California 22 is a major east-west corridor through southern Los Angeles County and Orange County; the freeway segment is known as the Garden Grove Freeway. The state highway begins at California 1 as a surface street, but quickly upgrades to a freeway when it reaches Studebaker. After a brief duplex with Interstate 405 southbound, California 22 continues due east as its own four- to six-lane freeway. After passing through the Orange Crush interchange (Junction Interstate 5/Santa Ana Freeway and California 57/Orange Freeway), California 22 ends at California 55 (Newport Freeway). The entire Garden Grove Freeway corridor between Interstate 405 and California 55 was completely reconstructed in the mid-2000s, beginning in 2004 and finishing in 2007.
Highway Guide
California 22/Seventh Street east
In Long Beach, California 22 begins as Seventh Street in Long Beach. The divided highway begins at California 1/Pacific Coast Highway, then travels east along Seventh Street. This traffic signal, at Pepper Tree Lane, is the final signal along California 22 east before the road transitions into a freeway. A right turn to Silvera Avenue is the last at-grade intersection on California 22 east. A jersey barrier separates the two directions of traffic. Photo taken 11/13/05.
The first interchange along California 22/Seventh Street east is Exit 1, Studebaker Road. This is the final Long Beach interchange, as California 22 will depart Los Angeles County and enter Orange County upon crossing the San Gabriel River. Photo taken 11/13/05.
Eastbound California 22/Seventh Street reaches Exit 1, Studebaker Road. This is the final Long Beach interchange, as California 22 will depart Los Angeles County and enter Orange County upon crossing the San Gabriel River. Photo taken 11/13/05.
The next exit along California 22 east is Exit 2, Junction Interstate 405/San Diego Freeway north and Junction Interstate 605/San Gabriel River Freeway north. Stay right for the connection to Interstate 605 north; use the left two lanes to continue east on California 22 and south on Interstate 405. Photo taken 11/13/05.
Eastbound California 22 reaches Exit 2, Junction Interstate 405/San Diego Freeway north and Junction Interstate 605/San Gabriel River Freeway north (two-lane exit). The left two lanes continue east on California 22 and south on Interstate 405. Ahead, the main lanes of California 22 east will merge onto Interstate 405 south. Photo taken 11/13/05.
Interstate 405/San Diego Freeway south and California 22 east
California 22/Garden Grove Freeway east
Eastbound California 22 reaches Exit 5A, Bolsa Chica Road. The next exit is Exit 5B, Valley View Street. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Immediately thereafter, eastbound California 22/Garden Grove Freeway reaches Exit 5B, Valley View Street. The next exit along eastbound California 22 is Exit 7, Knott Street/Golden West Street. Photo taken 08/02/03.
This mileage sign along eastbound provides the distance to the next two interchanges on California 22 east: Exit 7, Knott Street/Golden West Street and Exit 8, California 39/Beach Boulevard. Photo taken 08/02/03.
The next exit along eastbound California 22/Garden Grove Freeway is Exit 7, Knott Street/Golden West Street. Knott Street leads north toward Buena Park. Golden West Street leads south toward Huntington Beach. Photo taken 08/02/03.
In addition to Knott Street and Golden West Street, this exit also leads to Garden Grove Boulevard, which parallels California 22 between Exits 7 and 13A, passing through the central part of Garden Grove. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Eastbound California 22 at Exit 7, Knott Street and Golden West Street. As the name implies, Knott Street leads to Knott's Berry Farm, a locally popular amusement park situated between Knott Street and California 39/Beach Boulevard between Lincoln Avenue and California 91/Artesia Freeway in Buena Park, north of here. Photo taken 08/02/03.
This mileage sign along eastbound California 22 provides the distance to the next three exits: Exit 8, Beach Boulevard/California 39 (one mile); Exit 9, Magnolia Street; and Exit 10, Brookhurst Street. Each of these exits serve western Garden Grove. Photo taken 08/02/03.
California 39, one of the few remaining state-maintained surface streets remaining in metropolitan Orange County (California 1 is the other one), follows Beach Boulevard between Huntington Beach and at Junction California 72 in La Habra near the Los Angeles County line. It is a discontinuous route in Los Angeles County, with one gap between La Habra and West Covina and another gap in the Angeles National Forest before reaching California 2/Angeles Crest Highway. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Eastbound California 22 reaches Exit 8, Junction California 39/Beach Boulevard. There is an overlay for the California 39 shield; it is not clear what route number lies beneath it on the original sign. Photo taken 08/02/03.
View of the lane separation for northbound and southbound California 39/Beach Boulevard as seen from the main lanes of eastbound California 22. Photo taken 08/02/03.
The next exit is Exit 9, Magnolia Street. Magnolia Street leads north to meet Interstate 5 near its interchange with California 91 in Anaheim. Photo taken 08/02/03.
