SANTA ANA FREEWAY

The 'Santa Ana Freeway' is one of the principal freeways in Southern California, connecting Los Angeles, California and its southeastern suburbs. The freeway begins at the four level Bill Keene Memorial Interchange complex in downtown Los Angeles, signed as U.S. Route 101. From there, it proceeds one mile east to the East Los Angeles Interchange where it takes the designation of Interstate 5. Its alignment then generally goes northwest to southeast towards its junction with the San Diego Freeway, Interstate 405 (I-405) (informally referred to as the El Toro Y), in Irvine.
North of the East Los Angeles Interchange complex, Interstate 5's name changes to the Golden State Freeway. South of its junction with the I-405, its name changes to the San Diego Freeway. (Interstate 405 ends at this junction.)
An abundance of landmarks, most importantly (Disneyland and Angel Stadium of Anaheim) in Anaheim, along the Orange County portion of its route combines with a severe bottleneck beginning at the Los Angeles County border (shrinking from 12 to 6 lanes) to make it one of the most congested freeways in Southern California. The infamously busy intersection of the Santa Ana, Garden Grove, and Orange freeways in southwestern Orange is nicknamed the Orange Crush.

Contents

History

Legal definition

Control cities

Communities served

Major intersections

References

History

The entire Santa Ana Freeway began construction in 1947 and completed in 1956. Originally it was signed as US-101 before the segment of the 101 between the East Los Angeles Interchange and the United States–Mexico border in San Ysidro, California was decommissioned in favor of Interstate 5. It was approved as as a chargable interstate in 1961. The Santa Ana Freeway and also portions of San Diego Freeway (before the freeway was built) south of El Toro Y went up changing the U.S. 101 signs to Interstate 5 in 1964, including full length of Golden State Freeway which was originally signed as US-99.

Legal definition

Routes 101 and 5 from Route 110 (Four Level Interchange) to Route 405.^[1]

Control cities

'Northbound'

★ Santa Ana - between the El Toro Y and the Orange Crush interchange

★ Los Angeles - between the Orange Crush interchange and the East L.A. interchange

★ Civic Center - used on US-101 between Santa Monica Freeway and Hollywood Freeway
'Southbound'

★ Santa Ana - between the East Los Angeles Interchange and the Orange Crush interchange

★ San Diego - between the Orange Crush interchange and the El Toro Y

Communities served

Cities/Communities along the Santa Ana Freeway (northwest to southeast):


★ Chinatown

★ Boyle Heights

★ East Los Angeles

★ Commerce

★ Downey

★ Santa Fe Springs

★ Norwalk

★ La Mirada

★ Buena Park

★ Anaheim

★ Orange

★ Santa Ana

★ Tustin

★ Irvine

Major intersections

County	Location	Road(s)[2]
'Santa Ana Freeway' continues along San Diego Freeway .
Orange	Irvine	24x20px I-405 San Diego Freeway
	Irvine	24x20px CA-133 Laguna Freeway/Eastern Toll Road
Orange	Tustin	25x20px CA-261 Eastern Toll Road
Orange	Tustin	25x20px CA-55 Costa Mesa Freeway
Orange	Orange	25x20px / 25x20px Orange Crush Interchange
Orange	Buena Park	25x20px CA-91 Riverside Freeway
Los Angeles	La Mirada	25x20px CA-39 Beach Boulevard
Los Angeles	Norwalk	25x20px CA-42 Firestone Boulevard
Los Angeles	Santa Fe Springs	25x20px I-605 San Gabriel River Freeway
Los Angeles	Pico Rivera	25x20px CA-19 Rosemead Boulevard
Los Angeles	Commerce	25x20px I-710 Long Beach Freeway
Los Angeles	East Los Angeles	25x20px 25x20px East Los Angeles Interchange
Los Angeles	East Los Angeles	25x20px I-5 becomes 25x20px US-101
Los Angeles	Hollywood	25x20px CA-110 Four Level Interchange
'Santa Ana Freeway' continues along 'Hollywood Freeway'

References

1. 2006 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California, , , , Caltrans, ,
2. January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways