State Route 103 (SR 103) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the
U.S. state of
California that forms part of the Terminal Island Freeway in
Los Angeles and
Long Beach. It runs from
State Route 47 near
Terminal Island north to
State Route 1
The following highways are numbered 1.
For roads numbered A1, see list of A1 roads.
For roads numbered B1, see list of B1 roads.
For roads numbered M1, see List of M1 roads.
For roads numbered N1, see list of N1 roads.
For roads numbered S ...
(Pacific Coast Highway) in Long Beach. At the south end of SR 103, the Terminal Island Freeway runs south with SR 47 over the
Commodore Schuyler F. Heim Bridge to its end at Ocean Boulevard on
Terminal Island, at the former
Long Beach Naval Shipyard. SR 47 then turns west there to its end at
Interstate 110.
Beyond SR 1, the freeway is owned by the City of Long Beach to its end at Willow Street. For a time, this segment had the unusual unsigned designation of State Route 103U, with the U signifying "un-relinquished", because the
state legislature
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
had removed this segment from the state highway system in 1983 but the City of Long Beach did not agree to take it over until 2000.
The portion is still signed as part of SR 103 instead of SR 103U.
SR 103 does not directly connect to any other freeways. It was originally planned to continue north to the
Interstate 710 and
Interstate 405 interchange. The Terminal Island Freeway is heavily used by trucks carrying cargo to and from the
Port of Los Angeles
The Port of Los Angeles is a seaport managed by the Los Angeles Harbor Department, a unit of the City of Los Angeles. It occupies of land and water with of waterfront and adjoins the separate Port of Long Beach. Promoted as "America's Port", t ...
and
Port of Long Beach. Because of its isolation from residential and business areas, and the industrial-looking neighborhood it runs through, the freeway is frequently used to film
freeway scenes for major
motion picture
A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...
s. ''
Terminator 2: Judgment Day'', ''
Mr. & Mrs. Smith'', and ''
The Fast and the Furious'' were three movies that used it for location purposes.
Route description
The state route begins at
Interstate 710 in
Long Beach, where it instantly begins an commingle with
SR 47. It then begins as a freeway, whence it follows the
Schuyler Heim Bridge over the
Cerritos Channel, entering the city of
Los Angeles midway through the bridge. It then leaves SR 47 and reenters Long Beach, where it meets
SR 1. The SR 103 state highway designation officially ends at SR 1, but the freeway, now controlled by the City of Long Beach from this point on, continues north and ends at an intersection with Willow Street.
SR 103 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
Federal Highway Administration.
History
Prior to 1969, Route 103 was what is now
State Route 15 and
Interstate 15 from
Interstate 5 to
State Route 163 in
San Diego. (I-15 was
U.S. Route 395, which used SR 163, until 1969.)
The entire Terminal Island Freeway was once part of
State Route 47, and was to continue north to
Interstate 10
Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...
near downtown Los Angeles. SR 47 was redefined in 1983 to split from the freeway north of the
Schuyler Heim Bridge, and the part from SR 47 to Willow Street became SR 103. The part north of SR 1 was later removed from the legal definition, existing for a time as State Route 103U - U for ''unrelinquished'' - before it was traded on August 25, 2000, with the city of Long Beach for
Interstate 710 from SR 1 south to Ocean Boulevard.
The city has since explored plans to remove this portion of the freeway.
Exit list
See also
*
References
External links
{{Attached KML, display=inline,title
AARoads - State Route 47/103Caltrans: Route 103 highway conditions
103 103 may refer to:
*103 (number), the number
*AD 103, a year in the 2nd century AD
*103 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
* 103 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Field Squadron, a territorial regiment
* 103 (Newcastle) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers
*103 ( ...
103 103 may refer to:
*103 (number), the number
*AD 103, a year in the 2nd century AD
*103 BC, a year in the 2nd century BC
* 103 (Tyne Electrical Engineers) Field Squadron, a territorial regiment
* 103 (Newcastle) Field Squadron, Royal Engineers
*103 ( ...
State Route 103
State Route 103
Terminal Island