The sun glare makes this sign difficult to read along eastbound California 22 at Exit 9, Magnolia Street. The next exit is Exit 10, Brookhurst Street, a north-south city street that bisects Huntington Beach, Garden Grove, and Fullerton between Pacific Coast Highway/California 1 and Commonwealth Avenue. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Eastbound California 22 approaching Exit 10, Brookhurst Street, three-quarters of a mile. The next two exits are Exit 11, Euclid Street and Exits 12A-B, Harbor Boulevard. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Eastbound California 22 reaches Exit 10, Brookhurst Street. Interestingly, the signs for both Brookhurst and Euclid indicate that they lead to the City of Garden Grove; clearly the Euclid Street indicator was added to the original sign. Photo taken 08/02/03.
The next exit along California 22/Garden Grove Freeway east is Exit 11, Euclid Street/City of Garden Grove, next right. The city center is located north of the freeway along Euclid near Garden Grove Boulevard. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Eastbound California 22 reaches Exit 11, Euclid Street. Photo taken 08/02/03.
This mileage sign along eastbound California 22 provides the distance to the next four exits: Exits 12A-B, Harbor Boulevard; Exit 13, Fairview Street; and Exit 14A, The City Drive. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Eastbound California 22 reaches Exit 12A, Harbor Boulevard Southbound. The exit ramp actually leads onto eastbound Trask Avenue, which then intersects Harbor Boulevard in a signalized intersection. Southbound Harbor Drive leads to Costa Mesa with connections to Newport Beach via California 55. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Eastbound California 22 reaches Exit 12B, Harbor Boulevard Northbound. Harbor Boulevard leads north through Garden Grove into Anaheim, where it passes by Disney's California Adventure and Disneyland. Photo taken 08/02/03.
The next exit along eastbound California 22 is Exit 13, Fairview Street, three-quarters of a mile. Photo taken 08/02/03.
This mileage sign along eastbound California 22 provides the distance to the next three exits: Exit 13, Fairview Street; Exit 14A, The City Drive; and Exit 14B, Bristol Street. Photo taken 08/02/03.
This reassurance shield for eastbound California 22 is posted prior to Exit 13, Fairview Street. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Eastbound California 22/Garden Grove Freeway reaches Exit 13, Fairview Street. This exit also connects to Garden Grove Boulevard, which parallels California 22 through Garden Grove. Garden Grove Boulevard meets its easterly end at the intersection between Garden Grove Boulevard, The City Drive, and West Memory Lane near the Santa Ana River. Photo taken 08/02/03.
This set of guide signs along eastbound California 22 provides the distance to the next four exits: Exit 14A, The City Drive into downtown Orange; Exit 14B, Bristol Street/La Veta Avenue into Santa Ana and Orange; Exit 14C, Junction Southbound Interstate 5 to Santa Ana, San Clemente, and San Diego; and Exit 14D, Junction Northbound Interstate 5 to Los Angeles and Northbound California 57/Orange Freeway to Pomona. Photo taken 08/02/03.
The next exit along eastbound is Exit 14A, The City Drive, which leads north past the Block at Orange and the University of California-Irvine Medical Center and south to the Santa Ana River and Riverview Golf Course in Santa Ana. Photo taken 08/02/03.
This mileage sign along eastbound California 22 provides the distance to the next four exits: Exit 14A, The City Drive; Exit 14B, Bristol Street/La Veta Avenue; and Exits 14C-D, Junction Interstate 5. This overhead sign assembly is located prior to any of these three exits, and it advises eastbound motorists to prepare for the Orange Crush interchange, which brings California 22/Garden Grove Freeway, California 57/Orange Freeway, and Interstate 5/Santa Ana Freeway together. That interchange is one mile from here. Photo taken 08/02/03.
Eastbound California 22 reaches Exit 14A, The City Drive, in Orange. The City Drive leads north into Anaheim, where it becomes State College Drive. State College Drive has connections to major league sport facilities, including Edison International Field (home of baseball's Anaheim Angels) and Arrowhead Pond (home of hockey's Anaheim Mighty Ducks). The next exit is Bristol Drive, followed by Junction Interstate 5/Santa Ana Freeway and California 57/Orange Freeway. Photo taken 08/02/03.
This view shows the signage along eastbound California 22 for Exits 14C-D, Junction Interstate 5 and California 57 as seen from offramp to The City Drive. Photo taken 08/02/03.
California 22 west
Westbound California 22 approaches its western terminus at Junction California 1/Pacific Coast Highway in Long Beach. Although most of California 22 is the Garden Grove Freeway, the portion west of Interstate 405 follows 7th Street (a surface street) until it reaches the PCH. Photo taken 03/30/03.
Scenes Pertaining to California 22
Southbound Studebaker Road approaches California 22. Both Interstate 405 and Interstate 605 are also signed here, because the southern terminus of Interstate 605 is part of the interchange complex between Interstate 405 and California 22. Photos taken 08/00.
