155-1027: Interstate 5 ( I-5 ) is a major north–south route of the Interstate Highway System in the United States, running largely parallel to the Pacific Coast between the Mexican border and the Canadian border . The segment of I-5 in California runs across the length of the state from the Mexican border at the San Ysidro Port of Entry in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego to the Oregon state line south of
310-535: A concurrency or overlap. For example, I‑75 and I‑85 share the same roadway in Atlanta ; this 7.4-mile (11.9 km) section, called the Downtown Connector , is labeled both I‑75 and I‑85. Concurrencies between Interstate and US Highway numbers are also allowed in accordance with AASHTO policy, as long as the length of the concurrency is reasonable. In rare instances, two highway designations sharing
465-801: A left-driving configuration for about 5 mi (8.0 km) before the highway crosses back into its standard alignment. This section is known as the Five Mile Grade. After cresting the Five Mile Grade, the freeway enters the Angeles National Forest . It passes Pyramid Lake and intersects SR 138 before crossing the Tejon Pass through the Tehachapi Mountains near the Los Angeles– Kern county line, with Path 26 power lines generally paralleling
620-651: A 28-year-old brevet lieutenant colonel, accompanied the trip "through darkest America with truck and tank," as he later described it. Some roads in the West were a "succession of dust, ruts, pits, and holes." As the landmark 1916 law expired, new legislation was passed—the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 (Phipps Act). This new road construction initiative once again provided for federal matching funds for road construction and improvement, $ 75 million allocated annually. Moreover, this new legislation for
775-476: A change in the numbering system as a result of a new policy adopted in 1973. Previously, letter-suffixed numbers were used for long spurs off primary routes; for example, western I‑84 was I‑80N, as it went north from I‑80 . The new policy stated, "No new divided numbers (such as I-35W and I-35E , etc.) shall be adopted." The new policy also recommended that existing divided numbers be eliminated as quickly as possible; however, an I-35W and I-35E still exist in
930-403: 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 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,
1085-624: 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 321 mi (517 km). 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 4 mi (6.4 km) between
1240-595: A national road grid with the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 . In 1926, the United States Numbered Highway System was established, creating the first national road numbering system for cross-country travel. The roads were state-funded and maintained, and there were few national standards for road design. United States Numbered Highways ranged from two-lane country roads to multi-lane freeways. After Dwight D. Eisenhower became president in 1953, his administration developed
1395-668: A north–south connector route between the cities east of Los Angeles, including those in the San Gabriel Valley . I-5 then enters Commerce , passing the Citadel Outlets shopping center, and intersects I-710 before entering the large unincorporated community of East Los Angeles and later the city proper of Los Angeles . When the freeway reaches the East Los Angeles Interchange 1 mi (1.6 km) east of downtown Los Angeles, I-5 becomes
1550-589: A numbering scheme in which primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, and shorter routes which branch off of longer ones are assigned three-digit numbers where the last two digits match the parent route. The Interstate Highway System is partially financed through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself is funded by a combination of a federal fuel tax and transfers from the Treasury's general fund. Though federal legislation initially banned
1705-491: A proposal for an interstate highway system, eventually resulting in the enactment of the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956 . Unlike the earlier United States Numbered Highway System, the interstates were designed to be all freeways, with nationally unified standards for construction and signage. While some older freeways were adopted into the system, most of the routes were completely new. In dense urban areas,
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#17327908700711860-559: A report called Toll Roads and Free Roads , "the first formal description of what became the Interstate Highway System" and, in 1944, the similarly themed Interregional Highways . The Interstate Highway System gained a champion in President Dwight D. Eisenhower, who was influenced by his experiences as a young Army officer crossing the country in the 1919 Motor Transport Corps convoy that drove in part on
2015-584: A shortfall in funding from state bonds in 2009. The part between Britannia Boulevard and Siempre Viva Road opened in December 2010. The interchange with I-805 began to be upgraded in April 2011, and the construction, which used $ 20 million in federal funding, finished in February 2012. The final freeway segment of SR 905 between I-805 and Britannia Boulevard opened on July 30, 2012. The entire cost of
2170-409: A single digit prefixed to the two-digit number of its parent Interstate Highway. Spur routes deviate from their parent and do not return; these are given an odd first digit. Circumferential and radial loop routes return to the parent, and are given an even first digit. Unlike primary Interstates, three-digit Interstates are signed as either east–west or north–south, depending on the general orientation of
2325-680: A southerly extension of the HOV lanes to the San Bernardino Split interchange, but there are no near plans to construct that as well. Widening that segment of the freeway will require several overpass demolitions, as well a major widening through the area, as the freeway is too small to handle the widening. The widening would also result in hundreds of homes and commercial buildings to be demolished. Interstate Highway System [REDACTED] The Dwight D. Eisenhower National System of Interstate and Defense Highways , commonly known as
2480-801: A speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) because it is a parkway that consists of only one lane per side of the highway. On the other hand, Interstates 15, 80, 84, and 215 in Utah have speed limits as high as 70 mph (115 km/h) within the Wasatch Front , Cedar City , and St. George areas, and I-25 in New Mexico within the Santa Fe and Las Vegas areas along with I-20 in Texas along Odessa and Midland and I-29 in North Dakota along
2635-460: A speed limit of 80 mph (130 km/h). Other Interstates in Idaho, Montana, Oklahoma, South Dakota and Wyoming also have the same high speed limits. In some areas, speed limits on Interstates can be significantly lower in areas where they traverse significantly hazardous areas. The maximum speed limit on I-90 is 50 mph (80 km/h) in downtown Cleveland because of two sharp curves with
