California SR 107 + Los Angeles County N7 (Hawthorne Blvd.)

[M3100]

Here are a few pics from today of CA SR 107 / LA Co N7.  The northern end of CA 107 is I-405; it extended further north prior to I-405 being built (thanks to those who sent links to older maps).  This route in entirely on a city street.  107 is entirely commercial, while N7 is a mixture of commercial and residential.

From north to south, here are some pics:
1. California SR 107 shields are included on I-405 signs; this view is from the Inglewood Ave. onramp to southbound I-405.


2. This view faces north at the intersection with Artesia Blvd. (California SR 91).  AFAIK US 91 never was on this alignment; its western end point was Long Beach. There are three shields barely visible: the 91 East on the traffic light pole, the closer 107 North in what looks like a "two digit" spade shield, and a third barely visible SR 107 further north at the next signaled intersection (Redondo Beach Blvd.). 
Hawthorne Blvd. is divided from this point north; up until 1933 a Pacific Electric Railway line ran in the median. [Source: Lines of the Pacific Electric Southern & Western Districts, Interurban Press].


The furthest south 107 shields are at the intersection with Torrance Blvd. (not shown)

3. This view faces south at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway/California SR 1.  California SR 107 ends here; Los Angeles County N7 begins.  The only southbound N7 shield is on the traffic light mast.


4. This view faces north (downhill in this section), where a sand-filled "runaway lane" is just around the corner.  There are two runaway lanes in this area.


5. The south end of N7, near the intersection with Palos Verdes Drive, where the only northbound shield is posted.

[TheStranger]

Route 107 is the original southernmost extent of 1934-1958 Route 7; in the 1930s 7 was moved to the west to meet what was then Alternate US 101 (now Route 1) at LAX, along Sepulveda, and 107 was created as the first "child" state route (if one considers 440 and 740 as original 1934 designations rather than child routes to 44 and 74).

I suspect N7 as a county route comes from that, though I don't know if that can ever be directly proven via documentation.

The rest of 1934-1958 Route 7 followed modern I-405 between LAX and I-5 (and previously, Sepulveda Boulevard along that corridor), then up what is now former US 6/99, then along Route 14 (former US 6) and then US 395 to Nevada and then back north from Reno to the Oregon border.

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As for signed State Route 91 in that area, IIRC that is formerly pre-1964 Route 14, which covers the modern Route 91 west of I-5.  (US 91 followed a surface street routing west of the Santa Ana Freeway, then Lakewood Boulevard/Route 19 to the traffic circle, then what was then Alternate US 101/modern day Route 1 west to a terminus at the Long Beach Freeway.)

[Max Rockatansky]

Route 107 is the original southernmost extent of 1934-1958 Route 7; in the 1930s 7 was moved to the west to meet what was then Alternate US 101 (now Route 1) at LAX, along Sepulveda, and 107 was created as the first "child" state route (if one considers 440 and 740 as original 1934 designations rather than child routes to 44 and 74).

I suspect N7 as a county route comes from that, though I don't know if that can ever be directly proven via documentation.

The rest of 1934-1958 Route 7 followed modern I-405 between LAX and I-5 (and previously, Sepulveda Boulevard along that corridor), then up what is now former US 6/99, then along Route 14 (former US 6) and then US 395 to Nevada and then back north from Reno to the Oregon border.

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As for signed State Route 91 in that area, IIRC that is formerly pre-1964 Route 14, which covers the modern Route 91 west of I-5.  (US 91 followed a surface street routing west of the Santa Ana Freeway, then Lakewood Boulevard/Route 19 to the traffic circle, then what was then Alternate US 101/modern day Route 1 west to a terminus at the Long Beach Freeway.)

Looks like it was 1938 when CA 7's south terminus was shifted:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/05/interstate-405-carmageddon-on-san-diego.html?m=1

Rare instance with CA 107 of a child route surviving long after it's parent ascended to higher forms of highway.

[TheStranger]

Rare instance with CA 107 of a child route surviving long after it's parent ascended to higher forms of highway.

