Expressways (not freeways) in and near Los Angeles

Started by cpzilliacus, January 02, 2019, 09:24:01 PM

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cpzilliacus

As best as I can tell, there are few expressways (of the kind found in some Bay Area counties) in Los Angeles County and nearby (though as I reside on the East Coast, it is possible that I am incompletely informed on this subject). 

I can think of only two such roads in the Southland:

La Cienega Boulevard between La Tijera Boulevard and Rodeo Road; and
Parts of CA-71 in the Chino Hills or Corona area.

Any others?

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kphoger

I was going to say the Moreno Valley Freeway, but recent GSV leads me to believe the at-grade intersections are being removed.
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Max Rockatansky

Quote from: kphoger on January 02, 2019, 10:19:12 PM
I was going to say the Moreno Valley Freeway, but recent GSV leads me to believe the at-grade intersections are being removed.

There is still a huge one near the junction with I-10 that likely isn't going anywhere soon. 

On the more ancient side of things Cajon Boulevard is still "largely" expressway grade which makes sense since it was part of US Route 66. 

sparker

CA 133 between the CA 73 toll road and I-405 could easily be classified as an expressway; it features little if any private access (and what there is is mostly locked gates) but with occasional cross traffic and a signal at El Toro Road.  Interestingly, the twin carriageways flank both sides of a lake (the old road passed on the east side of this).  But in my recollection, that plus the ones mentioned earlier are about it for L.A. metro.  Of course, the longest pure expressway in CA is out in the desert east of L.A. -- the CA 86/78/111 continuum between I-10 and I-8.  It's the closest thing to an "upper Midwest" standard expressway (with several interchanges near more populated areas) on the West Coast, except for the portion of US 395 between Pasco and Ritzville in WA (which is somewhat shorter). 

MarkF

CA 76 between I-5 in Oceanside and I-15 has been upgraded to an expressway in the past few years.

TheStranger

MacArthur Boulevard (former Route 73) between Bison Road and Jamboree Road in Irvine, with its own separate interchange with Eastbluff Drive plus ramps to the current 73 freeway.

Ramona Expressway between I-215 near Mead Valley and Route 79 in Gilman Hot Springs might qualify.

Route 126 from Fillmore east to I-5 in Santa Clarita
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Van Buren Boulevard in Pedley between the Riverside Airport and the 60 Freeway.  It even has a couple of interchanges.

Portions of Euclid Avenue (SR 83) in Chino between Chino Airport and Riverside Drive used to be expressway, but development has added driveways here-and-there, although one portion still has a steel fence in the median.

State Route 18 from Highland to the Crestline turnoff.

Anyone want to make the argument that Oak Grove Drive near Devil's Gate Reservoir in La Cañada-Flintridge qualifies as an expressway now?



Max Rockatansky

CA 111 west out of Palm Springs to I-10.  Essentially Coachella Valley has grown into the Inland Empire which by proxy makes it the outward most urban sprawl of the Los Angeles Area.   To that end you could lump parts of CA 62 and CA 86 into the conversation. 

sparker

Quote from: TheStranger on January 03, 2019, 04:09:51 AM
MacArthur Boulevard (former Route 73) between Bison Road and Jamboree Road in Irvine, with its own separate interchange with Eastbluff Drive plus ramps to the current 73 freeway.

Ramona Expressway between I-215 near Mead Valley and Route 79 in Gilman Hot Springs might qualify.

Route 126 from Fillmore east to I-5 in Santa Clarita

Ramona Expressway qualifies in name only; there's still numerous private access points along the route.  It might have actually been considered one 20+ years ago, but the massive deployment of housing in the area has, at least with the current configuration, rendered that concept moot.   Now -- if plans to reinstate Ramona as an expressway or even freeway actually come to fruition, that could change; frontage roads to provide access to the existing and planned housing tracts would be necessary to effectively isolate the main road from neighborhood cross traffic.

But there is a real expressway several miles south -- the Domengoni Parkway -- or at least the eastern portion of that artery.  It starts out in Menifee as a multilane surface extension of Menifee Ave. east of I-215, but soon divides into an actual expressway bypassing Hemet to the south (and considered by some a future CA 74 alignment, although the present facility is county maintained).  Things in the area may gel once a N-S CA 79 routing (likely a similar expressway-type format) is actually constructed (it's been in the planning/negotiation process for decades).  Stay tuned!

Mark68

Route 62 from I-10 to Morongo Valley.

I would also say Route 18 in Apple Valley qualifies. Still has frontage roads.

Sierra Hwy (former US 6) south and west of Golden Valley Rd in Santa Clarita.
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bing101

Old Colorado freeway aka Colorado street ramp in Los Angeles area is an expressway.


CA-19 has some expressway features.

sparker

Quote from: Mark68 on January 03, 2019, 02:18:28 PM
Route 62 from I-10 to Morongo Valley.

I would also say Route 18 in Apple Valley qualifies. Still has frontage roads.

Sierra Hwy (former US 6) south and west of Golden Valley Rd in Santa Clarita.

Definitely CA 62.  I would say you're partially right about CA 18, except for the direct access to several shopping centers sans frontage roads -- as well as the close spacing of signals in central Apple Valley (I was just on that road New Years' Eve).  Ironically, the long-range plans are to bypass the current route with a new facility arcing to the north from east of "old town" Apple Valley (east of Najavo Road) to I-15 north of Victorville and on to US 395 in Adelanto, the latter section paralleling Air Parkway -- and from I-15 to its eastern end it will be an expressway rather than a freeway. 