2790-474: A suggested limit of 35 mph (55 km/h) in a heavily congested area; I-70 through Wheeling, West Virginia , has a maximum speed limit of 45 mph (70 km/h) through the Wheeling Tunnel and most of downtown Wheeling; and I-68 has a maximum speed limit of 40 mph (65 km/h) through Cumberland, Maryland , because of multiple hazards including sharp curves and narrow lanes through
2945-735: A temporary fix for the problem. The next year, the California Transportation Commission allocated $ 25 million of state funding towards completing the freeway. The interchange with Siempre Viva Road opened on December 8, 2004. Delays in the U.S. Congress approving federal funding in 2005 resulted in a delayed start to construction for the rest of SR 905. Construction began on the part of SR 905 between Britannia Boulevard and Siempre Viva Road in April 2008, and from Brittania Boulevard to I-805 in July 2009. Efforts were made to keep construction going despite
3100-571: A toll road that eventually connects to SR 241 . Just before the Tustin city limits, I-5 passes over SR 261 , the final toll road of the Eastern Transportation Corridor , 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
3255-543: Is also commonly believed the Interstate Highway System was built for the sole purpose of evacuating cities in the event of nuclear warfare . While military motivations were present, the primary motivations were civilian. The numbering scheme for the Interstate Highway System was developed in 1957 by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The association's present numbering policy dates back to August 10, 1973. Within
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#17327908700713410-404: Is closed (via SR 58 and SR 14). The interchange has partially collapsed twice due to earthquakes: the 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
3565-545: Is currently undergoing expansion as part of the North Coast Corridor project. The carpool lane expansion from Lomas Santa Fe Drive to SR 78 fully opened by late 2023. As part of this expansion, the bridge carrying I-5 over San Elijo Lagoon was replaced with a much wider bridge. Previously in 2007, a carpool lane opened between Lomas Santa Fe Drive and I-805, with a continuation of the lanes on I-805 to Governor Drive opening in 2016. There are plans to construct
3720-539: Is known as the Orange Crush interchange . Following this, I-5 briefly enters the city of Orange and then traverses Anaheim , passing along the north side of Disneyland . I-5 then intersects SR 91 , passes through Buena Park and crosses into Los Angeles County . After crossing the county line, I-5 goes through several cities southeast of Los Angeles, including La Mirada , Santa Fe Springs , and Norwalk . In Downey , I-5 intersects I-605 , which serves as
3875-400: Is planned.) This allows a continuous HOV lane to run from Palmdale to North Hollywood via SR 14 to I-5 to SR 170. I-5 continues along the western city limits of Santa Clarita and passes Six Flags Magic Mountain , intersecting SR 126 just north of there. The Golden State Freeway then rises sharply, passing by Lake Castaic and undergoing a unique crossover resulting in
4030-533: Is still listed as a control city on northbound I-5 between SR 99 and I-580. 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
4185-594: 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
4340-539: Is to have the highway route extend from Tamaulipas , Mexico to Ontario , Canada. The planned I-11 will then bridge the Interstate gap between Phoenix, Arizona and Las Vegas, Nevada , and thus form part of the CANAMEX Corridor (along with I-19 , and portions of I-10 and I-15 ) between Sonora , Mexico and Alberta , Canada. Political opposition from residents canceled many freeway projects around
4495-588: The Central Valley , and is largely removed from the major population centers such as Bakersfield, Fresno and Modesto ; other state highways provide connections. I-5 still runs within the vicinity of Avenal , Coalinga , 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 electrical transmission corridor follows
4650-474: The Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex in Texas, and an I-35W and I-35E that run through Minneapolis and Saint Paul , Minnesota, still exist. Additionally, due to Congressional requirements, three sections of I-69 in southern Texas will be divided into I-69W , I-69E , and I-69C (for Central). AASHTO policy allows dual numbering to provide continuity between major control points. This is referred to as
4805-552: The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 into law. Under the act, the federal government would pay for 90 percent of the cost of construction of Interstate Highways. Each Interstate Highway was required to be a freeway with at least four lanes and no at-grade crossings. The publication in 1955 of the General Location of National System of Interstate Highways , informally known as the Yellow Book , mapped out what became
Interstate 5 in California - Misplaced Pages Continue
4960-630: The Grand Forks area have higher speed limits of 75 mph (120 km/h). As one of the components of the National Highway System , Interstate Highways improve the mobility of military troops to and from airports, seaports, rail terminals, and other military bases. Interstate Highways also connect to other roads that are a part of the Strategic Highway Network , a system of roads identified as critical to
5115-642: The Interstate Highway System in October ;1984. The Otay Mesa border crossing opened on January 24, 1985. The route number was legislatively changed to 905 in 1986, and signs were updated in 1988. This change was to apply for other federal funding. The original piece of SR 117, west of I-5, also became SR 905 with the rest of SR 117, but the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has not constructed it. Efforts were underway in 1997 to secure federal funding for
5270-802: The Interstate Highway System , or the Eisenhower Interstate System , is a network of controlled-access highways that forms part of the National Highway System in the United States . The system extends throughout the contiguous United States and has routes in Hawaii , Alaska , and Puerto Rico . In the 20th century, the United States Congress began funding roadways through the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , and started an effort to construct
5425-536: The John J. Montgomery Freeway , San Diego Freeway , Santa Ana Freeway , Golden State Freeway , and West Side Freeway . The entirety of Interstate 5 in California is defined in the California Streets and Highways Code as Route 5 , which is defined as such in section 305: Route 5 is from the international boundary near Tijuana to the Oregon state line via National City , San Diego , Los Angeles ,
5580-658: The Klamath River and reaching the Oregon border and the Siskiyou Summit . North of Redding, I-5 regularly gets snow at higher elevations from fall to spring. Caltrans sometimes requires vehicles to use snow tires , snow chains , or other traction devices in the mountains during and after snowstorms . Checkpoints are often set up to enforce chain restrictions on vehicles bound for icy or snowy areas. When chain restrictions are in effect, vehicles must have chains on
