Interstate 5 In California
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Interstate 5 (I-5) is a major north–south route of the
Interstate Highway System The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways, commonly known as the Interstate Highway System, is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States. T ...
in the United States, stretching from the
Mexican border Mexico shares international borders with three nations: *To the north the United States–Mexico border, which extends for a length of through the states of Baja California, Sonora, Chihuahua, Coahuila, Nuevo León and Tamaulipas. *To the southe ...
at the San Ysidro crossing to the
Canadian border Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...
near Blaine, Washington. The segment of I-5 in California runs across the length of the state from San Ysidro to the
Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idaho. T ...
state line south of the Medford- Ashland metropolitan area. It is the longest interstate in California, and accounts for more than half of I-5's total length. It is the more important and most-used of the two major north–south routes on the Pacific Coast, the other being U.S. Route 101 (US 101), which is primarily coastal. I-5 links the major California cities of
San Diego San Diego ( , ; ) is a city on the Pacific Ocean coast of Southern California located immediately adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a 2020 population of 1,386,932, it is the eighth most populous city in the United State ...
, Santa Ana,
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
, Stockton,
Sacramento ) , image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg , mapsize = 250x200px , map_caption = Location within Sacramento ...
, and Redding. The
San Francisco Bay Area The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
is about west of the highway. I-5 is known colloquially as "the 5" to
Southern California Southern California (commonly shortened to SoCal) is a geographic and cultural region that generally comprises the southern portion of the U.S. state of California. It includes the Los Angeles metropolitan area, the second most populous urban a ...
residents and "5" to Northern California residents due to varieties in
California English California English (or Californian English) collectively refers to varieties of American English native to California. A distinctive vowel shift was first noted by linguists in the 1980s in southern California and the San Francisco Bay Area of ...
. I-5 also has several named portions: the John J. Montgomery Freeway,
San Diego Freeway The San Diego Freeway is one of the named principal Southern California freeways. It consists of the following two segments: * Interstate 5, from California State Route 94 in San Diego to Interstate 405 (El Toro Y) in Irvine * Interstate 405, in ...
,
Santa Ana Freeway The Santa Ana Freeway is one of the principal freeways in Southern California, connecting Los Angeles and its southeastern suburbs including the freeway's namesake, the city of Santa Ana. The freeway begins at its junction with the San Diego Free ...
, Golden State Freeway, and West Side Freeway.


Route description

I-5 is part of the
California Freeway and Expressway System The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses both State highways and federal highways in California. It is defined by Article 2 (comme ...
, 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 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 ...
. The segment of I-5 from State Route 89 (SR 89) to US 97 forms part of the
Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway is a scenic highway and All-American Road in the U.S. states of California and Oregon. It is roughly long and travels north–south along the Cascade Range past numerous volcanoes. It is composed of two separate ...
, an
All-American Road A National Scenic Byway is a road recognized by the United States Department of Transportation for one or more of six "intrinsic qualities": archeological, cultural, historic, natural, recreational, and scenic. The program was established by C ...
. I-5 is also eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System; however, it is a scenic highway as designated by the
California Department of Transportation The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacr ...
(Caltrans) only from SR 152 to I-580.


