العربية
中国
Français
Deutsch
Ελληνική
हिन्दी
Italiano
日本語
Português
Русский
EspañolU.S. ROUTE 101 IN CALIFORNIA
(Redirected from U.S. Highway 101 in California)
'U.S. Route 101', also known as 'Highway 101', 'The 101' in Southern California, and simply '101' in Northern California, is one of the last remaining and longest U.S. Routes still active in California. 101 was also one of the original U.S. Routes established in 1926.
The south terminus of U.S. Highway 101 is in Los Angeles, about one mile east of downtown Los Angeles at the 'East Los Angeles Interchange', also known as the "Commuters' Complex" or sometimes, "The Five Level". This southernmost portion is named the 'Santa Ana Freeway', inheriting that title as the northerly extension of the roadway now known as Interstate 5.
After merging with westbound traffic from the 'San Bernardino Freeway (I-10)', U.S. Route 101 then proceeds northwest via the 'Downtown Slot' under the northern edge of Los Angeles' Civic Center to California State Highway 110 at the 'Four Level Interchange'. From here, U.S. 101 becomes the 'Hollywood Freeway'. It then heads to Hollywood and up through the Cahuenga Pass before reaching the San Fernando Valley.
Highway 101 then intersects with State Route 134 and State Route 170 at the interchange known as the 'Hollywood Split'. Here, the alignment of U.S. 101 'shifts' to the alignment of CA/SR-134 (i.e. heading northbound, the road's alignment turns left, or westbound) and thereafter is referred to as the 'Ventura Freeway' until it reaches Ventura. Confusingly, the "Hollywood Freeway" name continues northward from this interchange on CA/SR-170, and the "Ventura Freeway" name continues eastward to CA/SR-134.
From the Hollywood Split, U.S. 101 is an east-west highway until it reaches Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara County where it shifts back to a north-south alignment. The east-west geographical alignment of the Ventura Freeway and the north-south designation on freeway signs can be confusing to visitors; the same freeway entrance can often be signed as "101 North" and "101 West"; this is most common in the San Fernando Valley.
From Ventura to Gaviota State Park, which is about 23 miles (37 km) west of Goleta, U.S. 101 closely follows the Pacific coastline (generally no more than one to two miles from the shore).
North of Ventura, U.S. 101 is an intermittent freeway (i.e. there is occasional cross traffic) but there are no traffic signals until one arrives at San Francisco. The last traffic signals along this stretch of the highway were removed in the early 1990s when the section through downtown Santa Barbara was constructed after years of resistance from the Santa Barbara community.
From Ventura and through Santa Barbara, Highway 101 closely follows the Pacific coastline (generally no more than one to two miles from the shore) until Gaviota State Park about 23 miles (37 km) west of Goleta. At Gaviota State Park, the highway shifts back from an east-west highway to a north-south alignment. About 1 mile north of this point, U.S. 101 passes through the Gaviota Tunnel.
A few miles north of the Gaviota Tunnel, State Route 1 splits from U.S. 101 and heads northwest, running along the Pacific coastline in California, parallel and to the west of U.S. 101.
Farther north, California State Route 1 rejoins the 101 for a section between Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. Then U.S. 101 takes an inland route through the Salinas Valley, while Highway 1 heads northwest, running along the Pacific coastline in California, parallel and to the west of U.S. 101.
A steep segment (7% grade) between San Luis Obispo and Atascadero is known as the Cuesta Grade. North of Atascadero, the highway joins State Route 46 (CA/SR-46) for about three miles through Paso Robles
From Paso Robles to Salinas, U.S. 101 is an expressway known as the 'Salinas River Valley Highway', since the Salinas River Valley extends from Santa Margarita to the State Route 156 (CA/SR-156) Junction in Prunedale.
