US 6 and the Hollywood Freeway

[J N Winkler]

I have found the LA DPW to be a pretty good resource for Caltrans stuff, largely because it is accessible online.  One would never expect it to be the primary record-holder for Caltrans infrastructure....

This is because the first freeways (initially called parkways) in Los Angeles were actually designed by the city itself.  The state took over the design responsibility a few years later.

This is true, and the first plan sets for the Arroyo Seco Parkway, Cahuenga Boulevard (later absorbed into the Hollywood Freeway), the Aliso Street Viaduct, etc. bear signatures and chopblocks indicating that design responsibility rested with the LA city engineer's office under Lloyd Aldrich.  But the LA DPW engineering vault actually includes original construction plans for most Caltrans-maintained freeway segments within the Los Angeles city limits up to the mid-1970's, as well as a few segments in neighboring cities such as Glendale, Pasadena, and Burbank.  I don't know if it was a provision of the relevant freeway agreements that obligated Caltrans to pass on copies of its construction plans to Los Angeles, but even if it was not, it would have been a necessary part of intergovernmental cooperation because LA has water and sewer responsibilities within the immediate vicinity of Caltrans freeways.

In other states there are similar information-sharing arrangements which operate to the benefit of people researching freeway history.  For example, the City of Tucson has an online engineering vault similar to LA's, and it includes Arizona DOT projects within the Tucson city limits, including quite a few of the original I-10, I-19, and SR 210 construction contracts, the I-10/I-19 trumpet-to-wye conversion (2004), and the recently completed I-10 widening through downtown.

[kendancy66]

6 ended at 66, multiplexed with 101, according to your map - suffice to say a lot doesn't make sense, but it's not surprising US 6 ended up truncated in the end.

I always wondered if CA-2 East signs that are posted with US-101 South signs on Hollywood freeway replaced US-66 East signs?  Those sign posts seem very old.

[sdmichael]

Yes, the SR-2 signs were formerly US 66 signs on the 101. I've seen some photos.

[neonjohn]

I too remember at least maps showing US 6 continuing down the Harbor Freeway, whether or not it was marked.

But what's blowing my mind is the though that if 6 was multiplexed with 66 and 101 on the Hollywood Freeway for even a short distance, 6 and 66 would be theoretically be signed in opposite directions: one direction would be 6 east and 66 west; the opposite direction would be 6 west and 66 east. Very strange!

[Brandon]

I too remember at least maps showing US 6 continuing down the Harbor Freeway, whether or not it was marked.

But what's blowing my mind is the though that if 6 was multiplexed with 66 and 101 on the Hollywood Freeway for even a short distance, 6 and 66 would be theoretically be signed in opposite directions: one direction would be 6 east and 66 west; the opposite direction would be 6 west and 66 east. Very strange!

Strange yes, but not as strange as that was the second time they met.  The first was here (see my location).  Two entirely different US highways from Joliet to LA.

[Occidental Tourist]

I too remember at least maps showing US 6 continuing down the Harbor Freeway, whether or not it was marked.

But what's blowing my mind is the though that if 6 was multiplexed with 66 and 101 on the Hollywood Freeway for even a short distance, 6 and 66 would be theoretically be signed in opposite directions: one direction would be 6 east and 66 west; the opposite direction would be 6 west and 66 east. Very strange!

Yes, strange indeed.  Thank God Caltrans has abandoned that practice to make motoring easier for everyone.

[TheStranger]

I too remember at least maps showing US 6 continuing down the Harbor Freeway, whether or not it was marked.

It was indeed signed on today's I-110, generally concurrent with Route 11 (though late 1950s/early 1960s signs usually only featured US 6):

www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=CA19550062
www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=CA19550111
www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=CA19610061

from 101:
www.aaroads.com/shields/show.php?image=CA19580061

[Occidental Tourist]

I too remember at least maps showing US 6 continuing down the Harbor Freeway, whether or not it was marked.

BTW, it was marked.  I remember in the 90s that some greenout with an I-110 shield fell off a sign on the 405 south at the 110 interchange, and it exposed a reverse-colored US 6 shield underneath.

It was a sign with two shields.  Presumably under the other 110 shield was a CA-11 shield