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Telling a Story Through
Highway and Planning Maps


The History of Southern California Freeway Development
(Part 3 — 1960s and beyond)


[Thumbnail: 1963 State Highway Routes]
(Click on image for the full-size map. Full-size image size: 208K.)
Figure 3-1. Excerpt from the 1963 State Highway Map showing Los Angeles and Vicinity

Figure 3-1 shows the 1963 state highway definitions for Los Angeles and Vicinity. In this, the routes of many of the planned freeways can be seen with their legislative route numbers (the numbers in squares). Of particular interest are the routes shown with open circles or open dashes. Below is another image showing the full freeway and expressway system planned in 1963, from the March/April 1963 issue of CHPW:

1963 Freeway and Expressway System

Here are some correspondences:

The plan continued to change and evolve, resulting in the 1965 Freeway and Expressway plan adopted by the state. This plan is illustrated in Figure 3-2.

[Thumbnail: 1965 Planning Map Small Image]
(click on image for the full-size map. Full-size image size: 25K)
Figure 3-2. 1965 Projected Freeway and Expressway System in Los Angeles, Ventura, and Orange Counties (Caltrans District 7 and 12)
[This map derived from the map on page 121 of L.A. Freeway, which was a map published by the Public Information office of the Highway Transportation Agency.]

There are some differences between the 1963 plan and the 1965 plan. Most notably absent is the East By-Pass. The Venice Freeway is also gone.

[1979 State Highway Plan]
(Click on image for the full-size map. Full-size image size: 43.1K.)
Figure 3-3. 1979 Distict 7/12 Highway System
This map is derived from a map on page 125 of L.A. Freeway. That map was a map of the District 7 highway system published by the Public Information office of the Business and Transportation Agency.

By 1979, a system approximating the current system was in place. In Figure 3-3, you can see how a number of routes had been eliminated from consideration for construction. In particular:

Figure 3-4 shows the Los Angeles highway system as of 1986. Routes shown with routes in open circles were never adopted. The lines with open dashes are currently under construction or construction is planned.

[1986 LA Map]
(Click on Image for the full-size map. Full-size image size: 282K.)
Figure 3-4. Excerpt from 1986 State Highway Map showing Los Angeles and Vicinity

Figure 3-4 shows a 2003 map, prepared by Caltrans, of the current system status:

[2003 System Status]
(Click on Image for the full-size map, in Acrobat. Full-size image size: 4MB.)
Figure 3-4. 2003 District 7 Master System Plan

Resources

The following maps scanned in by others also provide information on Southern California highways:


<- Southern California Freeway Development - 1950s -> Southern California Freeway Renumberings

© 1996-2020 Daniel P. Faigin.
Maintained by: Daniel P. Faigin <webmaster@cahighways.org>.