San Diego County

I-5 begins at the
San Ysidro Port of Entry __NOTOC__ The San Ysidro Port of Entry (aka San Ysidro Land Port of Entry or San Ysidro LPOE) is the largest land border crossing between San Diego and Tijuana, and the fourth- busiest land border crossing in the world (second-busiest if one exclu ...
from Mexico in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego. Immediately after the border,
I-805 Interstate 805 (I-805) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass auxiliary route of I-5, running roughly through the center of the Greater San Diego region from San Ysidro (part of the c ...
splits off to the northeast and serves as a bypass of I-5 that avoids Downtown San Diego. I-5 itself continues northwest and meets the western end of SR 905, a route that connects with the Otay Mesa border crossing. I-5 then continues northward and joins the southern end of SR 75, a highway connecting to
Coronado Coronado may refer to: People * Coronado (surname) * Francisco Vázquez de Coronado (1510–1554), Spanish explorer often referred to simply as "Coronado" * Coronado Chávez (1807–1881), President of Honduras from 1845 to 1847 Places United ...
via the Silver Strand. I-5 then enters
Chula Vista Chula Vista (; ) is the second-largest city in the San Diego metropolitan area, the seventh largest city in Southern California, the fifteenth largest city in the state of California, and the 78th-largest city in the United States. The popu ...
, briefly leaving the San Diego city limits. It continues along the east side of San Diego Bay where it intersects with SR 54 and enters National City. From there, I-5 veers around Naval Base San Diego and reenters the city limits of San Diego. I-5 subsequently intersects with four state routes: the southern end of SR 15 (the extension of I-15), SR 75 and the Coronado Bay Bridge, the western end of SR 94, and SR 163. In addition to serving Downtown San Diego, I-5 also provides access to Balboa Park from the Pershing Drive exit. The portion of I-5 from the Mexican border to SR 94 at downtown San Diego is named the John J. Montgomery Freeway in honor of
John J. Montgomery John Joseph Montgomery (February 15, 1858 – October 31, 1911) was an American inventor, physicist, engineer, and professor at Santa Clara University in Santa Clara, California, who is best known for his invention of controlled heavier-than-air ...
, a pioneer aviator who flew a glider from a location near Chula Vista in 1884. I-5 continues northwest from downtown as the San Diego Freeway until it reaches its junction with I-8, then turns slightly to the north while passing
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and Mission Bay. Thereafter, I-5 intersects the western end of SR 52 near
La Jolla La Jolla ( , ) is a hilly, seaside neighborhood within the city of San Diego, California, United States, occupying of curving coastline along the Pacific Ocean. The population reported in the 2010 census was 46,781. La Jolla is surrounded on ...
before entering University City. At Nobel Drive, the San Diego LDS Temple towers over I-5. Shortly afterward, I‑5 passes through the
UC San Diego The University of California, San Diego (UC San Diego or colloquially, UCSD) is a public land-grant research university in San Diego, California. Established in 1960 near the pre-existing Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego is t ...
campus and intersects the northern terminus of I-805 before continuing north and intersecting the western end of SR 56. At this interchange, there is a local bypass that provides the only access to Carmel Mountain Road from both directions and provides the only direct access to SR 56 going northbound. North of the San Diego city limits, I-5 enters the city limits of
Solana Beach Solana Beach (''Solana'', Spanish for "warm wind") is a coastal city in San Diego County, California. Its population was at 12,941 at the 2020 U.S. Census, up from 12,867 at the 2010 Census. History The area was first settled by the San Dieg ...
, and then three incorporated cities to the north:
Encinitas Encinitas (Spanish for "Small Oaks") is a beach city in the North County area of San Diego County, California. Located within Southern California, it is approximately north of San Diego, between Solana Beach and Carlsbad, and about south o ...
, Carlsbad and Oceanside. This segment is currently undergoing expansion as part of the
North Coast Corridor The North Coast Corridor is an infrastructure improvement project in northern San Diego County, California that will upgrade road, rail, pedestrian, and bicycle transportation infrastructure, as well as fund environmental restoration. The project ...
project. In Oceanside, I-5 intersects the SR 78 freeway and the SR 76 expressway and continues through
Camp Pendleton Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton is the major West Coast base of the United States Marine Corps and is one of the largest Marine Corps bases in the United States. It is on the Southern California coast in San Diego County and is bordered by O ...
. It then follows the
Pacific Ocean The Pacific Ocean is the largest and deepest of Earth's five oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic Ocean in the north to the Southern Ocean (or, depending on definition, to Antarctica) in the south, and is bounded by the contin ...
coastline for the next . Toward the northern end of its routing through Camp Pendleton, I-5 passes through
San Onofre State Beach San Onofre State Beach (''San Onofre'', Spanish for " St. Onuphrius") is a state park in San Diego County, California. The beach is south of San Clemente on Interstate 5 at Basilone Road. The state park is leased to the state of California by ...
and near the
San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station The San Onofre Nuclear Generating Station (SONGS) is a permanently closed nuclear power plant located south of San Clemente, California, on the Pacific coast, in Nuclear Regulatory Commission Region IV. The plant was shut down in 2013 after repl ...
. I-5 enters
Orange County Orange County most commonly refers to: *Orange County, California, part of the Los Angeles metropolitan area Orange County may also refer to: U.S. counties *Orange County, Florida, containing Orlando *Orange County, Indiana *Orange County, New ...
at the Cristianitos Road exit.


