Abandoned ramp onto express lane at I-10 East at the interchange with I-710

[SoCal Kid]

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0615308,-118.1632374,3a,15y,46.22h,91.61t/data=!3m7!1e1!3m5!1sUGM1azS1TnSh7vEldl-36w!2e0!6s%2F%2Fgeo1.ggpht.com%2Fcbk%3Fpanoid%3DUGM1azS1TnSh7vEldl-36w%26output%3Dthumbnail%26cb_client%3Dmaps_sv.tactile.gps%26thumb%3D2%26w%3D203%26h%3D100%26yaw%3D60.257355%26pitch%3D0%26thumbfov%3D100!7i16384!8i8192

Google Maps says that it is undergoing renovation, but I live nearby, passed here many times, and I don't see any changes being made. The sign is now gone

[bing101]

El Monte Busway is the Abandoned ramp here.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNyoeG5j9Go


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Monte_Busway

[SoCal Kid]

El Monte Busway is the Abandoned ramp here.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lNyoeG5j9Go


https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/El_Monte_Busway

No, it is right by the I-710 interchange, you can click the Google Maps link and zoom out

[bing101]

https://goo.gl/maps/2ieCJaf72LF2

But El Monte Busway does go to the I-10 @ I-710 interchange.

[SoCal Kid]

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.0623018,-118.1621707,82m/data=!3m1!1e3

Click map and it will show that the ramp in the middle doesnt exist.

[cahwyguy]

It appears to have been a ramp from the main line of the freeway onto the El Monte Busway. I don't have details on it on my website. I took a look at the 2018 SHOPP: http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/transprog/SHOPP/2018_shopp/2018-shopp-adopted-by-ctc.pdf , looking for projects related to 07-Los Angeles-10 or 07-Los Angeles-10S (which is the busway). There doesn't appear to be one related to this (you can look up the postmiles in the postmile tool at https://postmile.dot.ca.gov/ ), except perhaps a roadway rehabilitation. Judging by the plant growth on the roadbed, my guess is that the ramp was closed when they upgraded the busway to be an HOT lane, and they didn't want traffic entering at that point (which would have required another transponder structure, when traffic likely didn't warrant). That doesn't explain the maintenance sign, but my guess is that relates to some maintenance further down the road, or a project that was completed.

[jakeroot]

Very interesting ramp. Were the diamond lanes on the 10 ever separated from the mainlines by way of jersey barriers (prior to them being expanded to two lanes)? I don't understand why that ramp would need to exist, when you could enter the lanes when that on-ramp comes down the freeway-level a quarter mile later.

EDIT: I see all the double-double lines basically create a jersey barrier situation. I can sort of see the reason for the ramp now, if the entry into the HOV lanes wasn't for a mile or two. But now that the express lanes have an entrance like a half mile east, the ramp probably isn't necessary.

[cahwyguy]

Remember: It was a busway first, separated from everything else for buses only.

[jakeroot]

Remember: It was a busway first, separated from everything else for buses only.

Right but hasn't it been an HOV (and now express) lane for quite a long time?

[SoCal Kid]

Noticed seen I moved here and when my parents drove past here to San Gabriel. I thought it was only temporary, but its been years now.

[cahwyguy]

Remember: It was a busway first, separated from everything else for buses only.

Right but hasn't it been an HOV (and now express) lane for quite a long time?

It was always grade separated. It wasn't an HOV lane like the other HOV lanes. That's why it is 10S, not 10, if you look at the postmiles.

[djsekani]

Remember: It was a busway first, separated from everything else for buses only.

Right but hasn't it been an HOV (and now express) lane for quite a long time?

The express lanes were added in 2010-2011. Before that though, there was no access to the HOV/busway from the mainline 10 freeway. https://goo.gl/maps/AapNTLNEhd92

[GaryA]

Very interesting ramp. Were the diamond lanes on the 10 ever separated from the mainlines by way of jersey barriers (prior to them being expanded to two lanes)? I don't understand why that ramp would need to exist, when you could enter the lanes when that on-ramp comes down the freeway-level a quarter mile later.

EDIT: I see all the double-double lines basically create a jersey barrier situation. I can sort of see the reason for the ramp now, if the entry into the HOV lanes wasn't for a mile or two. But now that the express lanes have an entrance like a half mile east, the ramp probably isn't necessary.

