We're planning a trip to the Channel Islands later this year, driving to Ventura from Burbank and staying a few days.
Are there any old signs, alignments, easter eggs etc. to see in the area?
(I've already seen the 118/23 bump and clinched 126 earlier)
If you haven't done so already, driving the various north-south state and county routes that pass through western Los Angeles County are scenic and have some noteworthy features, including older bridges and tunnels. From east to west, the north-south routes you might want to see are SR 27 (Topanga Canyon Road), CR N1 (Las Virgenes Road and Malibu Canyon Road), CR N9 (Kanan Dume Road), and SR 23 (Decker Road and Westlake Boulevard). To see the tunnel on CR N1, go to http://goo.gl/maps/CO6by. SR 23 is a winding and twisting road, and it is probably the most difficult of the four in terms of speed and sharp curves.
Also SR 1 through Malibu and west to Pt Mugu and then into Oxnard is a scenic drive. I see the Pt Mugu segment on car commercials all the time. Here's a view of the rock cut at Pt Mugu along SR 1: http://goo.gl/maps/CSVk9. The rest of the road stays close to the ocean and thus is a nice drive ... if you can avoid peak beach visitation times, especially toward the eastern/southern end.
The exchange between SR 1 and Rice Avenue is unique and odd, as there are plans to eventually relocate SR 1 onto Rice Avenue. If you're traveling north (west) on SR 1, you'll have to exit from SR 1 to remain on SR 1. The left lanes connect directly onto Rice Avenue, which is slated to become expressway and/or freeway. Here's a link to the aerial of this interchange, where you can see how northbound traffic is forced to exit to remain on SR 1: http://goo.gl/maps/wqKeP.
For old alignments, I'd recommend the old Rincon Highway segment of CA-1 (former US-101) just north of Ventura.
Depending on the timeline, you'll also see the construction on US-101 that will remove the only non-freeway segment of the route between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles (it may be complete by the time you're there, I'm unsure of the schedule).
[Depending on how much time you have to get home, consider taking CA-33 north from Ventura through the Los Padres National Forest, then cutting over to US-101 (via CA-166) or I-5 (via CA-58).]
EDIT: Re-reading your post, I gather you're flying into Burbank from the Bay Area, so the CA-33 drive may not be feasible.
Now that the Ventura Boulevard US 101 business route in the Valley is long deprecated...the business 101 in Ventura is the southernmost on the entire highway, if I'm not mistaken.
There's the first mainline pullthrough sign for San Francisco on 101 north as you approach 126, too.
Quote from: DTComposer on April 30, 2014, 12:15:37 PM
Depending on the timeline, you'll also see the construction on US-101 that will remove the only non-freeway segment of the route between Santa Barbara and Los Angeles (it may be complete by the time you're there, I'm unsure of the schedule).
The project webpage is at http://us101-info.com/:
Quote
The Ventura Freeway (US 101) is a major coastal north–south route that links the Los Angeles Area, Central Coast, San Francisco Bay Area, and North Coast. It is a key transportation route for the movement of people, goods and services throughout the state, exceeding the capacity of the four-lane highway. Recognizing the importance of US 101′s economic role, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) District 7,serving Los Angeles and Ventura counties, Santa Barbara County Association of Governments (SBCAG) and Ventura County Transportation Commission (VCTC) are investing over $102 million in improvements over the next four years. The project is expected to begin spring 2012 and be completed in late 2015.
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Over the next four years, Caltrans and its partners will construct a six-mile carpool lane in each direction for vehicles with two or more passengers, along US 101 from Mobil Pier Road in Ventura County to Casitas Pass Road in Santa Barbara County. Additional improvements include: a pedestrian undercrossing in La Conchita, concrete barriers, southbound bike lane, median landscaping, reconstruction of existing drainage, closing existing median openings and installing Intelligent Transportation System elements such as underground vehicle detectors and Close Circuit TV cameras.
The $102 million project will alleviate congestion, encourage carpooling and improve air quality. The project is expected to begin spring 2012 and be completed in late 2015.
Caltrans has a multi-faceted outreach program in place to inform the public about the construction effort. Notices of construction activities, community meetings and closures will be posted on this website periodically. Thank you for your patience. For more information, please call toll-free (855) 454-6335.
I wonder if "closing existing median openings" will result in this highway meeting full freeway standards? The most significant median opening I know of that stretch of US 101 is the access point for La Conchita.
I also wonder if they will finally add overhead signs on southbound US 101 for the first Ventura exit (Business US 101). That exit is not well signed at this point.
There were three median openings in the stretch between Seacliff and the Santa Barbara/Ventura county line (Mussel Shoals, La Conchita, and an access road north of La Conchita). All three have been closed permanently, but the road is still substandard with narrow shoulders and a relatively sharp curve at Mussel Shoals that can't be easily smoothed because of the railroad that runs next to the highway. Other than that, US 101 is continuously a freeway from East L.A. all the way to Winchester Canyon/Hollister Avenue, some 110 miles north.
Also, the SB Main Street exit (#71) used to have an entire overhead sign gantry that mentioned the 33 freeway in addition to the first overhead sign pointing to Los Angeles since San Luis Obispo, but that was washed away during the El Niño storms in the mid 90s. Heading northbound, there was an upcoming exits sign for State Beaches (3/4 mile) and Seacliff (7 1/2 miles). And the State Beaches exit is also very poorly signed.