Orange County

Upon entering Orange County, I-5 goes through
San Clemente San Clemente (; Spanish for " St. Clement") is a city in Orange County, California. Located in the Orange Coast region of the South Coast of California, San Clemente's population was 64,293 in at the 2020 census. Situated roughly midway between ...
. At
Dana Point Dana Point () is a city located in southern Orange County, California, United States. The population was 33,107 at the 2020 census. It has one of the few harbors along the Orange County coast, and with ready access via State Route 1, it is a po ...
, I-5 turns inland while SR 1 continues along the coast. I-5 then heads due north through
San Juan Capistrano San Juan Capistrano (Spanish for " St. John of Capistrano") is a city in Orange County, California, located along the Orange Coast. The population was 34,593 at the 2010 census. San Juan Capistrano was founded by the Spanish in 1776, when St ...
and
Mission Viejo Mission Viejo ( ; corruption of ''Misión Vieja'', Spanish for "Old Mission") is a commuter city in the Saddleback Valley in Orange County, California, United States. Mission Viejo is considered one of the largest master-planned communities eve ...
, intersecting the SR 73 toll road heading northwest. I-5 continues to the
El Toro Y The El Toro "Y" is a freeway interchange in southern Orange County, California where the Santa Ana Freeway, Interstate 5 (I-5), and the San Diego Freeway (at that point the I-405) merge. South of the El Toro Y, the highway is named the ...
interchange with I-405 in southeastern Irvine, splitting into lanes for regular traffic as well as for truck traffic (though autos can use these lanes as well). From that point, I-405 takes over the San Diego Freeway designation, while I-5 becomes the Santa Ana Freeway as it runs southeast to northwest. After the El Toro Y junction, I-5 intersects SR 133, a toll road that eventually connects to SR 241. Just before the
Tustin Tustin is a city located in Orange County, California, in the Los Angeles metropolitan area. In 2020, Tustin had a population of 80,276. The city is located next to the county seat, Santa Ana, and does not include the unincorporated community ...
city limits, I-5 passes over SR 261, the final toll road of the
Eastern Transportation Corridor Eastern Toll Road or Eastern Turnpike may refer to the following toll roads: ;United States * The Eastern Transportation Corridor, the tollway system in California, comprising portions of: ** California State Route 133, State Route 133 ** Californi ...
, but traffic must use Jamboree Road to access the latter. I-5 then intersects SR 55 and enters Santa Ana, the county seat of Orange County. Towards the northern side of Santa Ana, I-5 intersects both SR 57 and SR 22 in what is known as the
Orange Crush interchange The Orange Crush interchange, frequently called The Crush, is a freeway interchange in the city of Orange, California, near the borders of the cities of Orange, Santa Ana, Anaheim, and Garden Grove. The Disneyland Resort, The Outlets at Orange ...
. Following this, I-5 briefly enters the city of
Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...
and then traverses Anaheim, passing along the north side of
Disneyland Disneyland is a theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney initially envision ...
. I-5 then intersects SR 91, passes through
Buena Park Buena Park (''Buena'', Spanish for "Good") is a city in Orange County, California, United States. As of the 2020 census its population was 84,034. It is the location of several tourist attractions, namely Knott's Berry Farm. It is about 12 m ...
and crosses into Los Angeles County.


