Inaccurate Freeway Names

[mrsman]

In the LA area, I've noticed for a long time that many of the freeway names are not entirely accurate.  While there are a lot of historical reasons for this, it's interesting the way that the system developed.

Consider this:

I-10 and CA-60 both connect Downtown L.A. and Pomona.  I-10 has six exits in Pomona, while CA-60 only had three. I-10 also runs much closer to the center of Pomona (which I consider Garey Ave at the tracks).  Yet, CA-60 is the Pomona Freeway and has Pomona as its control city, even though, I'd consider the 10 as the better way of going, barring a traffic accident, of course.

The 210 goes directly to San Bernardino, yet the 10 is the San Bernardnio Fwy.  (I know that the 210 was only recently extended to San Bernardino.)

The 134 freeway goes directly through central Glendale, but the 2 freeway just brushes off the east edge and is the Glendale Freeway (with Glendale control cities at certain times).

The 405 freeway is known as the San Diego Freeway, yet ends in Irvine.

The 57 freeway is the Orange freeway, yet the 55 runs closer to the center of Orange and has more exits in the City of Orange.

And based on Google Maps I-15 south of the 91 and 71 north of the 91 are both "Corona Freeway"


SOLUTIONS:

210 East of 134/710: San Bernardino Freeway, West of 134/710 Foothill Freeway
134 Glendale Freeway
10 Colton Freeway
60 Moreno Valley Freeway
91 Riverside Freeway
215 North of 60: Riverside Freeway, South of 60: Escondido Freeway
15 north of Devore: Barstow Freeway, between Devore and 91: Ontario Freeway, south of 91:  Lake Elsinore Freeway
2  La Canada Freeway
71 Corona Freeway
57 Fullerton Freeway
134 Glendale Freeway
405 Pacific Freeway

[hotdogPi]

Nashua NH: Circumferential Highway. It's only a mile long, in a straight line.

[Desert Man]

The freeways' names can give a driver the idea where's the nearest sizable or control city. They sometimes do not cross the central or downtown sections of those cities hence the freeways' names. Their names can change or be named for famous persons such as local city councilmembers or county officials. The one-mile part of the Imperial Highway in Yorba Linda (CA Hwy 90) was named for Richard M. Nixon, the US president born (and buried) in Yorba Linda and raised in Whittier. And where's Imperial? All the way in the Southeast corner of California, LoL. 

[DTComposer]

The 405 freeway is known as the San Diego Freeway, yet ends in Irvine.

I-405 ends in Irvine, but the San Diego Freeway continues on I-5 until CA-94 in downtown San Diego, so I'd consider that name accurate, if a bit confusing.

And based on Google Maps I-15 south of the 91 and 71 north of the 91 are both "Corona Freeway"

Historically both sections were CA-71, so it makes sense that they shared a name.

The 57 freeway is the Orange freeway, yet the 55 runs closer to the center of Orange and has more exits in the City of Orange.

...

57 Fullerton Freeway

This makes less sense than Orange Freeway. Downtown Fullerton is a mile further off CA-57 than downtown Orange is; also, the difference between downtown Orange to CA-55 or CA-57 is only 1/4 mile.

Plus, if you consider the road from a regional perspective (people from the San Gabriel Valley, Inland Empire and beyond going to, not just the City of Orange, but Orange County as a whole), I think the name makes sense.

[Interstate Trav]

In the LA area, I've noticed for a long time that many of the freeway names are not entirely accurate.  While there are a lot of historical reasons for this, it's interesting the way that the system developed.

Consider this:

I-10 and CA-60 both connect Downtown L.A. and Pomona.  I-10 has six exits in Pomona, while CA-60 only had three. I-10 also runs much closer to the center of Pomona (which I consider Garey Ave at the tracks).  Yet, CA-60 is the Pomona Freeway and has Pomona as its control city, even though, I'd consider the 10 as the better way of going, barring a traffic accident, of course.

The 210 goes directly to San Bernardino, yet the 10 is the San Bernardnio Fwy.  (I know that the 210 was only recently extended to San Bernardino.)

The 134 freeway goes directly through central Glendale, but the 2 freeway just brushes off the east edge and is the Glendale Freeway (with Glendale control cities at certain times).

The 405 freeway is known as the San Diego Freeway, yet ends in Irvine.

The 57 freeway is the Orange freeway, yet the 55 runs closer to the center of Orange and has more exits in the City of Orange.

