Telling a Story Through
Highway and Planning Maps
The History of Southern California Freeway
Development
(Part 3 — 1960s and beyond)
(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:
Here are some correspondences:
- LRN 158. San Diego Freeway, I-405.
- LRN 159/LRN 160. Hollywood and Laurel Canyon Freeways, Route 170.
- LRN 161/LRN 240. Ventura Freeway, Route 134 between I-5 and
I-210.
- LRN 163. Venice Freeway, Route 187.
- LRN 165/LRN 167. Terminal Island Freeway, Route 47 and Route 103.
- LRN 167. Long Beach Freeway, I-710.
- LRN 170. San Gabriel River Freeway, I-605.
- LRN 172. Pomona Freeway, Route 60. Note that before this, Route 60 ran along present-day I-10.
- LRN 173. Santa Monica Freeway, I-10.
- LRN 193. I-15.
- LRN 221. Slauson Freeway, Route 90.
- LRN 222. Industrial Freeway: I-110 to I-5. This segment was
gone by 1965.
- LRN 240. Foothill Freeway, I-210.
- LRN 265. Whitnall Freeway, Route 64.
- LRN 266. Sunland Freeway, Route 118 and Little Tujunga
Expressway, Route 249.
- LRN 269. Part of Little Tujunga Expressway, Route 249.
- LRN 270. Industrial Freeway: Route 1 to I-10, Route 47.
- LRN 290. Reseda Freeway, Route 14 (unconstructed).
- LRN 291. Whitnall Freeway, but now part of Route 213.
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.
(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.
(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:
- Route 14. The Reseda Freeway is now "not adopted".
- Route 39. The Route 39 freeway was never adopted.
- Route 47. The unconstructed portion of the Industrial Freeway
is now "not adopted". Although a portion is shown as "Route adopted", it
will never be constructed as freeway.
- Route 64. The Whitnall Freeway has completely disappeared.
- Route 90. The portion between the Marina Freeway and the Yorba
Linda Freeway is now "not adopted".
- Route 105. The Route 42 freeway has become I-105.
- Route 107. The Route 107 Freeway (Hawthorne Freeway, Pacific
Parkway) was not adopted as a freeway.
- Route 118/249/2. All the construction along Angeles Crest was
not adopted.
- Route 164. Shown as "not adopted"
- Route 170. Only stubs remain, and the portion by the airport
was not adopted.
- Route 258. The N/S part of the Whitnall Freeway is now "not
adopted".
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.
(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:
(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>.