Los Angeles County

After crossing the county line, I-5 goes through several cities southeast of Los Angeles, including
La Mirada La Mirada ( Spanish for "The Look") is a city in southeast Los Angeles County, California United States, and is one of the Gateway Cities. The population was 48,527 at the 2010 census, up from 46,783 at the 2000 census. The La Mirada Theatre ...
,
Santa Fe Springs Santa Fe Springs (''Santa Fe'', Spanish for "Holy Faith") is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. It is one of the Gateway Cities of southeast Los Angeles County. The population was 16,223 at the 2010 census, down from 17,43 ...
, and Norwalk. In
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, I-5 intersects
I-605 Interstate 605 (abbreviated I-605, officially known as the San Gabriel River Freeway) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Greater Los Angeles urban area of Southern California. It runs from I-405 and State Route& ...
, which serves as a north–south connector route between the cities east of Los Angeles, including those in the San Gabriel Valley. I-5 then enters
Commerce Commerce is the large-scale organized system of activities, functions, procedures and institutions directly and indirectly related to the exchange (buying and selling) of goods and services among two or more parties within local, regional, nation ...
, passing the Citadel Outlets shopping center, and intersects I-710 before entering the large unincorporated community of
East Los Angeles East Los Angeles ( es, Este de Los Ángeles), or East L.A., is an unincorporated area in Los Angeles County, California. As of the 2020 census it had a population of 118,786, a drop of 6.1% from 2010, when it was 126,496. For statistical purpo ...
and later the city proper of
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, largest city in the U.S. state, state of California and the List of United States cities by population, sec ...
. When the freeway reaches the East Los Angeles Interchange east of downtown Los Angeles, I-5 becomes the Golden State Freeway as US 101 takes over the Santa Ana Freeway designation. At this interchange, Interstate 10 in California, I-10, California State Route 60, SR 60, and US 101 intersect; I-10 continues north on I-5 for about before continuing east towards San Bernardino, California, San Bernardino and points farther east. On the north side of downtown, the Golden State Freeway follows the Los Angeles River, intersects Interstate 110 and State Route 110 (California), SR 110 and California State Route 2, SR 2 and passes along the eastern side of Griffith Park. The route continues through the San Fernando Valley, intersecting the Ventura Freeway (SR 134). It briefly enters the city of Glendale, California, Glendale and then Burbank, California, Burbank, passing near Burbank Airport before reentering the Los Angeles city limits and intersecting the northern end of the Hollywood Freeway (SR 170). Near the city of San Fernando, California, San Fernando, I-5 intersects California State Route 118, SR 118. Following this, I-5 intersects three routes in succession: the northern end of I-405, the western end of Interstate 210 (California), I-210, and the southern end of California State Route 14, SR 14 at the Newhall Pass interchange. It then crosses the Newhall Pass through the Santa Susana Mountains into the Santa Clarita Valley. I-5's carpool lanes also have direct connectors with the carpool lanes on the SR 170 and SR 14 freeways (an additional direct connector with the HOV lanes on I-405 near Mission Hills is planned.) This allows a continuous HOV lane to run from Palmdale, California, Palmdale to North Hollywood, Los Angeles, North Hollywood via SR 14 to I-5 to SR 170. I-5 continues along the western city limits of Santa Clarita, California, Santa Clarita and passes Six Flags Magic Mountain, intersecting California State Route 126, SR 126 just north of there. The Golden State Freeway then rises sharply, passing by Lake Castaic and undergoing a unique crossover resulting in a Left-hand traffic, left-driving configuration for about before the highway crosses back into its Right-hand traffic, standard alignment. It passes Pyramid Lake (Los Angeles County, California), Pyramid Lake and intersects California State Route 138, SR 138 before crossing the Tejon Pass through the Tehachapi Mountains, with Path 26, Path 26 power lines generally paralleling the freeway. After entering Kern County, California, Kern County, the freeway sharply descends for from at the Tejon Pass to at Grapevine, California, Grapevine near the southernmost point of the San Joaquin Valley, approximately south of Bakersfield, California, Bakersfield and south of its interchange with California State Route 99, SR 99 at Wheeler Ridge, California, Wheeler Ridge. Nearly every winter, the stretch of I-5 through the Tejon Pass and Grapevine is sometimes closed by the California Highway Patrol, generally because of the icy conditions combined with the steep grade of the pass, and the high traffic during the winter holidays. Whenever there is such a closure, traffic must either wait for it to reopen, or endure a multi-hour detour. An automated gate on the median of the Golden State Freeway in Castaic, California, Castaic north of Lake Hughes Road allows drivers to turn around when such closures occur.


Central Valley

From SR 99 to Woodland, California, Woodland, I-5 is known as the West Side Freeway. I-5 parallels California State Route 33, SR 33, skirting along the far more remote western edge of the Central Valley (California), Central Valley, and is largely removed from the major population centers such as Bakersfield, Fresno, California, Fresno and Modesto, California, Modesto; other state highways provide connections. I-5 still runs within the vicinity of Avenal, California, Avenal, Coalinga, California, Coalinga, Los Banos, California, Los Banos, and a handful of other smaller cities on the western edge of the Central Valley. For most of this section, the Path 15, Path 15 electrical transmission corridor follows the highway, forming an infrastructure corridor along with the California Aqueduct. After the Grapevine, I-5 crosses the California Aqueduct. This is first time out of 5 times that I-5 crosses the aqueduct. North of the Grapevine, I-5 intersects California State Route 166, SR 166, California State Route 119, SR 119 and California State Route 43, SR 43 before meeting California State Route 58, SR 58, a highway that continues east to Bakersfield, near the town of Buttonwillow, California, Buttonwillow. I-5 then intersects California State Route 46, SR 46 before entering Kings County, California, Kings County. From the Utica Avenue exit to I-580, I-5 parallels the eastern foothills of the Diablo Range. It crosses the California Aqueduct for the second time. In Kings County, I-5 intersects California State Route 41, SR 41 before briefly entering the city limits of Avenal, where it intersects California State Route 269, SR 269. In Fresno County, California, Fresno County, I-5 intersects California State Route 198, SR 198 and California State Route 145, SR 145 before concurrency (road), running concurrently with SR 33 for several miles. I-5 then crosses into Merced County, California, Merced County, intersecting California State Route 165, SR 165, SR 152 and SR 33 near the San Luis Reservoir (where SR 152 provides a major connection to the Monterey Peninsula and the Silicon Valley), and California State Route 140, SR 140 at the Stanislaus County, California, Stanislaus county line. I-5 crosses the California Aqueduct for the third time between SR 152 and SR 33 and again near Crows Landing. In San Joaquin County, California, San Joaquin County, I-580 splits off from I-5 south of Tracy, providing a spur-route connection to the San Francisco Bay Area. From here, I-5 crosses the California Aqueduct for the final time and intersects California State Route 132, SR 132, a major route to Modesto, California, Modesto and the mountains in the east, as well as the northern end of SR 33. After passing Tracy, I-5 intersects Interstate 205 (California), I-205, a connector route to I-580, before intersecting the California State Route 120, SR 120 freeway near Manteca, California, Manteca. After passing through Lathrop, California, Lathrop, I-5 heads due north through Stockton, intersecting the California State Route 4, SR 4 freeway that provides access to downtown Stockton. I-5 passes through the western portion of the Lodi, California, Lodi city limits before intersecting California State Route 12, SR 12 and entering Sacramento County, California, Sacramento County. I-5 enters the city of Elk Grove, California, Elk Grove while passing along the eastern edge of the Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. It then crosses into the Sacramento city limits, soon paralleling the Sacramento River before intersecting the Capital City Freeway, which carries U.S. Route 50 in California, US 50 and Interstate 80 Business (Sacramento, California), I-80 Business (I-80 Bus.). SR 99 merges with I-5 at this point, and the two routes pass through the western half of Downtown Sacramento. Following the bridge over the American River, I-5 and SR 99 intersect the major transcontinental route of Interstate 80 in California, I-80. Just as I-5 leaves Sacramento, SR 99 splits off and continues north while I-5 turns due west past Sacramento International Airport and crosses the Sacramento River into Yolo County, California, Yolo County. In Woodland, California, Woodland, the California State Route 113, SR 113 freeway merges with I-5 before exiting to the north. The Interstate heads northwest again toward Dunnigan, California, Dunnigan, where it converges with Interstate 505, I-505. I-5 skirts north along the western edge of the Sacramento Valley, bypassing the larger cities of the region, including Yuba City, California, Yuba City, Oroville, California, Oroville and Chico, California, Chico, before reaching Red Bluff, California, Red Bluff. From Dunnigan, I-5 enters Colusa County, California, Colusa County, passing through the city of Williams, California, Williams and intersecting California State Route 20, SR 20. In Glenn County, California, Glenn County, I-5 intersects California State Route 162, SR 162 in Willows, California, Willows and California State Route 32, SR 32 in Orland, California, Orland. I-5 then crosses into Tehama County, California, Tehama County, passing through Corning, California, Corning before entering Red Bluff and intersecting California State Route 36, SR 36, which connects to the northern end of SR 99. I-5 crosses the Sacramento River twice before entering Shasta County, California, Shasta County.