5735-529: The Lincoln Highway , the first road across America. He recalled that, "The old convoy had started me thinking about good two-lane highways... the wisdom of broader ribbons across our land." Eisenhower also gained an appreciation of the Reichsautobahn system, the first "national" implementation of modern Germany's Autobahn network, as a necessary component of a national defense system while he
5890-453: The Medford - Ashland metropolitan area. It is the longest interstate in California at 796.77 miles (1,282.28 km), and accounts for more than half of I-5's total length of 1,381.29 miles (2,222.97 km). It is also the second longest stretch of Interstate Highway (and the longest for a north-south Interstate) with a single designation within a single state after I-10 in Texas . It is
6045-589: The Otay Mesa Freeway , is an 8.964-mile-long (14.426 km) state highway in San Diego , in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of California . It connects I-5 and I-805 in San Ysidro to the Mexican border at Otay Mesa . The entire highway from I-5 to the international border is a freeway with a few exits that continues east from the I-805 interchange before turning southeast and reaching
6200-749: The SR ;4 freeway that provides access to downtown Stockton. I-5 passes through the western portion of the Lodi city limits before intersecting SR 12 and entering Sacramento County . I-5 enters the city of 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
6355-694: The SR 73 toll road heading northwest. I-5 continues to the El Toro Y 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 ,
Interstate 5 in California - Misplaced Pages Continue
6510-786: The San Luis Reservoir (where SR 152 provides a major connection to the Monterey Peninsula and the Silicon Valley ), and SR 140 at the 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 , I-580 splits off from I-5 south of Tracy, providing a spur-route connection to
6665-595: The Shasta Cascade region, intersecting SR 273 in Anderson before passing through Redding and intersecting SR 44 and SR 299 . The freeway then continues through the city of Shasta Lake , intersecting 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
6820-444: The US Department of Defense . The system has also been used to facilitate evacuations in the face of hurricanes and other natural disasters. An option for maximizing traffic throughput on a highway is to reverse the flow of traffic on one side of a divider so that all lanes become outbound lanes. This procedure, known as contraflow lane reversal , has been employed several times for hurricane evacuations. After public outcry regarding
6975-411: The US Highways , which increase from east to west and north to south). This numbering system usually holds true even if the local direction of the route does not match the compass directions. Numbers divisible by five are intended to be major arteries among the primary routes, carrying traffic long distances. Primary north–south Interstates increase in number from I-5 between Canada and Mexico along
7130-431: The Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway , an All-American Road . 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 (Caltrans) only from SR 152 to I-580 . I-5 begins at the San Ysidro Port of Entry from Mexico in the San Ysidro neighborhood of San Diego. Immediately after the border, I-805 splits off to
7285-437: The West Coast to I‑95 between Canada and Miami, Florida along the East Coast . Major west–east arterial Interstates increase in number from I-10 between Santa Monica, California , and Jacksonville, Florida , to I-90 between Seattle, Washington , and Boston, Massachusetts , with two exceptions. There are no I-50 and I-60, as routes with those numbers would likely pass through states that currently have US Highways with
7440-476: The Burbank Boulevard bridge replacement was completed in 2021. The fourth and final phase is in the Santa Clarita Valley, where Caltrans is undergoing construction to extend the carpool lane from the Newhall Pass interchange to Parker Road in Castaic. These lanes are scheduled to open to traffic in 2026. A fifth phase to build a flyover which will connect I-405's carpool lanes with I-5's is in the works, but there are no near plans to construct it. The same plan includes
7595-473: The Capital City Freeway, which carries US 50 and 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 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
7750-402: The Congress Hotel in Chicago. In the plan, Mehren proposed a 50,000-mile (80,000 km) system, consisting of five east–west routes and 10 north–south routes. The system would include two percent of all roads and would pass through every state at a cost of $ 25,000 per mile ($ 16,000/km), providing commercial as well as military transport benefits. In 1919, the US Army sent an expedition across
7905-439: The Golden State Freeway as US 101 takes over the Santa Ana Freeway designation. At this interchange, I-10 , SR 60 , and US 101 intersect; I-10 continues north on I-5 for about 2 mi (3.2 km) before continuing east towards San Bernardino and points farther east. On the north side of downtown, the Golden State Freeway follows the Los Angeles River , intersects SR 110 and SR 2 and passes along
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#17327908700718060-409: 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), which had been endorsed by local groups as early as 1945. 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
8215-410: The I-5 junction, the former of which was the highest AADT for the freeway. What was known as the "Otay Mesa Road" existed as a dirt road by 1927. A paved road connected San Ysidro to Brown Field and the easternmost ranches in the Otay Mesa area by 1935. Discussions were held between San Diego County and National City over the maintenance of the road in 1950, since it was used by trucks travelling to
8370-407: The Interstate Highway System. Assisting in the planning was Charles Erwin Wilson , who was still head of General Motors when President Eisenhower selected him as Secretary of Defense in January 1953. Some sections of highways that became part of the Interstate Highway System actually began construction earlier. Three states have claimed the title of first Interstate Highway. Missouri claims that
8525-424: The Interstate Highway program. The Interstates of Alaska and Puerto Rico are numbered sequentially in order of funding without regard to the rules on odd and even numbers. They also carry the prefixes A and PR , respectively. However, these highways are signed according to their local designations, not their Interstate Highway numbers. Furthermore, these routes were neither planned according to nor constructed to
8680-526: The Otay Mesa crossing and the construction of SR 75 to connect it to I-5 and I-805. Later, the Comprehensive Planning Organization (CPO), the local association of municipal governments, recommended using $ 4 million of federal funding for the construction of SR 75. The CPO later endorsed expediting construction of the freeway before completion of the border crossing, so that the freeway would primarily serve border traffic, thus preventing land speculation in Otay Mesa. While Mexican authorities wanted