And based on Google Maps I-15 south of the 91 and 71 north of the 91 are both "Corona Freeway"


SOLUTIONS:

210 East of 134/710: San Bernardino Freeway, West of 134/710 Foothill Freeway
134 Glendale Freeway
10 Colton Freeway
60 Moreno Valley Freeway
91 Riverside Freeway
215 North of 60: Riverside Freeway, South of 60: Escondido Freeway
15 north of Devore: Barstow Freeway, between Devore and 91: Ontario Freeway, south of 91:  Lake Elsinore Freeway
2  La Canada Freeway
71 Corona Freeway
57 Fullerton Freeway
134 Glendale Freeway
405 Pacific Freeway

The 134 is named the Ventura Freeway just to keep the name from the 101.

The 210 was originally named the San Bernardino but when the 10 got built first I'm pressuming it was named the San Bernardino Freeway to connect Los Angeles with San Bernardino, and it was built before the CA 60.  Then the 60 I'm guessing Pomona was just the closest thing they had, as they could have named it the Riverside Freeway but the 91 already had that title.

Also the San Diego Freeway goes to San Diego, it just changes to the 5 south of Irvine.

Also the 215 is named the Riverside Freeway from north of the 60, and is until it meets with the 10.  South of the 60 it is the Escondido Freeway.

The 405 got the name San Diego Freeway to encourgae long range travelers to use it to bypass Los Angeles when in Route to San Diego. on I-5 South.

[briantroutman]

I personally don't like Southern California's predilection for naming freeways. I think the names only serve to confuse people from out of town–or encourage locals to be ignorant of the numbering practices of the Interstate System.

(out-of-towner, in disbelief: "So 'the 101' is the Hollywood Freeway here and the Ventura Freeway over there...?!"
(local, in disbelief) "'Interstate 405? What the hell are you talking about?"

The names were more-or-less necessary at one point because LA's freeway network predated the Interstate System, but since the freeways have been assigned Interstate, US, or CA designations, the names are basically redundant.

[myosh_tino]

While the locals up here in northern California don't use freeway names as much as those down south, TV and radio traffic reporters use "Bayshore", "Eastshore" and "Nimitz" about as much as they use 101, 80 and 880.

[1995hoo]

I personally don't like Southern California's predilection for naming freeways. I think the names only serve to confuse people from out of town–or encourage locals to be ignorant of the numbering practices of the Interstate System.

(out-of-towner, in disbelief: "So 'the 101' is the Hollywood Freeway here and the Ventura Freeway over there...?!"
(local, in disbelief) "'Interstate 405? What the hell are you talking about?"

....

The same could be said of New York City. I once referred to I-278 and none of my relatives had any idea what I meant even though they drove on it all the time.

[TheStranger]

The 210 was originally named the San Bernardino but when the 10 got built first I'm pressuming it was named the San Bernardino Freeway to connect Los Angeles with San Bernardino, and it was built before the CA 60. 

Actually, hasn't 210 always been the "Foothill" specifically due to the fact it parallels Foothill Boulevard?

The San Bernardino Freeway was originally named the Ramona Parkway (and some of the parallel surface streets near it are still Ramona Boulevard) until the late 1940s.  While it only skirts the south edge of San Bernardino, it remains the logical connection to there from downtown Los Angeles.

I personally don't like Southern California's predilection for naming freeways. I think the names only serve to confuse people from out of town–or encourage locals to be ignorant of the numbering practices of the Interstate System.

I don't know if most non-roadgeeks really think about why the numbers are assigned or how, just that they exist.

And as noted by others in the thread, most older urban areas have names for their limited-access routes, some of which are cited as often as the numbers. 

Why they may seem confusing at times in LA is because of the fact that you do have numbers covering multiple road names, and one road name covering multiple numbers.  But that happens in the Bay Area too (US 101 as the Bayshore Freeway and Central Freeway, I-80 as the Skyway and as the Eastshore Freeway) to a lesser extent. 

[roadman65]

In Orlando it is no different here than on your coast. Around this part of the nation many traffic announcers call both Osceola and Seminole County sections of FL 417 as the "Greeneway" even thought the name Central Florida Greeneway only applies between Exit 6 and the Seminole County Line in Orange.

FL 417 is technically the Seminole Expressway in Seminole County and the Southern Connector in Osceola and part of South-West Orange County.

Also, the Beachline Expressway in Orange and Brevard counties is officially  the Bennett Causeway east of US 1, but Deano O' Neil (Z88. 3 DJ in Orlando) will refer to an incident on the Bennett Causeway as being part of the Beachline.  However, it may be officially that now, being the Beachline is the former Bee Line that Florida lawmakers might of went the whole nine yards and renamed the whole thing as one when it was changed.