Cascade Region

I-5 then enters the Shasta Cascade region, intersecting California State Route 273, SR 273 in Anderson, California, Anderson before passing through Redding and intersecting California State Route 44, SR 44 and California State Route 299, SR 299. The freeway then continues through the city of Shasta Lake, California, Shasta Lake, intersecting California State Route 151, SR 151, before crossing over Shasta Lake on the Pit River Bridge and climbing up to near the foot of Mount Shasta. Just north of the bridge over Shasta Lake, I-5 also boasts the second-largest median in California after I-8's In‑Ko‑Pah grade. In Siskiyou County, California, Siskiyou County, I-5 passes through Dunsmuir, California, Dunsmuir before intersecting California State Route 89, SR 89 near Lake Siskiyou and entering the city of Mount Shasta, California, Mount Shasta. North of here, US 97 intersects I-5 in Weed, California, Weed, providing access to Klamath Falls, Oregon. The Interstate then continues to Yreka, California, Yreka, intersecting California State Route 3, SR 3 and California State Route 96, SR 96 before crossing the Klamath River and reaching the Oregon border and the Siskiyou Summit.


History


Historical naming

The portion of this highway from Los Angeles to San Diego was also co-signed as US 101 until 1964–1968. The portion of this highway from Woodland 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 I-80 out of Vacaville to near Dunnigan, previously known as I-5W, was renamed Interstate 505, I-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 I-5E. The term "Golden State Highway" was the popular name for US 99, stretching from Mexico to Canada through the length of California. Since the construction of I-5, it has taken over the term "Golden State Freeway" from 99 south of the latter's southern terminus in Kern County.


Los Angeles area

The 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, Los Angeles, Boyle Heights and Hollenbeck Heights. The proposal also seemed to indicate a disregard for the ethnic Mexican Americans, Mexican American population of metropolitan Los Angeles. The "Boyle–Hollenbeck Anti–Golden State Freeway Committee" was formed for the purpose of blocking or rerouting the freeway. Then–Los Angeles City Council member Edward R. Roybal chaired that committee. 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." The freeway between Orange County and Los Angeles was originally designed to have three lanes on each side. Due to high demand of cars, the freeway started undergoing major extensions and widening in the early 1990s in Orange County. Work from SR 91 north through the Los Angeles–Orange County line was completed in 2010. The improvements between the county line and the East Los Angeles Interchange are scheduled to be complete by 2025.


Newhall Pass

The original route went through the towns of Saugus, California, Saugus and Newhall, California, Newhall, and then crossed Newhall Pass (current route of SR 14, the Antelope Valley Freeway). In 1862, Beale's Cut Stagecoach Pass, Beale's Cut was made in the construction of a toll wagon road. The by "slot" was dug with picks 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. In 1910, Beale's Cut was bypassed by the Newhall Tunnel. Constructed by Los Angeles County, it was too narrow for two trucks to pass each other inside. As a result, in 1939, the tunnel was completely removed (or "Daylighting (tunnels), daylighted") when the road was widened to four lanes. Additionally, by 1930, a bypass road was constructed to avoid Newhall Pass via Weldon Canyon, Weldon and Gavin canyons, which is the current route of I-5. 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, which is the main route between Los Angeles and the growing high desert communities of the Antelope Valley. It is also still a part of the important Midway Route, which is the primary alternate route when I-5 is closed (via SR 58 and SR 14). The interchange has partially collapsed twice due to earthquakes: the 1971 San Fernando earthquake, 1971 Sylmar earthquake and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. As a result of the 1994 collapse, this interchange was renamed the "Clarence Wayne Dean Memorial Interchange", honoring a Los Angeles Police Department motorcycle officer killed when he was unable to stop in time and drove off the collapsed flyover ramp from SR 14 south to I-5 south. After both earthquakes, the collapsed portions were rebuilt and surviving portions reinforced. 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 ten.


