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This article is about the section of highway in California. For the entire length of highway, see Interstate 5.
In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 5 (I-5), a major north-south route of the Interstate Highway System, has its southern terminus at the United States-Mexico border at the San Ysidro crossing. It heads north across the length of California before it crosses into Oregon south of the Medford-Ashland metropolitan area. This highway links the major California cities of San Diego, Los Angeles, Stockton, Sacramento, and Redding. Among the major cities not directly linked by Interstate 5 is San Francisco, which is about 80 miles (130 km) west of the highway.
[edit] Route descriptionI-5 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System[4] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.[5] [edit] San Diego area Interstate 5 begins at the San Ysidro Port of Entry from Mexico in San Ysidro, a part of the metropolitan city of San Diego. Immediately after the border, I-805 splits off to the northeast and serves as a bypass of I-5 avoiding the downtown San Diego area. Meanwhile, I-5 continues northwest and intersects with the western end of the SR 905 freeway, a route that connects with the Otay Mesa border crossing. I-5 then continues northward and junctions with the southern terminus of SR 75, a highway connecting to Coronado via the Silver Strand, before entering Chula Vista and briefly leaving the San Diego city limits. I-5 continues its route along the east side of the San Diego Bay as it intersects with SR 54 and enters National City. There, I-5 veers around the San Diego Naval Base and reenters the city limits of San Diego. I-5 subsequently interchanges with four state routes—SR 15 (the southern terminus of the extension of I-15), SR 75 (providing access to the Coronado Bay Bridge and the city of Coronado), the western end of SR 94, and the southern end of SR 163. In addition to serving Downtown San Diego, I-5 also provides access to Balboa Park from the Pershing Drive exit.[6][7] After leaving the downtown, I-5 continues northwest until it reaches its junction with I-8, then turns slightly to the north while passing near SeaWorld and Mission Bay. Thereafter, I-5 interchanges with the western end of SR 52 before passing through the UC San Diego campus in University City, near La Jolla. Shortly afterward, I-5 interchanges with the northern terminus of I-805 before continuing north and interchanging with the western end of SR 56. At this interchange, there is a recently-completed local bypass that provides the only access to Carmel Mountain Road from both directions and provides the only access to SR 56 going northbound.[6] North of the San Diego city limits, I-5 enters into the city limits of Solana Beach, followed by three incorporated cities to the north—Encinitas, Carlsbad, and Oceanside. In Oceanside, I-5 intersects with the SR 78 freeway and the SR 76 expressway before continuing through the Camp Pendleton and paralleling the Pacific Ocean coastline for the next 20 miles (32 km). Toward the northern end of its routing through Camp Pendleton, I-5 passes through San Onofre State Beach and near the San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station, as well as the proposed interchange with SR 241 near Trestles as a result from the possible Foothill Toll Road extension. I-5 enters Orange County as it passes through the Christianitos Road exit.[6] [edit] Orange County and Los AngelesMain article: Santa Ana Freeway
Upon entering Orange County, I-5 goes through San Clemente. Then at Dana Point, I-5 turns inland and heads due north through Mission Viejo to the El Toro Y interchange in southeastern Irvine. From that point, Interstate 405 takes over the San Diego Freeway designation, while I-5 becomes the Santa Ana Freeway as it runs southeast to northwest, passing through major cities and suburbs in Orange and southern Los Angeles counties.[8] When the freeway reaches the East Los Angeles Interchange one mile (1.6 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, I-5 becomes the Golden State Freeway. The route continues through the San Fernando Valley and then crosses the Newhall Pass through the Santa Susana Mountains into the Santa Clarita Valley. From there, the Golden State Freeway sharply rises to the north to eventually cross the Tejon Pass through the Tehachapi Mountains with Path 26 power lines generally paralleling the freeway. The freeway then sharply descends for 12 miles (19 km) from over 4,100 feet (1,250 m) at Tejon Pass to around 1,600 feet (488 m) at Grapevine near the southernmost point of the San Joaquin Valley, approximately 30 miles (50 km) south of Bakersfield and 4 miles (6 km) south from where State Route 99 splits away from it in Wheeler Ridge.