Back around 1980 or so, the Busway lane was separated from the mainline I-10 by candlesticks, and there were no opportunities to transition from one to the other -- so the ramp in question was the only way to enter the Busway after its origin.  And once you did enter, I think the only exit points were an exit at Del Mar and then the busway end at Baldwin (where buses exited left to go to the El Monte station, and cars merged into I-10).  It was also always HOV 3+.

[SoCal Kid]

I was thinking they would open it and it was closed for temporary reasons, but it has remained here for looks like decades. Not a lot of internet sources that now about this. The "Your Tax Dollars At Work" sign on GSV makes it even more confusing. Maybe like cahwyguy said, a future project. But with the expressway entrance not too far ahead, I find this ramp pointless now.

[cahwyguy]

I was thinking they would open it and it was closed for temporary reasons, but it has remained here for looks like decades. Not a lot of internet sources that now about this. The "Your Tax Dollars At Work" sign on GSV makes it even more confusing. Maybe like cahwyguy said, a future project. But with the expressway entrance not too far ahead, I find this ramp pointless now.

By "Future", I meant a project a bit to the East of the present location (or one completed). You would need to examine not only the current SHOPP, but the SHOPP for the previous Fiscal Year. My guess is that it is connected to the conversion of the HOV-3 busway into the HOT/Express Lanes, which need much more controlled and much more limited entrances and exits in order to calculate charges.

As GaryA noted: When the busway first opened, it was *extremely* limited on where you could get on. The primary "audience", so to speak, was the SCRTD, which is why the lanes extend almost as far as Union Station along 101, but are still postmiled as 10S, because they are an extension of route 10.

[NE2]

It was definitely open in 2004. This sign probably had a left arrow when it was open.

[cahwyguy]

Note: LInks to historical aerials really don't work well anymore. Make sure to give the coordinates and the year, as the link only takes you to the home page.

[jakeroot]

Hitting the "Tweet" button and grabbing that link has proved successful for me...

https://www.historicaerials.com/location/34.06268572239508/-118.16174626350403/2004/18

[cahwyguy]

By the way, if you like wheregoes, try http://getlinkinfo.com . I like that tweet suggestion; I'll have to remember that.

[NE2]

Note: LInks to historical aerials really don't work well anymore. Make sure to give the coordinates and the year, as the link only takes you to the home page.

Ugh. The problem with that link was that they don't like insecure HTTP.

[jakeroot]

By the way, if you like wheregoes, try http://getlinkinfo.com . I like that tweet suggestion; I'll have to remember that.

I'll throw that in my signature as well.

I do wish Historic Aerials would make it a bit more obvious how to get a solid link. I don't think going through the Tweet button is particularly user-friendly, even if it works.

[mrsman]

My thinking is that the ramp by design was to connect the mainline I-10 to the busway lanes during the time when it was a busway (before HOVs were allowed).  This would service busway buses that did not pass through the Union Station area and needed to access the busway from the Santa Monica Fwy.  I guess at the time, the designers felt it was better to have traffic merge in on-ramp style, as opposed to changing lanes as is now done to enter the HOT facility.

IMO, the ramps are indeed safer as you don't have the problem of stopped general lane traffic merging into the 65 MPH busway.

IIRC, before this point you cannot enter the busway directly from the freeway.  The entrance to the EB busway was from Alameda Street by Union Station.

The reverse ramp WB HOT to WB freeway main, of course, is still in use as an exit signed towards the Santa Monica and Golden State Fwys.  Those bound for Downtown and 101 could continue on the busway a bit longer.

I beleive at one time there were similar ramps in the DC area for buses only along the Dulles Toll Road corridor.  I couldn't find any on a recent GSV search.  I believe they may have been removed as they are doing a lot of construction to build a Metro extension along the right of way.

[Verlanka]

By the way, if you like wheregoes, try http://getlinkinfo.com . I like that tweet suggestion; I'll have to remember that.

I'll throw that in my signature as well.

I do wish Historic Aerials would make it a bit more obvious how to get a solid link. I don't think going through the Tweet button is particularly user-friendly, even if it works.

Since I don't have Twitter, the Tweet button may not work for me.