When U.S. 101 reaches Gilroy, it becomes the 'South Valley Freeway,' and it then heads through the suburb of Morgan Hill before reaching San Jose. From San Jose to San Francisco, Highway 101 is known as the 'Bayshore Freeway' as it passes through Palo Alto and the other major communities along the San Francisco Peninsula. This segment was originally Bayshore Boulevard, later redesignated the 101A bypass and upgraded to freeway by the late 1950s. This section of 101 from San Jose north to San Francisco is very heavily-travelled; some motorists call 101 "the world's longest parking lot".
From the San Francisco county/city line, through the interchange with I-280 at the Alemany Maze, until the junction with Interstate 80 near the city's Civic Center, Highway 101 is called the 'James Lick Freeway', named for James Lick, a philanthropist. Afterwards, U.S. 101 is briefly named the Central Freeway before the divided highway ends and traffic follows city streets. Northbound U.S. 101 runs north on ''Van Ness Avenue'' and then turns left at ''Lombard Street''. (Turning right on Lombard leads one to the ''Crookedest Street in the World''.) From Lombard Street, northbound U.S. 101 traffic is shifted to ''Richardson Avenue'', entering The Presidio, where it becomes a divided highway again (known as ''Doyle Drive''). It is then joined by Route 1 before approaching the Golden Gate Bridge. (U.S. 101 does not traverse the bridge itself according to state law. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, and not Caltrans, owns and maintains the bridge.)
North of the Golden Gate Bridge, U.S. 101 enters Marin County and is known as the 'Redwood Highway'. After crossing the bridge, U.S. 101 passes through the Waldo Tunnel, the first of its kind in 300 miles (the other being the Gaviota Tunnel in Santa Barbara County), before passing through San Rafael and Novato. The section between Novato in Marin County and Petaluma in Sonoma County changes from its original six or eight lanes through Marin to four lanes, and is thus called the "Novato Narrows" by locals. Upon entering Sonoma County, it again becomes a heavily-traveled, four lane freeway, which will be upgraded to six lanes by 2010. The interchange with California State Route 12 is named the Grape Crush Interchange for California's Wine Country; like the Orange Crush Interchange in Southern California, it handles major traffic loads, which makes for traffic jams from 6:00 AM through to 8:00 PM. It proceeds past a sometimes narrow river valley with the Russian River before leaving Sonoma County and entering Mendocino County.
The freeway portion ends north of Cloverdale, and it narrows to an expressway and eventually a two-lane road south of Hopland, the first time since leaving San Francisco. There are plans for a proposed bypass to the east of Hopland which would make US 101 from its inception in Los Angeles to Ukiah a four-lane road. In the community of Calpella, California State Route 20 merges with US 101, where it will remain that way until reaching the city of Willits. South of Willits, US 101 ascends Ridgewood Summit, the highest elevation along the route's 807-mile trek through California. CA 20 splits from US 101 in downtown Willits. US 101 leaves Willits as a two-lane road, but it soon widens to a four-lane expressway until the intersection with the western portion of California State Route 162, where it reverts back to a two-lane road. North of Laytonville, US 101 runs along the Eel River, where it will follow until well into Humboldt County. About 12 miles northwest of Laytonville, US 101 becomes an undivided freeway near the community of Cummings. CA 271 is the old portion of US 101 through this area. At Leggett, US 101 meets CA 1 for the last time, and from this point until Piercy, US 101 runs along a substandard section of highway with frequent landslides. North of Piercy, the freeway portion ends and the road narrows down to two lanes at the point where it enters Humboldt County.