8835-466: 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 , 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 SeaWorld and Mission Bay . Thereafter, I-5 intersects
8990-463: The Sacramento River into Yolo County . In Woodland , the SR 113 freeway merges with I-5 before exiting to the north. The Interstate heads northwest again toward Dunnigan , where it converges with I-505 . 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 . From Dunnigan, I-5 enters Colusa County , passing through
9145-443: The San Francisco Bay Area. From here, I-5 crosses the California Aqueduct for the final time and intersects SR 132 , a major route to Modesto and the mountains in the east, as well as the northern end of SR 33. After passing Tracy, I-5 intersects I-205 , a connector route to I-580, before intersecting the SR 120 freeway near Manteca . After passing through Lathrop , I-5 heads due north through Stockton, intersecting
9300-452: 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 " daylighted ") when the road was widened to four lanes. Additionally, by 1930, a bypass road was constructed to avoid Newhall Pass via Weldon and Gavin canyons, which
9455-437: The Tejon Pass and Grapevine typically gets snow at higher elevations during the winter. Although Caltrans may require vehicles to use snow tires , snow chains , or other traction devices during and after snowstorms , the California Highway Patrol will instead usually close this segment altogether during these conditions because of the steep grade of the pass, and the amount of passenger traffic and big-rigs that generally use
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#17327908700719610-506: The US to determine the difficulties that military vehicles would have on a cross-country trip. Leaving from the Ellipse near the White House on July 7, the Motor Transport Corps convoy needed 62 days to drive 3,200 miles (5,100 km) on the Lincoln Highway to the Presidio of San Francisco along the Golden Gate . The convoy suffered many setbacks and problems on the route, such as poor-quality bridges, broken crankshafts, and engines clogged with desert sand. Dwight Eisenhower , then
9765-631: The United States, including: In addition to cancellations, removals of freeways are planned: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) has defined a set of standards that all new Interstates must meet unless a waiver from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is obtained. One almost absolute standard is the controlled access nature of the roads. With few exceptions , traffic lights (and cross traffic in general) are limited to toll booths and ramp meters (metered flow control for lane merging during rush hour ). Being freeways , Interstate Highways usually have
9920-508: 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 SR 41 before briefly entering the city limits of Avenal, where it intersects SR 269 . In Fresno County , I-5 intersects SR 198 and SR 145 before running concurrently with SR 33 for several miles. I-5 then crosses into Merced County , intersecting SR 165 , SR 152 and SR 33 near
10075-479: 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, I-7 or 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-5's more direct Los Angeles-to-Sacramento route bypasses San Francisco, San Jose , Oakland , and
10230-429: 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
10385-413: The act was signed, and paving started September 26, 1956. The state marked its portion of I-70 as the first project in the United States completed under the provisions of the new Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The Pennsylvania Turnpike could also be considered one of the first Interstate Highways, and is nicknamed "Grandfather of the Interstate System". On October 1, 1940, 162 miles (261 km) of
10540-468: The border. SR 905 formerly followed Otay Mesa Road , which had been in existence since at least 1927. Before it was SR 905, the route was first designated as part of SR 75 , before it was redesignated as SR 117 . The freeway was completed between I-5 and Otay Mesa Road in 1976. The border crossing opened in 1985 after several delays in obtaining funding for construction on what would become SR 905. After becoming SR 905 in 1986,
10695-399: The cancellation of the Somerset Freeway . This situation was remedied when the construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike/Interstate 95 Interchange Project started in 2010 and partially opened on September 22, 2018, which was already enough to fill the gap. However, I-70 remains discontinuous in Pennsylvania , because of the lack of a direct interchange with the Pennsylvania Turnpike at
10850-399: The carpool lanes of SR 14 and I-5 opened in 2014. The second phase was between Buena Vista Street and SR 170, and the carpool lane opened in 2014. This phase also included a flyover between the existing carpool lane of SR 170 and the newly constructed I-5. The freeway in this phase went through no improvements, and used existing median shoulders to construct the HOV lane, thus all
11005-406: The choice of routing destroyed many well-established neighborhoods, often intentionally as part of a program of " urban renewal ". In the two decades following the 1956 Highway Act, the construction of the freeways displaced one million people, and as a result of the many freeway revolts during this era, several planned Interstates were abandoned or re-routed to avoid urban cores. Construction of
11160-512: The city of Williams and intersecting SR 20 . In Glenn County , I-5 intersects SR 162 in Willows and SR 32 in Orland . I-5 then crosses into Tehama County , passing through Corning before entering Red Bluff and intersecting SR 36 , which connects to the northern end of SR 99. I-5 crosses the Sacramento River twice before entering Shasta County . I-5 then enters
11315-664: The city. In some locations, low speed limits are the result of lawsuits and resident demands; after holding up the completion of I-35E in St. Paul, Minnesota , for nearly 30 years in the courts, residents along the stretch of the freeway from the southern city limit to downtown successfully lobbied for a 45 mph (70 km/h) speed limit in addition to a prohibition on any vehicle weighing more than 9,000 pounds (4,100 kg) gross vehicle weight . I-93 in Franconia Notch State Park in northern New Hampshire has
11470-492: 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. The Ridge Route refers to
11625-401: The collection of tolls, some Interstate routes are toll roads , either because they were grandfathered into the system or because subsequent legislation has allowed for tolling of Interstates in some cases. As of 2022 , about one quarter of all vehicle miles driven in the country used the Interstate Highway System, which has a total length of 48,890 miles (78,680 km). In 2022 and 2023,
11780-402: The connection. Following this, in 1972, the legislature added a new SR 117, which extended this part of SR 75 southwest to the Mexican border near Border Field State Park , to the state highway system, and a southerly extension of SR 125 to the border at Otay Mesa to the state highway and Freeway and Expressway systems. Two years later, planning began for the construction of