[Alps]

Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway, especially when known as the Wantagh-Oyster Bay. Never close to completed to those locations.

[briantroutman]

Seaford-Oyster Bay Expressway...

I misread that as Seafood-Oyster Bay Expressway...and apparently the headline writer for the Massapequa Patch did too.

http://massapequa.patch.com/groups/editors-picks/p/traffic-tieups-on-seafood-oyster-bay-expressway

[Occidental Tourist]

The 210 was originally named the San Bernardino but when the 10 got built first I'm pressuming it was named the San Bernardino Freeway to connect Los Angeles with San Bernardino, and it was built before the CA 60. 

Actually, hasn't 210 always been the "Foothill" specifically due to the fact it parallels Foothill Boulevard?

The San Bernardino Freeway was originally named the Ramona Parkway (and some of the parallel surface streets near it are still Ramona Boulevard) until the late 1940s.  While it only skirts the south edge of San Bernardino, it remains the logical connection to there from downtown Los Angeles.

I personally don't like Southern California's predilection for naming freeways. I think the names only serve to confuse people from out of town–or encourage locals to be ignorant of the numbering practices of the Interstate System.

I don't know if most non-roadgeeks really think about why the numbers are assigned or how, just that they exist.

And as noted by others in the thread, most older urban areas have names for their limited-access routes, some of which are cited as often as the numbers. 

Why they may seem confusing at times in LA is because of the fact that you do have numbers covering multiple road names, and one road name covering multiple numbers.  But that happens in the Bay Area too (US 101 as the Bayshore Freeway and Central Freeway, I-80 as the Skyway and as the Eastshore Freeway) to a lesser extent. 

At some point -- I don't recall when -- Caltrans implemented a written policy that freeways should not be named based on the freeway's geographic origin or destination.  By the time they had implemented this policy, the MTC and CTC had already abandoned naming freeways after the stretches of road they replaced and had named many freeways after geographic origins/destinations.  So it was sort of a moot point.  Thus, the Houston Freeway and Santa Ana Canyon Expressways became part of the Riverside Freeway, the Olympic Parkway/Freeway became the Santa Monica Freeway, the Cahuenga Freeway became part of the Hollywood Freeway, etc.  Only a few freeways escaped renaming in violation of the policy, e.g., the Artesia and Foothill Freeways

And even after implementing the policy, Caltrans never really followed the policy when it came to renaming existing freeways, e.g., sometime in the late '80s/early '90s, somebody in District 12 got a bug up their ass about how the Newport Freeway didn't actually end in Newport, but ended in Costa Mesa.  And even though the Newport Freeway was one of the few holdovers from the old "named after the street" policy -- it had literally paved over the old surface routing of Newport Blvd. -- and hadn't actually been named based on its destination, District 12 nonetheless spent a lot of money to re-sign the 55 as the Costa Mesa Freeway because of where it ended.  In the process, they violated their own express policy forbidding such a naming.

[TheStranger]

At some point -- I don't recall when -- Caltrans implemented a written policy that freeways should not be named based on the freeway's geographic origin or destination.  By the time they had implemented this policy, the MTC and CTC had already abandoned naming freeways after the stretches of road they replaced and had named many freeways after geographic origins/destinations.  So it was sort of a moot point.  Thus, the Houston Freeway and Santa Ana Canyon Expressways became part of the Riverside Freeway, the Olympic Parkway/Freeway became the Santa Monica Freeway, the Cahuenga Freeway became part of the Hollywood Freeway, etc.  Only a few freeways escaped renaming in violation of the policy, e.g., the Artesia and Foothill Freeways

The Colorado Freeway is an interesting case - part of it (today's 134) got incorporated into the Ventura Freeway extension (itself a case of both parallel street and destination naming), but part of it (an older segment of 134) remains as an independent spur connecting Colorado Street and I-5.

105/Century Freeway provides a modern contrast, as it wasn't named for any of the cities it went to, but for a street it parallels (even though it much more closely parallels Imperial Highway)...and was finished in the early 1990s.

And even after implementing the policy, Caltrans never really followed the policy when it came to renaming existing freeways, e.g., sometime in the late '80s/early '90s, somebody in District 12 got a bug up their ass about how the Newport Freeway didn't actually end in Newport, but ended in Costa Mesa.  And even though the Newport Freeway was one of the few holdovers from the old "named after the street" policy -- it had literally paved over the old surface routing of Newport Blvd. -- and hadn't actually been named based on its destination, District 12 nonetheless spent a lot of money to re-sign the 55 as the Costa Mesa Freeway because of where it ended.  In the process, they violated their own express policy forbidding such a naming.