In Humboldt County, U.S. 101 travels through Humboldt Redwoods State Park and a portion of the old, bypassed highway is known as the Avenue of the Giants for the huge, centuries-old redwood trees that can be found there. Near Benbow, US 101 becomes a four-lane undivided freeway until reaching the northern portion of the Avenue of the Giants. There is also a section of freeway through Rio Dell. Between Fortuna and Eureka, US 101 becomes a freeway again. North of Humboldt Hill, the road enters the City of Eureka (a potential bypass was successfully blocked repeatedly). As the route traverses Eureka, the southern portion is known as "Broadway" and then as it bears east along Humboldt Bay, the Highway is aligned on a one-way couplet (4th and 5th Streets). Five miles later he highway leaves Eureka's core and continues north. The expressway style section between Eureka and Arcata, which is also a safety corridor, is named the "Michael J. Burns Freeway," in honor of the State Senator who was a proponent of California's Highways. The Highway becomes an unobstructed Freeway from Arcata, continuing north as it skirts McKinleyville. North of Trinidad, the highway narrows to one lane in each direction, except for a 14-mile portion through Redwood National and State Parks. The placement of the highway near giant Redwoods led to increased awareness of the destruction of the redwoods after decades of extensive logging, which led to the establishment of the National Park. North of Klamath, the highway closely follows the Pacific coast again. Shortly north of Crescent City, U.S. 101 intersects with U.S. Highway 199, which heads northeast as the Redwood Highway, terminating in Grants Pass, Oregon. Highway 101 (no longer called the "Redwood Highway" at this point) continues north along the California coast until it reaches the Oregon border.
The California section of U.S. 101 is defined at California Streets & Highways Code §401.
Instead of terminating in Los Angeles, Highway 101 used to travel all the way south through San Diego to the United States–Mexico border in San Ysidro, California. However, this part was decommissioned in the late 1960s favor of Interstate 5. The only remnants of the old route is a mileage sign at the Santa Barbara/Ventura County line, which lists the distance to San Diego, even though Highway 101 ends in Los Angeles.
The old alignment in San Diego County from Oceanside to Del Mar is now known as San Diego County Route S21. It is signed unofficially in many places as "Historic Route 101".
'Los Angeles and Ventura Counties'
★ Los Angeles Civic Center - between the East Los Angeles Interchange and the Four Level Interchange
★ Hollywood - between the Four Level Interchange and Sunset Blvd
★ Ventura - between the Four Level Interchange and Ventura
★ San Francisco - between interchange with California State Route 126 in Ventura and San Francisco city limits
'Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey Counties'
★ Santa Barbara - Alternatively used with San Francisco between Ventura and Santa Barbara
★ San Luis Obispo - Alternatively used with San Francisco between Hollister Avenue (exit 110) and San Luis Obispo
★ Salinas - Alternatively used with San Francisco between Pismo Beach and Salinas
'San Francisco Bay Area'
★ San Jose - Alternatively used with San Francisco between Chualar and San Jose
★ Bay Bridge and San Francisco Civic Center - between the San Francisco city limits and I-80
★ Golden Gate Bridge - between I-80 and the aforementioned structure
'Northern California Coast'
★ Eureka - between the Golden Gate Bridge and Eureka
★ San Rafael - between Marin City and Downtown San Rafael; also alternatively used with Eureka at main signposts
★ Santa Rosa - Alternatively used with Eureka until reaching Santa Rosa
★ Crescent City - between Eureka and Crescent City
★ Oregon Coast - between Crescent City and the Oregon/California border
★ Eureka - between Crescent City and Eureka
★ San Francisco - between Eureka and the Golden Gate Bridge
★ San Jose - between Van Ness Avenue and San Jose
★ Los Angeles - between San Jose and the Four Level Interchange
★ Santa Ana - between the Four Level Interchange and the East Los Angeles Interchange
This is a ''partial'' list of major intersections along the 101 in California. Miles are derived from .
San Francisco-Marin
county line
Golden Gate Bridge. $5.00 toll southbound.
U.S. Route 101 crosses into Oregon
1. January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
'U.S. Route 101', also known as 'Highway 101', 'The 101' in Southern California, and simply '101' in Northern California, is one of the last remaining and longest U.S. Routes still active in California. 101 was also one of the original U.S. Routes established in 1926.
