🚀 go-pugleaf

There are a limited number of  freeway routes out of the Los Angeles
metropolitan area:

US-101 (northwest),  I-5 (north), CA-14 (north),  I-15 (northeast), I-10
(east), I-15 (south), and I-5 (south).

Most of these routes have one or more 'choke points'; points where if there
were a freeway closure, there would be no nearby alternate routes available.

* US-101: About 1 mile northwest of CA-33.
Nearest Alternative north: CA-33 north to CA-150 west.
Nearest Alternative south: Swim!

* I-5 north: From Fort Tejon to Grapevine, CA.
Nearest Alternative west:  Frazier Mountain Park Rd to Mil Potrero Hwy
through Pine Mountain Club to Cerro Noroeste to CA-166/CA-33 to Maricopa,
then east on CA-166.
Nearest Alternative east: CA-138 to 90th St West to Tehachapi-Willow Springs
Rd, then west on CA-58.

I-5 north: north of Templin Hwy:
Nearest Alternative west: CA-126 to US-101 to CA-33 to CA-166.
Nearest Alternative east: Lake Hughes Rd to Pine Canyon Rd/County N-2 to
Three Points Rd to CA-138.

* CA-14: No choke point; Sierra Hwy is intact into Kern County, with
numerous nearby alternates.  However, a big enough earthquake could close
the entire Newhall Pass (I-5/CA-14/San Fernando Rd/Foothill Blvd):
Nearest Alternative west: CA-118 to CA-23 to CA-126.
Nearest Alternative east: I-210 to Osborne St to Little Tujunga Canyon Rd,
then either Sand Canyon Rd or Placerita Canyon Rd to CA-14.

* I-15 north: Just south of CA-138 in Cajon Pass.
Nearest alternative east: Rim of the World Hwy (CA-18) to Crestline, then
northwest on CA-138.
Nearest Alternative west: Lytle Creek Rd to Lone Pine Canyon Rd, then east
on CA-138.

* I-10: Just west of CA-111 in San Gorgonio Pass.
Nearest Alternative north:  CA-18 to Lucerne Valley, then CA-247 (Old Woman
Springs Rd) to Yucca Valley, then CA-62 (either west to I-10 or east to
CA-177 to I-10).
Nearest Alternative south: CA 79 to Hemet (or CA-243 through Idyllwild),
then CA-74 to Palm Desert.

* I-15 south: No real choke point; Temescal Cyn (old CA-71) or Old Hwy 395
are available at key points, with numerous nearby alternates in the Temecula
area and in San Diego county.  Plus, I-215 is available as an alternate to
I-15 anywhere between Murietta and Devore.

* I-5 south: At Camp Pendleton (why do you think they placed the Border
Patrol station here?)
Nearest Alternative east: CA-74/Ortega Hwy to I-15 to CA-76 or CA-78.
Nearest Alternative west: Swim!

* CA-91: At the Orange county/Riverside county line at Green River
(admittedly, this is still within the L.A. basin, but the lack of alternates
makes it worth listing):
Nearest Alternative north: CA-90 to Valencia Ave to Carbon Cyn/CA-142 to
CA-71.
Nearest Alternative south: I-5 south to Ortega Hwy/CA-74.

My point is to remind us how vulnerable most of our key transportation
routes are.  Some of these alternates take more than two hours to drive,
even without the load of traffic that would be forced to use the route in
the event of a freeway closure.  If we ever have to evacuate Los Angeles (I
know, it would never happen--I've been watching too many junk TV movies,
such as NBC's 10.5 ), we would all be in deep trouble.

And how did we get this way?  Caltrans eliminated (paved over) key portions
of the earlier routes (such as the Old Ridge Route and the Golden State Hwy)
in the process of building our current freeways.