Marked with colored bands on utility poles, the trails were intended to help travellers in t ...
s. By 1926, when the US Numbered Highways were assigned, the road across the desert east of
Indio Indio may refer to: Places * Indio, Bovey Tracey, an historic estate in Devon, England * Indio, California, a city in Riverside County, California, United States People with the name * Indio (musician), Canadian musician Gordon Peterson * Índi ...
was unimproved, while the road from Indio west 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 ...
(as well as various roads west to
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, ...
) was paved. In late 1926, US 99 was designated along the section of road from San Bernardino to Indio, where it turned south along present SR 86 on the west side of the
Salton Sea The Salton Sea is a shallow, landlocked, highly salinity, saline endorheic lake in Riverside County, California, Riverside and Imperial County, California, Imperial counties in Southern California. It lies on the San Andreas Fault within the S ...
. West of San Bernardino, US 99 ran to Los Angeles, concurrent with US 66 (via
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 ...
) before turning north; this route to Los Angeles is north of the later alignment of I-10. The piece of this between San Bernardino and Indio was defined in 1915 as Legislative Route 26 (LR 26). (It continued south from Indio via El Centro to Heber. A 1931 extension took it south to Calexico on present SR 111.) The route from Indio via
Mecca Mecca, officially Makkah al-Mukarramah, is the capital of Mecca Province in the Hejaz region of western Saudi Arabia; it is the Holiest sites in Islam, holiest city in Islam. It is inland from Jeddah on the Red Sea, in a narrow valley above ...
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 near Blythe was defined in 1919 as pre-1964 LR 64. (Later extensions took LR 64 west along present SR 74; a 1931 cutoff bypassed Mecca to the north.) LR 26 was extended west from San Bernardino to Los Angeles in 1931, running along an alignment south of the existing US 66/US 99. Neither of these was a signed route until around 1932, when US 60 was extended west from Arizona to Los Angeles, running along LR 64 to Indio, LR 26 (with US 99) to Beaumont, pre-1964 LR 19 to Pomona, and LR 26 to Los Angeles. (The original alignment of LR 26 ran roughly where SR 60 now is west of Pomona, but an alignment close to present I-10 opened around 1934). Thus, in 1931, what is now I-10 east of Los Angeles had been defined as LR 26 from Los Angeles to Indio and LR 64 from Indio to Arizona. It was signed as US 99 from San Bernardino to Indio, and US 60 came along around 1932 from Los Angeles to Pomona and from Beaumont to Arizona. US 70 was extended west from Arizona along the whole route to Los Angeles, and, between 1933 and 1942, US 99 moved from US 66 to present I-10 between San Bernardino and Los Angeles, forming a three-way concurrency between Pomona and Los Angeles. Old alignments and names include Valley Boulevard, Ramona Boulevard, and Garvey Avenue. I-10 holds the distinction of being the first freeway in Los Angeles. A section of today's freeway was built between 1933 and 1935 at a cost of $877,000 (equivalent to $ in ). The "Ramona Boulevard" highway linked downtown Los Angeles to the communities of the southern San Gabriel Valley. The roadway, which opened on April 20, 1935, was dubbed the "Air Line route" and was seen as a major achievement in traffic design. The route east from Los Angeles was added to the
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
on August 7, 1957. It was assigned the I-10 number on August 14, 1957, and the short piece west of I-5 was approved as I-110 on November 10, 1958. By then, most if not all of the San Bernardino Freeway had been completed, and I-10 was signed along the existing
freeway 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 ...
along with US 70, US 99, and part of US 60. US 70 and US 99 were removed in the 1964 renumbering, while US 60 was removed in 1972, leaving only I-10. The part west of Downtown Los Angeles was pre-1964 LR 173, defined in 1933 from
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 ...
to Downtown Los Angeles. It was signed as SR 26 by 1942, running primarily Olympic Boulevard. It was later replaced by the Santa Monica Freeway and added to the Interstate Highway System on September 15, 1955. It too was assigned the I-10 number on August 14, 1957. It was completed and became I-10 in the 1964 renumbering. Portions of the Santa Monica Freeway going over La Cienega Boulevard collapsed after the
Northridge earthquake The 1994 Northridge earthquake affected Greater Los Angeles, California, on January 17, 1994, at 04:30:55 PST. The epicenter of the moment 6.7 () blind thrust earthquake was beneath the San Fernando Valley. Lasting approximately 8 seconds a ...
on January 17, 1994, and were rebuilt using new seismic-resistant bridge designs. The El Monte Busway was converted to HOT lanes in 2013 as part of the Metro ExpressLanes project. On July 19, 2015, a bridge carrying the eastbound lanes of I-10 near Desert Center collapsed from floodwater from the remnants of Hurricane Dolores, trapping a vehicle. Shortly after midnight of November 11, 2023, a mile-long () segment of the freeway in Downtown Los Angeles between
Alameda Street Alameda Street is a major north-south thoroughfare in Los Angeles County, California. It is approximately 21 miles in length, running from Harry Bridges Boulevard in Wilmington; and through Carson, Compton, Lynwood, Watts, Florence-Graham, ...
and Santa Fe Avenue suffered significant damage due to a fire at a
pallet A pallet (also called a skid) is a flat transport structure, which supports goods in a stable fashion while being lifted by a forklift, a pallet jack, a Loader (equipment), front loader, a Jack (mechanical), jacking device, or an erect cra ...
yard underneath the freeway. The fire melted the freeway's guardrails and damaged the supporting concrete columns. The ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' reported a couple of days later that "sanitizer accumulated during the height of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
was stored under the overpass and helped fuel the flames". Governor
Gavin Newsom Gavin Christopher Newsom ( ; born October 10, 1967) is an American politician and businessman serving since 2019 as the 40th governor of California. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served from 2011 to 201 ...
declared a
state of emergency A state of emergency is a situation in which a government is empowered to put through policies that it would normally not be permitted to do, for the safety and protection of its citizens. A government can declare such a state before, during, o ...
in response to the fire; the freeway was reopened after eight days, far ahead of the original five-week estimate.


Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail

The I-10 is part of the auto tour route of the
Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a trail extending from Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, through the California desert and coastal areas in Southern California and the Central Coast region to San Francisco.
, a
National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...
unit in the US national
Historic History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...
and
Millennium A millennium () is a period of one thousand years, one hundred decades, or ten centuries, sometimes called a kiloannum (ka), or kiloyear (ky). Normally, the word is used specifically for periods of a thousand years that begin at the starting ...
trail programs. In 2005,
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 ...
began posting signs on roads that overlap with the historic 1776
Juan Bautista de Anza Juan Bautista de Anza Bezerra Nieto (July 6 or 7, 1736 – December 19, 1788) was a Novohispanic/Mexican expeditionary leader, military officer, and politician primarily in California and New Mexico under the Spanish Empire. He is credited as on ...
trail route, so that California drivers can now follow the trail.


Exit list


Spur to US 101

The legislative definition of Route 10 includes a spur from I-5 (the Golden State Freeway) west to US 101 (the Santa Ana Freeway) near downtown Los Angeles. This section of roadway, the westernmost part of the San Bernardino Freeway, was in fact part of the original San Bernardino Freeway, carrying US 60/ US 70/ US 99 long before the Golden State Freeway opened. It was added to the
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, or the Eisenhower Interstate System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Hi ...
by 1958 as I-110, but in 1968 it was removed from the system, becoming a Route 10 spur. This road is signed only for the roads it feeds into: US 101 northbound and I-10 eastbound. It has only two interchanges between its ends: a westbound exit off the spur at Mission Road immediately before merging with US 101 northbound, and the eastbound exit for State Street and Soto Street before it merges onto I-10 eastbound—this one is numbered (as exit 19). There is no direct access from the I-10 spur to I-5. Exit list


Related routes

There are three auxiliary Interstate Highways associated with I-10 in California: * The Harbor Freeway between SR 47 in the San Pedro district of Los Angeles and I-10 near
Downtown Los Angeles Downtown Los Angeles (DTLA) is the central business district of the city of Los Angeles. It is part of the Central Los Angeles region and covers a area. As of 2020, it contains over 500,000 jobs and has a population of roughly 85,000 residents ...
is designated as I-110. The rest of the highway, running along the historic
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 ...
to
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 ...
, is instead designated as SR 110. * The Foothill Freeway between I-5 in the Sylmar district of Los Angeles and SR 57 in Glendora is designated as I-210. The rest of the Foothill Freeway, between SR 57 and I-10 in Redlands, is instead designated as SR 210. * The Long Beach Freeway between SR 47 in
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 I-10 in Monterey Park is designated as I-710. Due to community opposition, a northern extension through South Pasadena was never constructed; the segment that was completed in Pasadena between California Boulevard and I-210 instead has the unsigned designation of SR 710. One business loop of I-10 exists in California, running through Blythe in Riverside County.


See also

* * * Lloyd G. Davies, Los Angeles City Council member, 1943–1951, urged rail transportation on the Santa Monica Freeway


References


External links


Metro ExpressLanes
– includes toll information on the I-10 Express Lanes in Los Angeles County
San Bernardino County Express LanesTransportation Corridor Agencies
– processing partner of the San Bernardino County Express Lanes
Interstate 10
Interstate-Guide.com

California @ AARoads.com

California Highways

official U.S. National Park Service website {{DEFAULTSORT:I10 in California 10 California
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 ...
Roads in Los Angeles County, California Roads in Riverside County, California Roads in San Bernardino County, California Transportation in Los Angeles Transportation in San Bernardino, California San Gorgonio Pass Coachella Valley Colorado Desert U.S. Route 99