11935-490: The connection. To help fix this problem, a direct freeway-to-freeway interchange was planned, which also included the new SR 11 freeway once it was to be constructed, with construction beginning in late 2015. SR 11 is planned to be a toll facility that will serve a new border crossing east of Otay Mesa. Ramps from SR 905 eastbound to SR 125 northbound, SR 905 westbound to SR 125 northbound, and SR 11 westbound to SR 125 northbound were completed on November 30, 2016, at
12090-507: The construction and improvement of highways. The nation's revenue needs associated with World War I prevented any significant implementation of this policy, which expired in 1921. In December 1918, E. J. Mehren, a civil engineer and the editor of Engineering News-Record , presented his "A Suggested National Highway Policy and Plan" during a gathering of the State Highway Officials and Highway Industries Association at
12245-407: The contiguous United States, primary Interstates—also called main line Interstates or two-digit Interstates—are assigned numbers less than 100. While numerous exceptions do exist, there is a general scheme for numbering Interstates. Primary Interstates are assigned one- or two-digit numbers, while shorter routes (such as spurs, loops, and short connecting roads) are assigned three-digit numbers where
12400-552: The corridor. 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 freeway's median in Castaic north of Lake Hughes Road allows drivers to turn around when such closures occur. From SR 99 at Wheeler Ridge to Woodland , I-5 is known as the West Side Freeway. I-5 parallels SR 33 , skirting along the far more remote western edge of
12555-496: The cost of $ 74 million. The ramp from SR 125 southbound to SR 905 westbound, which was still under construction at the time, was initially scheduled to open to traffic in 2023, but was instead opened to traffic on July 26, 2022, finally completing the interchange. There are no plans to construct the remaining connections from SR 905 westbound to SR 11 eastbound and SR 11 westbound to SR 905 eastbound. Plans are for SR 905 to become I-905; however, it could not be constructed with
12710-415: The cost of over $ 21 million. Prior to December 16, 2021, traffic on southbound SR 125 was forced to exit onto Otay Mesa Road at that toll road's then southern terminus in order to connect to SR 11 and SR 905. Construction on the ramps for these connections began in 2018, with the ramps from SR 125 southbound to SR 11 eastbound and SR 125 southbound to SR 905 eastbound being completed on December 16, 2021, at
12865-616: The county line. At an OCTA board meeting in August 2024, it was discussed that preliminary engineering is ongoing and will be complete next year. However, a timeline for actual construction was not provided. This extension would give way for I-5 to have carpool lanes for its entire length in Orange County, plus the newly widened section in Los Angeles County, for a total of 50 miles. OCTA and Caltrans are expected to work with
13020-495: The crossing constructed in 1975, the CPO indicated that the funding for SR 75 would not be available until at least 1980, or even 1985. Following this, Representative Lionel Van Deerlin attempted to accelerate the construction of the crossing, even though there was no funding for the highway. Construction began on the southern portion of SR 75 in mid-1974. In January 1976, the part of SR 75 between I-805 and Otay Mesa Road
13175-623: The discontinuity, but they have been blocked by local opposition, fearing a loss of business. The Interstate Highway System has been expanded numerous times. The expansions have both created new designations and extended existing designations. For example, I-49 , added to the system in the 1980s as a freeway in Louisiana , was designated as an expansion corridor, and FHWA approved the expanded route north from Lafayette, Louisiana , to Kansas City, Missouri . The freeway exists today as separate completed segments, with segments under construction or in
13330-448: The dissemination of public information. As a result, the 2005 evacuation of New Orleans, Louisiana, prior to Hurricane Katrina ran much more smoothly. According to urban legend , early regulations required that one out of every five miles of the Interstate Highway System must be built straight and flat, so as to be usable by aircraft during times of war. There is no evidence of this rule being included in any Interstate legislation. It
13485-449: The driving wheels, except 4WD vehicles with snow tires. Additionally, during the winter season, trucks are required to carry chains whether or not controls are in force. 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
13640-549: 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 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
13795-496: The eastern end of the concurrency near Breezewood . Traveling in either direction, I-70 traffic must exit the freeway and use a short stretch of US 30 (which includes a number of roadside services) to rejoin I-70. The interchange was not originally built because of a legacy federal funding rule, since relaxed, which restricted the use of federal funds to improve roads financed with tolls. Solutions have been proposed to eliminate
13950-738: 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 and then 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 , I-5 intersects SR 118 . Following this, I-5 intersects three routes in succession:
14105-450: The economy. Not just as a public works measure, but for future growth. Clay's committee proposed a 10-year, $ 100 billion program ($ 1.13 trillion in 2023), which would build 40,000 miles (64,000 km) of divided highways linking all American cities with a population of greater than 50,000. Eisenhower initially preferred a system consisting of toll roads , but Clay convinced Eisenhower that toll roads were not feasible outside of
14260-492: The existing, largely non-freeway, United States Numbered Highways system. By the late 1930s, planning had expanded to a system of new superhighways. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt gave Thomas MacDonald , chief at the Bureau of Public Roads, a hand-drawn map of the United States marked with eight superhighway corridors for study. In 1939, Bureau of Public Roads Division of Information chief Herbert S. Fairbank wrote
14415-426: The federal government, Interstate Highways are owned by the state in which they were built. With few exceptions , all Interstates must meet specific standards , such as having controlled access, physical barriers or median strips between lanes of oncoming traffic, breakdown lanes , avoiding at-grade intersections , no traffic lights , and complying with federal traffic sign specifications. Interstate Highways use
14570-515: The first three contracts under the new program were signed in Missouri on August 2, 1956. The first contract signed was for upgrading a section of US Route 66 to what is now designated Interstate 44 . On August 13, 1956, work began on US 40 (now I-70) in St. Charles County. Kansas claims that it was the first to start paving after the act was signed. Preliminary construction had taken place before