Ridge Route

The Ridge Route refers to the section of highway between Castaic and Grapevine, through the Tejon Pass. The highway had its origins in the early 1910s, when a route was needed to connect Los Angeles to the Central Valley. Some believed that the only option was the route through the Mojave Desert and the Tehachapi Mountains, but a new route was discovered through the Tejon Pass. This route became known as the Ridge Route and saw almost constant planning, construction, and improvement from 1914 to 1970. The first road was completed in 1915. It was a slow, winding, two-lane road through the mountains with a speed limit of in some places. However, the need for improvements was realized soon after it was completed. The road was paved after World War I, and several blind turns were opened up ("daylighted"). Even with these improvements in the 1920s, it became clear that a new route was needed to keep up with increasing demand. In 1927, plans were drawn up for a "Ridge Route Alternate", named as it was planned as an addition to the existing Ridge Route and not as a replacement. It opened in 1933 as a three-lane highway through the mountains. The middle or "suicide lane" was used as an overtaking lane for cars in both directions. This route was a great improvement, faster and shorter than the old Ridge Route, but was not enough to satisfy demand, and a conversion to a four-lane expressway was needed. The outbreak of World War II delayed this until 1948 and the fourth lane was completed in 1952. However, just three years later, plans were begun for converting the four-lane expressway to a six-lane freeway. The last major alteration to the Ridge Route began in the early 1960s. By then, the plan for a six-lane freeway had expanded to eight lanes. This construction project made the most changes to the route. Many of the curves that followed the mountainside were cut through. To climb the mountain on the south side of Castaic more easily, traffic lanes were reversed (southbound lanes to the east and northbound lanes to the west). To prevent head-on collisions, the two ends of the route were separated on two different mountainsides, and the section through Piru Canyon was moved to an entirely new alignment to make room for Pyramid Lake. The project was completed by 1970 and brought the Ridge Route to its current alignment.


San Joaquin Valley

When the Interstate Highway System was created in 1956, there was discussion about which way to route the interstate through the San Joaquin Valley (Central Valley). Two proposals were considered. One was to convert the Golden State Highway (US 99, later SR 99) into a freeway. The other was to use the proposed West Side Freeway (current Interstate 5). The Golden State Highway route would serve many farming communities across the San Joaquin Valley, but the West Side Freeway proposal would bypass all the Central Valley communities and thus provide a faster and more direct north–south route through the state and so was eventually chosen. Construction began in the early 1960s. There were just three phases for the . The first phase, completed in 1967, ran from the San Joaquin County line to Los Banos. The second phase, completed in 1972, extended the freeway south to Wheeler Ridge and connected it to SR 99. The freeway then started to see traffic, as in Stockton there were only between the West Side Freeway and the Golden State Highway. The third phase, completed in 1979, extended the freeway to Sacramento and connected it to the northern I-5. When the second phase of the freeway opened in 1972, it was a long and lonely route with no businesses alongside. Services were not easily available as the nearest towns were miles away and generally out of sight. It was common for cars to run out of fuel. Over time the West Side Freeway (I-5) saw the development of businesses serving the needs of travelers. For years, there has still been interest in designating the Golden State Highway route as its own interstate, Future Interstate Highways#Interstate 9, I-9. The median on I-5 between Wheeler Ridge and Tracy is wide enough to accommodate widening the West Side Freeway to six or eight lanes, should the need arise.


I-5W and the San Francisco Bay Area

I-5's more direct Los Angeles-to-Sacramento route bypasses San Francisco, San Jose, California, San Jose, Oakland, California, Oakland, and the rest of the San Francisco Bay Area. Original plans also called for a loop Interstate with a directional suffix, I-5W. This route now roughly corresponds to I-580 from I-5 south of Tracy to Oakland, I-80 from Oakland to Vacaville, and I-505 from Vacaville to I-5 near Dunnigan. I-5W and most of the other Interstates around the country with directional suffixes were eventually renumbered or eliminated, except Interstate 35E (disambiguation), I-35E and Interstate 35W (disambiguation), I-35W in Texas and Minnesota. Nevertheless, San Francisco is still listed as a control city on northbound I-5 between SR 99 and I-580.


