🚀 go-pugleaf

On Thu, 14 Apr 1994 19:34:28 GMT, hatunen@netcom.com (DaveHatunen) said:

> Although construction of most of the LA freeways occured after passage
> of the Interstate Highway act, I was under the impression that many of
> them were on the drawing boards prior to that, and that the routes were
> pretty well picked, as were the names. It was in that sense that I
> believe most of the freeways had names before they had Interstate
> numbers. 

The original proposal of the highways to be included in the Interstate system
was submitted in 1947; the Interstate highway system was created in 1944,
which authorized the initial 40,000 mi of which Calif was allocated 1,938 mi.
Most of the routes submitted were existing US or state routes (or roughly
paralleled an existing US or state rte) that the state dept. of highways
planned on upgrading or rerouting. These routes were submitted by Rte number,
not name.

> For local people, the names generally can mean more than the numbers
> (except to the extent that the numbers are just another name). 

Well, I'm a local person. Born in LA; lived here all my life.

> As numbers, the numbers are mostly useful to people travelling with state
> highway maps.

Actually, I prefer the numbers to the names, but then the history of highway
numbering is a hobby of mine.

> I think to the Angeleno, "Harbor Freeway" is a lot more
> useful and descriptive than a number. 

Really. OK... where is the northern boundary of the Harbor Freeway: the
connection with the Santa Monica, or the connection with Rte 101? What is
the Western boundary of the Santa Ana Freeway: the connection with Rte 110, or
the 5/101 interchange? Where does the Orange Freeway start: At the Rte 57/10
interchange, or at the Rte 210/30 interchange? When does the Artestia Fwy turn
into the Riverside Fwy? Where does the Moreno Valley Fwy start and the Pomona
Freeway end? Where does Simi Valley Freeway start and the San Fernando Valley
Freeway end?

> And, of course, the number usually means a whole lot more than the name. You
> take I-10 to Blythe as well as to Santa Monica, while "Santa Monica Freeway"
> means that thing that starts downtown and ends up at the pier.

Actually, I-10 is offically designated in two parts. 10(a) is what is called
the Santa Monica Freeway; 10(b) is what is called the San Bernadino Freeway,
at least in CalTrans District 5.

10  (a) from Rte 1 in Santa Monica to Rte 5 near 7th St. in Los Angeles
	[Approved as chargeable Interstate on 9/15/1955]
    (b) from Rte 101 near Mission Rd. in Los Angeles to the Arizona state line
        at the Colorado River via the vicinity of Monterey Park, Pomona,
        Colton, Indio, and Chiraco Summit, and via Blythe. [This portion
	approved as chargeable Interstate on 7/7/1947; the portion from Rte
	101 to Rte 5 was originally to have been designated as I-110, with
	I-10 sharing a route with Rte 5 between the San Bernadino and Santa
	Monica portions of Rte 10. The I-110 designation was deleted as
	chargeable interstate in August 1965 and a designation of I-10 was
	used to the Rte 101 interchange.]

> As to route numbers and names, they get moved around a lot. 

I haven't seen a lot of rte number movement, except in the great renumbering
in approximately 1959. A number of routes have been given new numbers, but the
old number has not been reused.

Daniel (who lives near the 405/118 interchange, and near the 118/5
interchange, both of which are still standing, thank you.)

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