14725-614: The first time sought to target these funds to the construction of a national road grid of interconnected "primary highways", setting up cooperation among the various state highway planning boards. The Bureau of Public Roads asked the Army to provide a list of roads that it considered necessary for national defense. In 1922, General John J. Pershing , former head of the American Expeditionary Force in Europe during
14880-440: 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. In 1992, Caltrans finished upgrading the final 13 mile segment north of Lakehead . I-5 through north San Diego County
15035-472: The freeway ran from $ 13.8 million to $ 28.5 million. In late 1977, the CPO made plans to push for adding SR 117 to the Interstate Highway System, to obtain additional federal funding. By 1979, both San Diego city and county had allocated $ 6 million to construct a temporary way to access the border crossing along Otay Mesa and Harvest Roads. Two years later, the City of San Diego indicated that
15190-602: The freeway then intersects I-805 . Following this, SR 905 veers southeast to parallel Otay Mesa Road, with interchanges at Caliente Avenue (in Pacific Gateway Park ), Britannia Boulevard, and La Media Road. Following those interchanges, SR 905 also interchanges with the SR 125 toll road and the SR 11 freeway, which is planned to be a toll facility that will serve a new border crossing east of Otay Mesa. Immediately after, SR 905 turns south to its final interchange at Siempre Viva Road before
15345-562: The freeway. After entering Kern County, the freeway sharply descends for 12 mi (19 km) from 4,144 ft (1,263 m) at the Tejon Pass to 1,499 ft (457 m) at Grapevine near the southernmost point of the San Joaquin Valley , approximately 30 mi (48 km) south of Bakersfield and 5 mi (8.0 km) south of its interchange with SR 99 at Wheeler Ridge . This stretch of I-5 through
15500-406: The freeway. Concerns were expressed by local residents and municipal officials regarding the apparent priority of SR 125 over SR 905 in terms of funding, especially since SR 125 was to be constructed as a toll road, and SR 905 would compete with the toll road enterprise. In May 1998, Congress approved $ 54 million in funding for the completion of SR 905. Otay Mesa Road
15655-556: The highest speed limits in a given area. Speed limits are determined by individual states. From 1975 to 1986, the maximum speed limit on any highway in the United States was 55 miles per hour (90 km/h), in accordance with federal law. Typically, lower limits are established in Northeastern and coastal states, while higher speed limits are established in inland states west of the Mississippi River . For example,
15810-553: The highly populated coastal regions. In February 1955, Eisenhower forwarded Clay's proposal to Congress. The bill quickly won approval in the Senate, but House Democrats objected to the use of public bonds as the means to finance construction. Eisenhower and the House Democrats agreed to instead finance the system through the Highway Trust Fund , which itself would be funded by a gasoline tax. In June 1956, Eisenhower signed
15965-487: The highway and other infrastructure near the Mexican border, largely supported by Senator Barbara Boxer and Representative Bob Filner , and Representative Bud Schuster , the chairman of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee , visited the region before giving informal approval to the proposal. In 1999, Governor Gray Davis approved allocating $ 27 million in federal funding to complete
16120-617: The highway now designated I‑70 and I‑76 opened between Irwin and Carlisle . The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania refers to the turnpike as the Granddaddy of the Pikes, a reference to turnpikes . Milestones in the construction of the Interstate Highway System include: The initial cost estimate for the system was $ 25 billion over 12 years; it ended up costing $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 425 billion in 2006 or $ 618 billion in 2023 ) and took 35 years. The system
16275-451: The highway was converted to first an expressway in 2000 and then a freeway in 2010 and 2011. Plans are for this highway to eventually become Interstate 905 . SR 905 begins at the intersection of Tocayo Avenue and Oro Vista Road in Nestor . It begins as a freeway, intersecting with I-5 at a partial cloverleaf interchange . After interchanges with Beyer Boulevard and Picador Boulevard,
16430-600: 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 SR 166 , SR 119 and SR 43 before meeting SR 58 , a highway that continues east to Bakersfield, near the town of Buttonwillow . I-5 then intersects SR 46 before entering Kings County . From
16585-459: The inefficiency of evacuating from southern Louisiana prior to Hurricane Georges ' landfall in September 1998, government officials looked towards contraflow to improve evacuation times. In Savannah, Georgia , and Charleston, South Carolina , in 1999, lanes of I-16 and I-26 were used in a contraflow configuration in anticipation of Hurricane Floyd with mixed results. In 2004, contraflow
16740-512: The landfill. The majority of SR 905, running in parallel with Otay Mesa Road from I-5 to SR 125 , was added to the state highway system and the California Freeway and Expressway System in 1959 as Legislative Route 281 , and became part of SR 75 in the 1964 renumbering . Planning was underway for the extension of SR 75 east to the then-proposed SR 125 by 1963. The California Highway Commission endorsed
16895-566: The last three miles from SR 78 to Oceanside Harbor Drive, however, there is a lack of funding for them, and there are no plans to set aside funding from the state to construct them. In Orange County, the HOV lane opened in the mid-1990s between SR 1 and SR 91, following the widening of the freeway between SR 55 and SR 91, between SR 91 and Artesia Boulevard in 2010, and between SR 1 and Avenida Pico in 2018. Multiple carpool flyovers were constructed during this time to connect motorists from one freeway's carpool lanes to
17050-431: The last two digits match the parent route (thus, I-294 is a loop that connects at both ends to I-94 , while I-787 is a short spur route attached to I-87 ). In the numbering scheme for the primary routes, east–west highways are assigned even numbers and north–south highways are assigned odd numbers. Odd route numbers increase from west to east, and even-numbered routes increase from south to north (to avoid confusion with
17205-454: The mainline. Some auxiliary highways do not follow these guidelines, however. The Interstate Highway System also extends to Alaska , Hawaii , and Puerto Rico , even though they have no direct land connections to any other states or territories. However, their residents still pay federal fuel and tire taxes. The Interstates in Hawaii, all located on the most populous island of Oahu , carry
17360-753: The maximum speed limit is 75 mph (120 km/h) in northern Maine, varies between 50 and 70 mph (80 and 115 km/h) from southern Maine to New Jersey, and is 50 mph (80 km/h) in New York City and the District of Columbia. Currently, rural speed limits elsewhere generally range from 65 to 80 miles per hour (105 to 130 km/h). Several portions of various highways such as I-10 and I-20 in rural western Texas, I-80 in Nevada between Fernley and Winnemucca (except around Lovelock) and portions of I-15 , I-70 , I-80 , and I-84 in Utah have