NE2

Portions of SR 126 and its local extension east to SR 14.
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djsekani

Having commuted to Chino recently, I can tell you that there's nothing express about CA-83 anymore.

CA-79 between I-10 and State Street in Hemet hasn't been mentioned yet.

West Shoreline Drive in Long Beach is expressway from the interchange with I-710 to The Pike area.

CA-110 should also count if we're including the Pomona section of CA-71.

There are a couple of short expressway-ish roads in Chino Hills, namely Grand Ave. heading west to Diamond Bar and Chino Hills Parkway heading north to CA-60.

Max Rockatansky

CA 138 certainly is Expressway grade for a mile or two heading east from I-5. 

sparker

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 04, 2019, 11:18:25 AM
CA 138 certainly is Expressway grade for a mile or two heading east from I-5. 

Actually, Caltrans considers both sections of the 5/138 interchange wye to be full freeway up to the point they shrink down to a 2-lane surface road east of the merge of the approach ramps.  That section of freeway is the only part of the now-defunct "Metropolitan Bypass" that was actually fully constructed to original plans;  the RR underpass on CA 138 west of I-15 in Cajon Pass was constructed to accommodate a divided highway, but only one carriageway was constructed -- and not to freeway standards but as a simple realignment of the existing facility.

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: sparker on January 10, 2019, 07:09:56 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 04, 2019, 11:18:25 AM
CA 138 certainly is Expressway grade for a mile or two heading east from I-5. 

Actually, Caltrans considers both sections of the 5/138 interchange wye to be full freeway up to the point they shrink down to a 2-lane surface road east of the merge of the approach ramps.  That section of freeway is the only part of the now-defunct "Metropolitan Bypass" that was actually fully constructed to original plans;  the RR underpass on CA 138 west of I-15 in Cajon Pass was constructed to accommodate a divided highway, but only one carriageway was constructed -- and not to freeway standards but as a simple realignment of the existing facility.

That's the thing, there is an at-grade junction with Gorman Post Road before it drops to two-lanes which would make it by definition an expressway.

sparker

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 10, 2019, 11:09:57 PM
Quote from: sparker on January 10, 2019, 07:09:56 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 04, 2019, 11:18:25 AM
CA 138 certainly is Expressway grade for a mile or two heading east from I-5. 

Actually, Caltrans considers both sections of the 5/138 interchange wye to be full freeway up to the point they shrink down to a 2-lane surface road east of the merge of the approach ramps.  That section of freeway is the only part of the now-defunct "Metropolitan Bypass" that was actually fully constructed to original plans;  the RR underpass on CA 138 west of I-15 in Cajon Pass was constructed to accommodate a divided highway, but only one carriageway was constructed -- and not to freeway standards but as a simple realignment of the existing facility.

That's the thing, there is an at-grade junction with Gorman Post Road before it drops to two-lanes which would make it by definition an expressway.

You know, it's been almost 20 years since I've been on that stretch of 138, and guess what?  You're absolutely right; that route should be classified as an expressway east of the merge point.  I guess Caltrans opted to delay any interchange at Gorman Post (old 138) until more of the Bypass was done -- and we all know how that turned out!  I guess the only saving grace is that if it had been built as planned it would empty out -- and exacerbate -- the commute slog that is today's Cajon Pass.  :ded:

Max Rockatansky

Quote from: sparker on January 11, 2019, 01:44:03 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 10, 2019, 11:09:57 PM
Quote from: sparker on January 10, 2019, 07:09:56 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 04, 2019, 11:18:25 AM
CA 138 certainly is Expressway grade for a mile or two heading east from I-5. 

Actually, Caltrans considers both sections of the 5/138 interchange wye to be full freeway up to the point they shrink down to a 2-lane surface road east of the merge of the approach ramps.  That section of freeway is the only part of the now-defunct "Metropolitan Bypass" that was actually fully constructed to original plans;  the RR underpass on CA 138 west of I-15 in Cajon Pass was constructed to accommodate a divided highway, but only one carriageway was constructed -- and not to freeway standards but as a simple realignment of the existing facility.

That's the thing, there is an at-grade junction with Gorman Post Road before it drops to two-lanes which would make it by definition an expressway.

You know, it's been almost 20 years since I've been on that stretch of 138, and guess what?  You're absolutely right; that route should be classified as an expressway east of the merge point.  I guess Caltrans opted to delay any interchange at Gorman Post (old 138) until more of the Bypass was done -- and we all know how that turned out!  I guess the only saving grace is that if it had been built as planned it would empty out -- and exacerbate -- the commute slog that is today's Cajon Pass.  :ded:

Ironically I just drove CA 138 today and the stub east of I-5 is indeed signed as a freeway despite the at-grade intersection at Gorman Post Road:

IMG_5589 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

skluth

Quote from: Max Rockatansky on January 03, 2019, 12:09:57 PM
CA 111 west out of Palm Springs to I-10.  Essentially Coachella Valley has grown into the Inland Empire which by proxy makes it the outward most urban sprawl of the Los Angeles Area.   To that end you could lump parts of CA 62 and CA 86 into the conversation.

A combination of CA 86, CA 78, and CA 111 is an expressway from Indio to the Mexican border. It's a bit far from LA to be considered LA area though. I agree with others who've mentioned CA 79 from Beaumont to Hemet.



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