[9] [edit] Central, Northern California   From Highway 99 to south of Tracy, I-5 is known as the Westside Freeway. It parallels Highway 33, skirting along the far more remote western edge of the great Central Valley, and thus here is removed from population centers such as Bakersfield, Fresno, and Modesto with other state highways providing connections. For most of this section, the Path 15 electrical transmission corridor follows the highway, forming an infrastructure corridor along with the California Aqueduct. Interstate 580 splits off from I-5 at a point south of Tracy, providing a loop-route connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. After passing Tracy, I-5 heads due north through Stockton and Sacramento before turning due west to Woodland. At Woodland, the interstate heads northwest again toward Dunnigan, where it converges with Interstate 505. From Dunnigan, I-5 skirts north along the western edge of the Sacramento Valley, bypassing the larger cities of the region, including Yuba City, Oroville, and Chico, before reaching Red Bluff. I-5 then enters the Shasta Cascade region, passing through Redding and Shasta Lake before climbing up to near the foot of Mount Shasta. The interstate then travels to Weed and Yreka before reaching the Oregon border. [edit] History[edit] Historical naming in CaliforniaThe portion of this highway from Los Angeles, to San Diego, was also co-signed as U.S. Route 101 until late 1964. The portion of this highway from Lebec to Red Bluff roughly follows old US 99W. In California, the former western branch of Interstate 5 (the northern end of the spur into the Bay Area) connecting Interstate 80 out of Vacaville to near Dunnigan, previously known as Interstate 5W, was renamed Interstate 505. Interstate 580 running between I-5 and I-80 was also once designated 5W; what is now I-5 (the stretch that runs through Sacramento) had been originally designated Interstate 5E. [edit] Los Angeles AreaThe Golden State Freeway was proposed by the California Highway Commission in 1953. The proposal drew strong criticism from East Los Angeles residents as it would dissect and eliminate large residential and commercial areas of Boyle Heights and Hollenbeck Heights.[10][11] The proposal also seemed to indicate a disregard for the ethnic Mexican American population of metropolitan Los Angeles. The "Boyle-Hollenbeck Anti-Golden State Freeway Committee" was formed for the purpose in blocking or re-routing the freeway. Then-Los Angeles City Council member Edward R. Roybal chaired that committee.[10] Despite this opposition, the construction of the freeway went ahead. When this section was completed in 1956, the newspaper The Eastside Sun wrote the freeway led to the "eradication, obliteration, razing, moving, ripping asunder, demolishing of Eastside homes."[10][11] [edit] Newhall PassSee also: Newhall Pass interchange The original route went through the towns of Saugus and Newhall, and then crossed Newhall Pass (current route of SR 14, Antelope Valley Freeway). In 1862, Beale Cut was made in the construction of a toll wagon road. The 15’ wide, 60’ deep “slot” was dug with pick and shovels. That road would become part of the Midway Route. At the turn of the century, it was the most direct automobile route between Los Angeles and the San Joaquin Valley via the Mojave Desert and Tehachapi Pass.[12] In 1910, Beale Cut was bypassed by Newhall tunnel. Constructed by Los Angeles County, it was to narrow for two trucks to pass each other inside. As a result, in 1939, the tunnel was completely removed (or “daylighted”) when the road was widened to four lanes. By 1930, a bypass road was constructed to avoid Newhall Pass via Weldon and Gavin Canyons, which is the current route of I-5.[13] Interestingly, both routes were eventually built as freeways. The Gavin Canyon route became I-5, and the main north/south route via the Ridge Route. The Newhall Pass route became SR 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway), which is the main route between Los Angeles and the growing high desert communities. It is also still apart of the important Midway Route, which is the primary alternate route when I-5 is closed (via SR 58 and SR 14). In the evening of October 12, 2007, two trucks collided in the southbound tunnel that takes the truck bypass roadway under the main lanes near the Newhall Pass interchange. Fifteen trucks caught fire, killing three people and injuring 10.[14][15] [edit] Ridge RouteMain article: Ridge Route The Ridge Route refers to the section of highway between Castaic and the Grapevine, through Tejon Pass. The highway had its origins in the early 1910’s. At that time, a route was needed to connect Los Angeles to the Central Valley. Some believed the only option was the route through Mojave and the Tehachapi Mountains, however, a new route was discovered through Tehon pass. This route would become known as the Ridge Route, a road which saw almost constant planning and construction from 1914 to 1970.[16] The first road through the route was completed 1915. It was a slow, 2-lane, winding road through the mountains with a speed limit of 15 mph in some places. However, after it was completed, the need for improvement was soon realized. The road was paved after World War I and several blind turns were opened up or “daylighted.” However, even with these improvements throughout the 1920’s, it became clear that a new route was needed to keep up with increasing demand.[17] In 1927, plans were drawn up for the Ridge Route Alternate, called an alternate route since it was envisioned to run in addition to the existing Ridge Route, and not as a replacement. The road was opened in 1933 and was a 3-lane highway through the mountains. The middle third lane was used as a passing lane for cars in both directions, also known as a “suicide” lane. This route was a great improvement to the old Ridge Route, with increased speed, and a route that was 9.7 miles shorter than the original route.