330 is (kinda) the same deal too!

[TheStranger]

Just saw these photos on the Freeways of Los Angeles FB group showing a black-on-white Route 107 shield off of I-405 near LAX in the 1960s!  First time I've ever seen photo evidence of the route north of the current terminus.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FreewaysLA/permalink/1901836866630449/?__cft__

• =AZXcZXdpZ9p-rsFpyZcx0vnf-SG_-8TmpTrp2cFv-bN0gqecDL9yKadalpVRPY-yOmNjYlh0Aul2Of1jxnGDRp420i-_-RehD00Pr182MTOuBsUm0q66UGzk0LsIVgitqxxh68rNccRlX1X8L_9EfNch&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
  
  
  
  

[sparker]

Just saw these photos on the Freeways of Los Angeles FB group showing a black-on-white Route 107 shield off of I-405 near LAX in the 1960s!  First time I've ever seen photo evidence of the route north of the current terminus.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/FreewaysLA/permalink/1901836866630449/?__cft__

• =AZXcZXdpZ9p-rsFpyZcx0vnf-SG_-8TmpTrp2cFv-bN0gqecDL9yKadalpVRPY-yOmNjYlh0Aul2Of1jxnGDRp420i-_-RehD00Pr182MTOuBsUm0q66UGzk0LsIVgitqxxh68rNccRlX1X8L_9EfNch&__tn__=%2CO%2CP-R
  
  
  
  
  

Going to guess that the picture was taken in late 1967 or sometime in 1968; the ramp crossing the freeway is the SB 405>EB CA 90 ramp, while the grading seen off to the right is the EB 90>SB 405 connector.  The interchange opened in early 1969; the existing ramp seen just below the camera is the SB on-ramp from the Jefferson/Slauson diamond interchange that still exists under the 405/90 interchange complex. 

[TheStranger]

Just saw these photos on the Freeways of Los Angeles FB group showing a black-on-white Route 107 shield off of I-405 near LAX in the 1960s!  First time I've ever seen photo evidence of the route north of the current terminus.

Going to guess that the picture was taken in late 1967 or sometime in 1968; the ramp crossing the freeway is the SB 405>EB CA 90 ramp, while the grading seen off to the right is the EB 90>SB 405 connector.  The interchange opened in early 1969; the existing ramp seen just below the camera is the SB on-ramp from the Jefferson/Slauson diamond interchange that still exists under the 405/90 interchange complex. 

Question:

Do you know exactly when the ramp from SB 405 to SB Sepulveda/old 107 was removed?  HistoricAerials shows it still there in 1982, but removed by 1994 (when the Howard Hughes Parkway exit was built a quarter mile southeast).

Also trying to figure out if northbound 107 had an access point at all to northbound 405 there, or if it just simply ended along Sepulveda crossing under 405 (prior to the San Diego Freeway being built, Sepulveda/Centinela was where 107 ended at Route 7).

[sparker]

Just saw these photos on the Freeways of Los Angeles FB group showing a black-on-white Route 107 shield off of I-405 near LAX in the 1960s!  First time I've ever seen photo evidence of the route north of the current terminus.

Going to guess that the picture was taken in late 1967 or sometime in 1968; the ramp crossing the freeway is the SB 405>EB CA 90 ramp, while the grading seen off to the right is the EB 90>SB 405 connector.  The interchange opened in early 1969; the existing ramp seen just below the camera is the SB on-ramp from the Jefferson/Slauson diamond interchange that still exists under the 405/90 interchange complex. 

Question:

Do you know exactly when the ramp from SB 405 to SB Sepulveda/old 107 was removed?  HistoricAerials shows it still there in 1982, but removed by 1994 (when the Howard Hughes Parkway exit was built a quarter mile southeast).

Also trying to figure out if northbound 107 had an access point at all to northbound 405 there, or if it just simply ended along Sepulveda crossing under 405 (prior to the San Diego Freeway being built, Sepulveda/Centinela was where 107 ended at Route 7).