Sacramento area

Interstate 5 in Downtown Sacramento closely follows the Sacramento River. This has resulted in complex engineering work to keep the section dry due to it being located below the water table. Locally, Caltrans refers to this part of the freeway as the "Boat Section". Due to record levels of rainfall in 1980 the Boat Section was flooded with of water. Caltrans began constructing this section during the 1960s and 1970s. The freeway was engineered below grade so it would be out of the view of offices and shops in Downtown Sacramento. To achieve this, the site was excavated and the seeping water was pumped from the area. An intricate drainage system, water pump and retaining wall are used to protect the freeway from the Sacramento River. However, the system slowly clogged up over the years with sand and silt buildup Major repair work of the Boat Section began on May 30, 2008. The construction was to take 40 days to complete, requiring complete northbound and southbound closures on an alternating schedule.


Exit list


Newhall Pass truck route

The I-5 truck route through the Newhall Pass Interchange in Sylmar, California, Sylmar has its own separate exits. The route runs from the I-210 interchange to north of the SR 14 interchange.


Related routes

There are six signed auxiliary Interstate Highways associated with I-5 in California: * Interstate 105 (California), I-105 runs from SR 1 near El Segundo, California, El Segundo and Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) east to
I-605 Interstate 605 (abbreviated I-605, officially known as the San Gabriel River Freeway) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Greater Los Angeles urban area of Southern California. It runs from I-405 and State Route& ...
in Norwalk. * Interstate 205 (California), I-205 runs from I-580 to I-5, forming the north side of a triangle around Tracy, California, Tracy. * I-405 is a bypass route of I-5, running along the southern and western parts of Greater Los Angeles from Irvine north to near San Fernando, California, San Fernando. * Interstate 505 (California), I-505 runs from Interstate 80 in California, I-80 in Vacaville, California, Vacaville north to I-5 near Dunnigan, California, Dunnigan. *
I-605 Interstate 605 (abbreviated I-605, officially known as the San Gabriel River Freeway) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Greater Los Angeles urban area of Southern California. It runs from I-405 and State Route& ...
runs from I-405 and SR 22 in Seal Beach, California, Seal Beach north to Interstate 210 (California), I-210 in Duarte, California, Duarte. *
I-805 Interstate 805 (I-805) is a major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in Southern California. It is a bypass auxiliary route of I-5, running roughly through the center of the Greater San Diego region from San Ysidro (part of the c ...
is a bypass route of I-5 in the San Diego area, running from the San Diego district of San Ysidro near the Mexico–United States border, Mexico–U.S. border to near Del Mar, California, Del Mar. There is also one unsigned auxiliary Interstate Highway: I-305 runs along U.S. Route 50 in California, US 50 from I-80 in West Sacramento, California, West Sacramento to California State Route 99, SR 99 in Sacramento. There is one future auxiliary Interstate Highway: SR 905 from I-5 in San Diego to the Mexico–U.S. border in Otay Mesa, San Diego, Otay Mesa is proposed to become I-905. There are also several Business routes of Interstate 5#California, business routes of Interstate 5 in California, primarily parts of the original routing of U.S. Route 99 in California, US 99.


See also

*


References


External links


Interstate 5
at Interstate-Guide.com

at California @ AARoads.com
Caltrans: Interstate 5 highway conditions


at California Highways

(Photos, text, TV shows)
Interstate 5 in the Los Angeles Area

US 99 Tour in Southern California
{{DEFAULTSORT:I05 in California Interstate Highways in California, 05 Interstate 5, *California Southern California freeways, 005 Roads in San Diego County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Orange County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Los Angeles County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Kern County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Kings County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Fresno County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Merced County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Stanislaus County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in San Joaquin County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Sacramento County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Yolo County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Colusa County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Glenn County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Tehama County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Shasta County, California, Interstate 05 Roads in Siskiyou County, California, Interstate 05 State Scenic Highway System (California), 005 U.S. Route 99, Interstate 05 in California