17515-701: 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, Santa Ana , Los Angeles , Stockton , Sacramento , and Redding . The San Francisco Bay Area is about 80 miles (130 km) west of the highway. I-5 is known colloquially as "the 5" to Southern California residents and "5" to Northern California residents due to varieties in California English . I-5 also has several named portions:
17670-678: The name was chosen in a public contest in 1927, but was never officially adopted. 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. 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 and Hollenbeck Heights. The proposal also seemed to indicate
17825-463: The newspaper The Eastside Sun wrote the freeway led to the "eradication, obliteration, razing, moving, ripping asunder, demolishing of Eastside homes." A widowed Edendale resident, Lomie Puckett, resisted the condemnation of one of her rental properties in August 1958 by using a rifle to threaten state workers and police. After a five-day standoff with police, the home was seized and later demolished. The section between Orange County and Los Angeles
17980-536: The next (see Exit List for a list of them). In 2013, ground broke on a major expansion of the freeway through La Mirada and Norwalk in neighboring Los Angeles County to the I-605 interchange, which included a carpool lane to Florence Avenue. The carpool lane fully opened in 2023. Currently, in San Clemente, there are studies to extend the carpool lanes from their current terminus at Avenida Pico to Cristianitos Road at
18135-646: The next 18 mi (29 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 . I-5 enters Orange County at the Cristianitos Road exit. Upon entering Orange County, I-5 goes through San Clemente . At Dana Point , I-5 turns inland while SR 1 continues along the coast. I-5 then heads due north through San Juan Capistrano and Mission Viejo , intersecting
18290-613: 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 via the Silver Strand . I-5 then enters Chula Vista , briefly leaving the San Diego city limits. It continues along
18445-684: The northern end of I-405, the western end of I-210 , and the southern end of 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
18600-404: The number of fatalities on the Interstate Highway System amounted to more than 5,000 people annually, with nearly 5,600 fatalities in 2022. The United States government's efforts to construct a national network of highways began on an ad hoc basis with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , which provided $ 75 million over a five-year period for matching funds to the states for
18755-469: The official Interstate Highway standards . On one- or two-digit Interstates, the mile marker numbering almost always begins at the southern or western state line. If an Interstate originates within a state, the numbering begins from the location where the road begins in the south or west. As with all guidelines for Interstate routes, however, numerous exceptions exist. California State Route 905 State Route 905 ( SR 905 ), also known as
18910-406: 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,
19065-465: 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 , and then three incorporated cities to the north: Encinitas , Carlsbad and Oceanside . In Oceanside, I-5 intersects the SR 78 freeway and the SR 76 expressway and continues through Camp Pendleton . It then follows the Pacific Ocean coastline for
19220-561: The original Interstate Highway System was proclaimed complete in 1992, despite deviations from the original 1956 plan and several stretches that did not fully conform with federal standards . The construction of the Interstate Highway System cost approximately $ 114 billion (equivalent to $ 618 billion in 2023). The system has continued to expand and grow as additional federal funding has provided for new routes to be added, and many future Interstate Highways are currently either being planned or under construction. Though heavily funded by
19375-588: The original overpasses were retained, and some undercrossings also have no right hand shoulder as a result. A third phase saw the widening between SR 134 and Buena Vista Street, and the carpool lane opened in 2022. This phase gave room for the replacement of the Burbank Boulevard bridge, and the opening of a new interchange at Empire Avenue, which replaced the Scott Road and Lincoln Street interchanges. The Empire Avenue interchange opened in 2019 and
19530-457: 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
19685-656: The planning phase between them. In 1966, the FHWA designated the entire Interstate Highway System as part of the larger Pan-American Highway System, and at least two proposed Interstate expansions were initiated to help trade with Canada and Mexico spurred by the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). Long-term plans for I-69 , which currently exists in several separate completed segments (the largest of which are in Indiana and Texas ),
19840-411: The prefix H . There are three one-digit routes in the state ( H-1 , H-2 , and H-3 ) and one auxiliary route ( H-201 ). These Interstates connect several military and naval bases together, as well as the important communities spread across Oahu, and especially within the urban core of Honolulu . Both Alaska and Puerto Rico also have public highways that receive 90 percent of their funding from
19995-533: The project connecting I-805 to the border crossing was $ 441 million. Before being upgraded to a freeway between Britannia Boulevard and Siempre Viva Road, SR 905 directly connected with SR 125 via two at-grade intersections on Otay Mesa Road. When Caltrans opened that segment of the SR 905 freeway in 2010, they omitted the interchange with SR 125, forcing traffic on SR 905 and SR 125 to exit their respective freeways and use Otay Mesa Road (which SR 905 followed at that time) to make
20150-431: The residents of San Clemente during the process, as several bridges may have to be replaced with wider ones, and buildings may have to be demolished for the widening. North of downtown Los Angeles, the freeway is currently going widening, which includes the addition of HOV lanes in four phases. The first phase was the opening of a carpool lane between carpool lane between SR 170 and SR 14 in 2011. A flyover between
20305-560: 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 I-35E and I-35W in Texas and Minnesota. Nevertheless, San Francisco
20460-713: The route ends at the Otay Mesa Port of Entry , which traffic of large trucks must use to cross the border. SR 905 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and 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 . In 2013, SR 905 had an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 58,000 between Beyer Boulevard and I-805, and 18,400 around
20615-537: The route, without regard to the route number. For instance, I-190 in Massachusetts is labeled north–south, while I-195 in New Jersey is labeled east–west. Some looped Interstate routes use inner–outer directions instead of compass directions, when the use of compass directions would create ambiguity. Due to the large number of these routes, auxiliary route numbers may be repeated in different states along