Route description
Los Angeles to Ventura
The south terminus of U.S. Highway 101 is in Los Angeles, about one mile east of downtown Los Angeles at the 'East Los Angeles Interchange', also known as the "Commuters' Complex" or sometimes, "The Five Level". This southernmost portion is named the 'Santa Ana Freeway', inheriting that title as the northerly extension of the roadway now known as Interstate 5.
After merging with westbound traffic from the 'San Bernardino Freeway (I-10)', U.S. Route 101 then proceeds northwest via the 'Downtown Slot' under the northern edge of Los Angeles' Civic Center to California State Highway 110 at the 'Four Level Interchange'. From here, U.S. 101 becomes the 'Hollywood Freeway'. It then heads to Hollywood and up through the Cahuenga Pass before reaching the San Fernando Valley.
Highway 101 then intersects with State Route 134 and State Route 170 at the interchange known as the 'Hollywood Split'. Here, the alignment of U.S. 101 'shifts' to the alignment of CA/SR-134 (i.e. heading northbound, the road's alignment turns left, or westbound) and thereafter is referred to as the 'Ventura Freeway' until it reaches Ventura. Confusingly, the "Hollywood Freeway" name continues northward from this interchange on CA/SR-170, and the "Ventura Freeway" name continues eastward to CA/SR-134.
From the Hollywood Split, U.S. 101 is an east-west highway until it reaches Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara County where it shifts back to a north-south alignment. The east-west geographical alignment of the Ventura Freeway and the north-south designation on freeway signs can be confusing to visitors; the same freeway entrance can often be signed as "101 North" and "101 West"; this is most common in the San Fernando Valley.
Central Coast
From Ventura to Gaviota State Park, which is about 23 miles (37 km) west of Goleta, U.S. 101 closely follows the Pacific coastline (generally no more than one to two miles from the shore).
North of Ventura, U.S. 101 is an intermittent freeway (i.e. there is occasional cross traffic) but there are no traffic signals until one arrives at San Francisco. The last traffic signals along this stretch of the highway were removed in the early 1990s when the section through downtown Santa Barbara was constructed after years of resistance from the Santa Barbara community.
From Ventura and through Santa Barbara, Highway 101 closely follows the Pacific coastline (generally no more than one to two miles from the shore) until Gaviota State Park about 23 miles (37 km) west of Goleta. At Gaviota State Park, the highway shifts back from an east-west highway to a north-south alignment. About 1 mile north of this point, U.S. 101 passes through the Gaviota Tunnel.
A few miles north of the Gaviota Tunnel, State Route 1 splits from U.S. 101 and heads northwest, running along the Pacific coastline in California, parallel and to the west of U.S. 101.
Farther north, California State Route 1 rejoins the 101 for a section between Pismo Beach and San Luis Obispo. Then U.S. 101 takes an inland route through the Salinas Valley, while Highway 1 heads northwest, running along the Pacific coastline in California, parallel and to the west of U.S. 101.
A steep segment (7% grade) between San Luis Obispo and Atascadero is known as the Cuesta Grade. North of Atascadero, the highway joins State Route 46 (CA/SR-46) for about three miles through Paso Robles
From Paso Robles to Salinas, U.S. 101 is an expressway known as the 'Salinas River Valley Highway', since the Salinas River Valley extends from Santa Margarita to the State Route 156 (CA/SR-156) Junction in Prunedale.
Traffic descending the Cuesta Grade
Route 101 sign in San Francisco.
San Francisco Bay Area
US 101 in San Francisco between Sacramento and Clay Sts. A Muni ETI Skoda bus can be seen in the background.