One could argue that the whole Pasadena Freeway/Arroyo Seco Parkway renaming saga is in a similar vein, though it happened out of supposed "historic preservation" reasons.

[getemngo]

When naming freeways after locations, you also run the risk of them not being finished, so the name won't make sense. The Elgin-O'Hare Expressway reaches neither Elgin nor O'Hare International Airport, though they're working on extending both ends (in theory).

[Occidental Tourist]

When naming freeways after locations, you also run the risk of them not being finished, so the name won't make sense. The Elgin-O'Hare Expressway reaches neither Elgin nor O'Hare International Airport, though they're working on extending both ends (in theory).

You're right.  I prefer geographic features or general location names anyway, e.g., the Chino Valley Freeway.  Names like the Santa Ana Canyon Freeway or the Brea Canyon Freeway would have been great and addressed the policy issue as well as the completion of the freeway issue.

But sometimes it leads to unwieldy results, like the San Gabriel River Freeway (named in violation of policy regarding length of freeway names).  But Caltrans figured out to address the problem in at least one location.   

[TheStranger]

But sometimes it leads to unwieldy results, like the San Gabriel River Freeway (named in violation of policy regarding length of freeway names).

Interesting that that name would be chosen - one which has never featured on overhead signage or anything of the ilk - when nearby, the Long Beach Freeway is a moniker that replaced the "Los Angeles River Freeway".

When did the freeway name length policy come into play?  (Clearly it wasn't a factor when 94 in San Diego became the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway)

[Brandon]

When naming freeways after locations, you also run the risk of them not being finished, so the name won't make sense. The Elgin-O'Hare Expressway reaches neither Elgin nor O'Hare International Airport, though they're working on extending both ends (in theory).

Of course, the EOE reaches "Route 53".  Route 53 (the freeway) is not IL-53 at the point, but I-290.  IL-53 is on the parallel Rohlwing Road.  However, all the traffic reports give that stretch of I-290 (I-90 to I-355) the name of "Route 53".

[DSS5]

Winston-Salem's Business 40, an expressway with no businesses on it.

[bing101]

Business 80 was then known as Elvas Freeway in Sacramento before it got the Cap City Freeway Name. But Also I-80 in Sacramento was Beltline freeway but rarely used its simply I-80 aka Regular I-80 by locals.

[nexus73]

The Minnesota Freeway in PDX doesn't go to Minnesota...LOL!

Rick

[lepidopteran]

How about I-68, National Freeway?  You would expect a "national" freeway to be more or less coast-to-coast, as is the National Road it's named for (parallels and multiplexes US-40 for much of the way), but this only goes from Hancock, MD to Morgantown, WV.  Except for the Cumberland, MD area, its route is sparsely populated.

[Brandon]

How about I-68, National Freeway?  You would expect a "national" freeway to be more or less coast-to-coast, as is the National Road it's named for (parallels and multiplexes US-40 for much of the way), but this only goes from Hancock, MD to Morgantown, WV.  Except for the Cumberland, MD area, its route is sparsely populated.

The original National Road was named as such as it was owned and maintained by the federal government.  It only ran from Maryland to Illinois, and authorized to run into Missouri.  It was later transferred to the states in which it ran.  Contrast this with the 20th century model of the states owning and maintaining the roads with federal money.  The National Freeway name makes sense when you realize the freeway takes the place of the original surface road through there.

Only a part of US-40 is the National Road.  Anything west of Vandalia, Illinois, is not the National Road.

[Occidental Tourist]

Interesting that that name would be chosen - one which has never featured on overhead signage or anything of the ilk - when nearby, the Long Beach Freeway is a moniker that replaced the "Los Angeles River Freeway".

When did the freeway name length policy come into play?  (Clearly it wasn't a factor when 94 in San Diego became the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway)

My understanding was a bit off.  The name length and criteria policies were recommendations made by Caltrans to the Legislature that were never formally adopted.  You can read more about it here.

[1995hoo]

How about I-68, National Freeway?  You would expect a "national" freeway to be more or less coast-to-coast, as is the National Road it's named for (parallels and multiplexes US-40 for much of the way), but this only goes from Hancock, MD to Morgantown, WV.  Except for the Cumberland, MD area, its route is sparsely populated.

Other than on this forum, I've never heard anyone call it the "National Freeway," regardless of what some of the BGSs say.