20770-568: The routing for SR 75 in 1965 along Otay Mesa Road, away from future residential developments. There were plans as early as 1970 to have a highway heading southwest to a new border crossing that would bypass the Tijuana area. The next year, James Moe, the state public works director, subsequently asked the California State Legislature to lengthen SR 75 to connect to this new crossing, rather than using I-5 to make
20925-558: The same federal government funds that were used for constructing the rest of the Interstate Highway System . This is because I-905 was not constructed as of 1978, when the Surface Transportation Assistance Act of 1978 provided that all Interstate construction authorized under previous amendments to the system would be funded by the federal government but additional highway mileage added under 23 U.S.C. § 103(c)(4)(A) would not be funded from
21080-419: The same numbers, which is generally disallowed under highway administration guidelines. Several two-digit numbers are shared between unconnected road segments at opposite ends of the country for various reasons. Some such highways are incomplete Interstates (such as I-69 and I-74 ) and some just happen to share route designations (such as I-76 , I-84 , I‑86 , I-87 , and I-88 ). Some of these were due to
21235-503: The same roadway are signed as traveling in opposite directions; one such wrong-way concurrency is found between Wytheville and Fort Chiswell , Virginia, where I‑81 north and I‑77 south are equivalent (with that section of road traveling almost due east), as are I‑81 south and I‑77 north. Auxiliary Interstate Highways are circumferential, radial, or spur highways that principally serve urban areas . These types of Interstate Highways are given three-digit route numbers, which consist of
21390-466: The second-largest median in California after I-8 's In‑Ko‑Pah grade. In Siskiyou County , I-5 passes through Dunsmuir before intersecting SR 89 near Lake Siskiyou and entering the city of Mount Shasta . North of here, US 97 intersects I-5 in Weed , providing access to Klamath Falls, Oregon . The Interstate then continues to Yreka , intersecting SR 3 and SR 96 before crossing
21545-631: 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
21700-476: 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. 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
21855-458: The spur into the Bay Area) connecting I-80 out of Vacaville to near Dunnigan, previously known as I-5W , was renamed 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 through the length of California;
22010-581: The towns of Saugus and Newhall , and then crossed Newhall Pass (current route of SR 14, the Antelope Valley Freeway). In 1862, Beale's Cut was made in the construction of a toll wagon road. The 15 ft wide (4.6 m) by 60 ft deep (18 m) "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
22165-483: The upgrade of Otay Mesa Road to a four-lane road would be the preferred option; the state agreed to allocate $ 2 million towards the $ 10 million project, with the city contributing $ 6.4 million and the county adding $ 2.3 million. The Federal Highway Administration approved the continuous roadway via SR 117 and SR 125 from I-5 to the border at Otay Mesa as a non-chargeable (not eligible for federal Interstate Highway construction dollars) part of
22320-495: The war, complied by submitting a detailed network of 20,000 miles (32,000 km) of interconnected primary highways—the so-called Pershing Map . A boom in road construction followed throughout the decade of the 1920s, with such projects as the New York parkway system constructed as part of a new national highway system. As automobile traffic increased, planners saw a need for such an interconnected national system to supplement
22475-485: The westerly side of the San Joaquin Valley , Sacramento , and Yreka ; also passing near Santa Ana , Glendale , Woodland , and Red Bluff . I-5 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 . The segment of I-5 from State Route 89 (SR 89) to US 97 forms part of
22630-641: The western end of SR 52 near La Jolla 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 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
22785-400: Was completed in 1915. It was a slow, winding, two-lane road through the mountains with a speed limit of 15 mph (24 km/h) 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
22940-551: Was employed ahead of Hurricane Charley in the Tampa, Florida area and on the Gulf Coast before the landfall of Hurricane Ivan ; however, evacuation times there were no better than previous evacuation operations. Engineers began to apply lessons learned from the analysis of prior contraflow operations, including limiting exits, removing troopers (to keep traffic flowing instead of having drivers stop for directions), and improving
23095-402: Was flooded with 15 ft (4.6 m) 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
23250-441: 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 9.7 mi (15.6 km) shorter than
23405-500: Was opened to traffic. On April 6, the next portion of the freeway opened. However, there were concerns about what to call the freeway, citing confusion with the northern portion of SR 75. The entire cost of the project was $ 6.3 million. SR 117 was extended east to SR 125, replacing the southerly segment of SR 75, by the Legislature in 1976; this took effect at the beginning of 1977. Estimates for completing
23560-483: Was originally designed to have three lanes in each direction. Due to high traffic demand, 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. Reconstruction between the county line and Interstate 605 began in 2013 and was completed by early 2023. The original route went through
23715-422: Was proclaimed complete in 1992, but two of the original Interstates— I-95 and I-70 —were not continuous: both of these discontinuities were due to local opposition, which blocked efforts to build the necessary connections to fully complete the system. I-95 was made a continuous freeway in 2018, and thus I-70 remains the only original Interstate with a discontinuity. I-95 was discontinuous in New Jersey because of
23870-494: Was serving as Supreme Commander of Allied Forces in Europe during World War II . In 1954, Eisenhower appointed General Lucius D. Clay to head a committee charged with proposing an interstate highway system plan. Summing up motivations for the construction of such a system, Clay stated, It was evident we needed better highways. We needed them for safety, to accommodate more automobiles. We needed them for defense purposes, if that should ever be necessary. And we needed them for
24025-487: Was widened to six lanes in 2000 for $ 20.5 million. Before, it had 50 percent more traffic than it was designed to handle; it was considered by the San Diego Union-Tribune as "California's busiest trade route with Mexico." Traffic had increased by ten times, with the number of people dying in traffic accidents approaching five times the state average. The widening of Otay Mesa Road was considered
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