[18] This particular route, however, was not large enough to satisfy demand, and a conversion to a 4-lane expressway was needed. The start of World War II delayed its construction until 1948. This construction did not alter the route from its original alignment, but simply widened the highway for a fourth lane. The construction project was completed in 1952, but just three years later, plans were started for converting the 4-lane expressway to a 6-lane freeway.[19] The last major alteration to the Ridge Route started in the early 1960’s. By then, the plan to convert the expressway to a 6-lane freeway was expanded to eight lanes. This construction project saw the most changes to the route. Many of the curves which went along the mountain were plowed through them. The climb on the south side out of Castaic; traffic lanes were reversed (southbound lanes to the east and northbound lanes to the west) to better climb the mountain. The two ends of the route were separated on two different mountain sides to prevent head-on collisions. And the section through Piru Canyon was moved to an entirely new alignment to make room for Pyramid Lake. These projects were completed by 1970, and brought the Ridge Route to its current form.[20] [edit] San Joaquin Valley AreaSee also: California State Route 99 When the interstate highway system was created in 1957, discussion started as to how the interstate would be routed through the San Joaquin Valley (also known as the Central Valley). Two different proposals were considered. One was to convert the Golden State Highway (US route 99, later CA route 99) into a freeway. The other was to use the proposed Westside Freeway (current interstate 5) for the alignment. The advantage for the Golden State Highway route was that it would serve many farming communities’ across the San Joaquin valley. The advantage of the Westside Freeway was that it would bypass all of the Central Valley communities, thus providing a faster and more direct route for north/south traffic through the state. The Westside Freeway option was chosen for the interstate designation.[21] In recent years, there has been interest in designating the Golden State Highway route into its own interstate. Construction on the project started in the early 1960’s. The entire 321-mile freeway would be constructed in only three phases. The first phase was completed in 1967 and ran from San Joaquin county line to Los Banos. Phase 2 of the project was completed in 1972, which extended the freeway south to Weeler Ridge and it’s connection to SR 99. This was when the freeway started to see traffic, since in Stockton, the distance between the Westside Freeway and Golden State Highway was only four miles. Phase 3 of the project was completed in 1979 which extended the freeway to Sacramento and its connection with northern I-5.[22] The Westside Freeway (I-5) today is lined with both farms and businesses serving the needs of travelers. However, when the second phase of the freeway opened in 1972, none of those businesses existed. The freeway was a long and barren route. The business not along side of the freeway also meant that services were not easily available. The nearest towns were miles from the road and generally could not be seen from the freeway. It was not uncommon for cars to run out of gas on the road. [edit] Sacramento AreaInterstate 5 in downtown Sacramento closely follows the Sacramento River. This has resulted in constant repair work from the freeway being flooded by the river. Caltrans has even named this portion of the freeway the “Boat Section,” since you would need a boat to use it.[23] Caltrans began working on the Boat Section during the 1960s and 1970s, draining the water from the area, creating a water pump system, building a retaining wall to protect the freeway from the Sacramento River. It was recently found that sand and silt from the Sacramento River were creating blockages in the drainage system that protected I-5.[23] Major work repair of the "Boat Section" in Sacramento began in May 30, 2008.[24] The construction was to take 40 days to complete and would require complete northbound and southbound closures on an alternating schedule. This section had major problems since being built, including being flooded in 15 feet (4.6 m) of water in 1980. [edit] Exit list
[edit] References
[edit] External links
Categories: Interstate Highways in California | Interstate 5 | Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail | Southern California freeways | Central Valley of California | Roads in San Diego County, California | Roads in Orange County, California | Roads in Los Angeles County, California | Roads in Kern County, California | Roads in Kings County, California | Roads in Fresno County, California | Roads in Merced County, California | Roads in Stanislaus County, California | Roads in San Joaquin County, California | Roads in Sacramento County, California | Roads in Yolo County, California | Roads in Colusa County, California | Roads in Glenn County, California | Roads in Tehama County, California | Roads in Shasta County, California | Roads in Siskiyou County, California | Scenic highways in California | U.S. Route 99 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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