When U.S. 101 reaches Gilroy, it becomes the 'South Valley Freeway,' and it then heads through the suburb of Morgan Hill before reaching San Jose. From San Jose to San Francisco, Highway 101 is known as the 'Bayshore Freeway' as it passes through Palo Alto and the other major communities along the San Francisco Peninsula. This segment was originally Bayshore Boulevard, later redesignated the 101A bypass and upgraded to freeway by the late 1950s. This section of 101 from San Jose north to San Francisco is very heavily-travelled; some motorists call 101 "the world's longest parking lot".
From the San Francisco county/city line, through the interchange with I-280 at the Alemany Maze, until the junction with Interstate 80 near the city's Civic Center, Highway 101 is called the 'James Lick Freeway', named for James Lick, a philanthropist. Afterwards, U.S. 101 is briefly named the Central Freeway before the divided highway ends and traffic follows city streets. Northbound U.S. 101 runs north on ''Van Ness Avenue'' and then turns left at ''Lombard Street''. (Turning right on Lombard leads one to the ''Crookedest Street in the World''.) From Lombard Street, northbound U.S. 101 traffic is shifted to ''Richardson Avenue'', entering The Presidio, where it becomes a divided highway again (known as ''Doyle Drive''). It is then joined by Route 1 before approaching the Golden Gate Bridge. (U.S. 101 does not traverse the bridge itself according to state law. The Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, and not Caltrans, owns and maintains the bridge.)
North of the Golden Gate Bridge, U.S. 101 enters Marin County and is known as the 'Redwood Highway'. After crossing the bridge, U.S. 101 passes through the Waldo Tunnel, the first of its kind in 300 miles (the other being the Gaviota Tunnel in Santa Barbara County), before passing through San Rafael and Novato. The section between Novato in Marin County and Petaluma in Sonoma County changes from its original six or eight lanes through Marin to four lanes, and is thus called the "Novato Narrows" by locals. Upon entering Sonoma County, it again becomes a heavily-traveled, four lane freeway, which will be upgraded to six lanes by 2010. The interchange with California State Route 12 is named the Grape Crush Interchange for California's Wine Country; like the Orange Crush Interchange in Southern California, it handles major traffic loads, which makes for traffic jams from 6:00 AM through to 8:00 PM. It proceeds past a sometimes narrow river valley with the Russian River before leaving Sonoma County and entering Mendocino County.
The Golden Gate Bridge, which carries U.S. 101 and State Route 1 between San Francisco and Marin County.
Northern California Coast
The freeway portion ends north of Cloverdale, and it narrows to an expressway and eventually a two-lane road south of Hopland, the first time since leaving San Francisco. There are plans for a proposed bypass to the east of Hopland which would make US 101 from its inception in Los Angeles to Ukiah a four-lane road. In the community of Calpella, California State Route 20 merges with US 101, where it will remain that way until reaching the city of Willits. South of Willits, US 101 ascends Ridgewood Summit, the highest elevation along the route's 807-mile trek through California. CA 20 splits from US 101 in downtown Willits. US 101 leaves Willits as a two-lane road, but it soon widens to a four-lane expressway until the intersection with the western portion of California State Route 162, where it reverts back to a two-lane road. North of Laytonville, US 101 runs along the Eel River, where it will follow until well into Humboldt County. About 12 miles northwest of Laytonville, US 101 becomes an undivided freeway near the community of Cummings. CA 271 is the old portion of US 101 through this area. At Leggett, US 101 meets CA 1 for the last time, and from this point until Piercy, US 101 runs along a substandard section of highway with frequent landslides. North of Piercy, the freeway portion ends and the road narrows down to two lanes at the point where it enters Humboldt County.