It was there on two trips down to L.A. for Thanksgiving 1991 and a convention in April 1992, but was gone on a Disneyland trip with family friends in the summer of 1994.  So it was removed somewhere during that period.  The reference to CA 107, complete with 1962-era white shield, was greened out by the mid-80's.  The rebuild of the Sepulveda/Centinela overpass on 405, along with the aforementioned buildout of the Hughes Parkway interchange, necessitated the removal of the original SB ramp.  That ramp, with an unsignalized merge onto SB Sepulveda, was a PITA if one wished to access SB CA 107 on EB Centinela due to having to cross three lanes of arterial traffic in about 100 yards!  It was even worse in the original configuration, with an old Pacific Electric rail line (pulled up in the late '60's) flanking the north side of Centinela.  The only reason the line was retained that long was to service a lumber yard on West Jefferson Blvd. in Culver City; when the yard closed up, parent company SP pulled up the line, which was accessed via trackage rights over the Santa Fe's "Harbor Line" along Slauson Ave. 

After the I-405 freeway was completed south of Culver City circa 1962, NB CA 107 traffic was required to access NB I-405 via a convoluted routing -- north on Sepulveda, west on Slauson, and then southwest on Jefferson to the very diamond interchange shown in the photograph above, where access to both directions of I-405 was available. 

[bing101]

Here are a few pics from today of CA SR 107 / LA Co N7.  The northern end of CA 107 is I-405; it extended further north prior to I-405 being built (thanks to those who sent links to older maps).  This route in entirely on a city street.  107 is entirely commercial, while N7 is a mixture of commercial and residential.

From north to south, here are some pics:
1. California SR 107 shields are included on I-405 signs; this view is from the Inglewood Ave. onramp to southbound I-405.


2. This view faces north at the intersection with Artesia Blvd. (California SR 91).  AFAIK US 91 never was on this alignment; its western end point was Long Beach. There are three shields barely visible: the 91 East on the traffic light pole, the closer 107 North in what looks like a "two digit" spade shield, and a third barely visible SR 107 further north at the next signaled intersection (Redondo Beach Blvd.). 
Hawthorne Blvd. is divided from this point north; up until 1933 a Pacific Electric Railway line ran in the median. [Source: Lines of the Pacific Electric Southern & Western Districts, Interurban Press].


The furthest south 107 shields are at the intersection with Torrance Blvd. (not shown)

3. This view faces south at the intersection of Pacific Coast Highway/California SR 1.  California SR 107 ends here; Los Angeles County N7 begins.  The only southbound N7 shield is on the traffic light mast.


4. This view faces north (downhill in this section), where a sand-filled "runaway lane" is just around the corner.  There are two runaway lanes in this area.


5. The south end of N7, near the intersection with Palos Verdes Drive, where the only northbound shield is posted.

https://www.aaroads.com/forum/index.php?topic=28617.0


Pic 4 according to this gallery is at the place where the Tiger Woods crash of 2021 took place based on where the LA news crews were at today.


Note we have a full thread on Tiger Woods on this link here.

[M3100]

Here's another view of the intersection of California SR 1 (Pacific Coast Hwy.) and California SR 107 (Hawthorne Blvd.) in Torrance, facing ESE, taken today, 2-26-21.    There have been plans for months/years to add a separate right turn lane from Eastbound PCH to Southbound Hawthorne (County N7).  Up until a couple years ago, there was a row of small businesses to the right, where the chain link fence/black tarp are now, and the UHaul business used to have a driveway to PCH.

Evidently the utility relocation was the biggest factor in why this is taking a long time. 

[Max Rockatansky]

Did a blog for CA 107.  It seems CA 107 spawned out of a desire to keep CA 7 simply to end via LRN 158:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/05/california-state-route-107.html?m=1

[dbz77]

Did a blog for CA 107.  It seems CA 107 spawned out of a desire to keep CA 7 simply to end via LRN 158:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/05/california-state-route-107.html?m=1

As well as having the state continue to pay for maintenance of Hawthorne Boulevard.

It is astonishing that Hawthorne Boulevard was once part of a highway that led all the way to Topaz Lake.