In Humboldt County, U.S. 101 travels through Humboldt Redwoods State Park and a portion of the old, bypassed highway is known as the Avenue of the Giants for the huge, centuries-old redwood trees that can be found there. Near Benbow, US 101 becomes a four-lane undivided freeway until reaching the northern portion of the Avenue of the Giants. There is also a section of freeway through Rio Dell. Between Fortuna and Eureka, US 101 becomes a freeway again. North of Humboldt Hill, the road enters the City of Eureka (a potential bypass was successfully blocked repeatedly). As the route traverses Eureka, the southern portion is known as "Broadway" and then as it bears east along Humboldt Bay, the Highway is aligned on a one-way couplet (4th and 5th Streets). Five miles later he highway leaves Eureka's core and continues north. The expressway style section between Eureka and Arcata, which is also a safety corridor, is named the "Michael J. Burns Freeway," in honor of the State Senator who was a proponent of California's Highways. The Highway becomes an unobstructed Freeway from Arcata, continuing north as it skirts McKinleyville. North of Trinidad, the highway narrows to one lane in each direction, except for a 14-mile portion through Redwood National and State Parks. The placement of the highway near giant Redwoods led to increased awareness of the destruction of the redwoods after decades of extensive logging, which led to the establishment of the National Park. North of Klamath, the highway closely follows the Pacific coast again. Shortly north of Crescent City, U.S. 101 intersects with U.S. Highway 199, which heads northeast as the Redwood Highway, terminating in Grants Pass, Oregon. Highway 101 (no longer called the "Redwood Highway" at this point) continues north along the California coast until it reaches the Oregon border.
State law
Legal Definition
The California section of U.S. 101 is defined at California Streets & Highways Code §401.
History
Instead of terminating in Los Angeles, Highway 101 used to travel all the way south through San Diego to the United States–Mexico border in San Ysidro, California. However, this part was decommissioned in the late 1960s favor of Interstate 5. The only remnants of the old route is a mileage sign at the Santa Barbara/Ventura County line, which lists the distance to San Diego, even though Highway 101 ends in Los Angeles.
The old alignment in San Diego County from Oceanside to Del Mar is now known as San Diego County Route S21. It is signed unofficially in many places as "Historic Route 101".
Control cities
'Northbound'
'Los Angeles and Ventura Counties'
★ Los Angeles Civic Center - between the East Los Angeles Interchange and the Four Level Interchange
★ Hollywood - between the Four Level Interchange and Sunset Blvd
★ Ventura - between the Four Level Interchange and Ventura
★ San Francisco - between interchange with California State Route 126 in Ventura and San Francisco city limits
'Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, and Monterey Counties'
★ Santa Barbara - Alternatively used with San Francisco between Ventura and Santa Barbara
★ San Luis Obispo - Alternatively used with San Francisco between Hollister Avenue (exit 110) and San Luis Obispo
★ Salinas - Alternatively used with San Francisco between Pismo Beach and Salinas
'San Francisco Bay Area'
★ San Jose - Alternatively used with San Francisco between Chualar and San Jose
★ Bay Bridge and San Francisco Civic Center - between the San Francisco city limits and I-80
★ Golden Gate Bridge - between I-80 and the aforementioned structure
'Northern California Coast'
★ Eureka - between the Golden Gate Bridge and Eureka
★ San Rafael - between Marin City and Downtown San Rafael; also alternatively used with Eureka at main signposts
★ Santa Rosa - Alternatively used with Eureka until reaching Santa Rosa
★ Crescent City - between Eureka and Crescent City
★ Oregon Coast - between Crescent City and the Oregon/California border
Southbound
★ Eureka - between Crescent City and Eureka
★ San Francisco - between Eureka and the Golden Gate Bridge
★ San Jose - between Van Ness Avenue and San Jose
★ Los Angeles - between San Jose and the Four Level Interchange
★ Santa Ana - between the Four Level Interchange and the East Los Angeles Interchange
Major intersections
This is a ''partial'' list of major intersections along the 101 in California. Miles are derived from .
county line
References
1. January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
This article provided by Wikipedia. To edit the contents of this article, click here for original source.
psst.. try this: add to faves
Featured Companies
| Green Parrot Beach Houses Resort | |
| Selloffvacations.com Oakville |
Newest Companies
U.S. Route 101 in California Travel Deals
