State Route 134
California 134 is the Ventura Freeway, connecting U.S. 101 and California 170 (Hollywood Freeway) in Los Angeles (San Fernando Valley) with Interstate 210 (Foothill Freeway) and the Long Beach Freeway spur in Pasadena. The entire route is freeway and is a well-traveled east-west route between Pasadena and North Hollywood through Glendale.
California State Route 134 Guides
The eastern segment of the Ventura Freeway (California 134) was built in stages through the 1960s and 1970s as listed in the Caltrans District 7 Bridge Log:
- U.S. 101 to Interstate 5 - 1962
- Interstate 5 to California 2 - 1967-8
- California 2 to Historic U.S. 66 (Colorado Boulevard) - 1971
- Historic U.S. 66 (Colorado Boulevard) to Interstate 210 and California 710 - 1974-5
California 134 was originally signed along the Colorado Street Extension freeway (built 1957) from Interstate 5 (Golden State Freeway) east over the Los Angeles River onto Colorado Street east of San Fernando Road. The state route then continued east along Colorado Street through Glendale and along Colorado Boulevard through Eagle Rock (city of Los Angeles) before ending at U.S. 6 and California 11 (Figueroa Street). Once U.S. 66 and California 11 were relocated onto the Arroyo Seco Parkway (Pasadena Freeway), old U.S. 66 (Figueroa Street and Colorado Boulevard) was recommissioned as U.S. 66 Alternate. Historic U.S. 66 Alternate (Colorado Boulevard) continued east to the Linda Vista Avenue split, where California 11 (later California 159) turned north toward the Rose Bowl. Historic U.S. 66Alternate (Colorado Boulevard) then traveled east over the Arroyo Seco via the Colorado Street Pioneer Bridge and ended in Pasadena. After the great U.S. Highway Decommissioning of 1964, California 134 was designated east along this corridor to Pasadena. As the Ventura Freeway was extended east, California 134 was relocated onto the new freeway. Remnants of the original Colorado Freeway are the Colorado Street Extension from Interstate 5 Exit 142 and the Colorado Boulevard long off-ramp from California 134 Exit 11. Neither of these remnant freeways are currently in the state highway system.
scenes
Northbound San Rafael Avenue at California State Route 134 (Ventura Freeway).
01/28/06
The entrance ramp for SR 134 east from San Rafael Avenue in Pasadena near the Rose Bowl.
01/28/06
The interchange between San Rafael Avenue and SR 134 was formerly the south end of SR 159 before that route was decommissioned. SR 159 followed Linda Vista Avenue from Colorado Boulevard north to Interstate 210 and Foothill Boulevard (former SR 118).
01/28/06
An overhead for SR 134 precedes the left turn and entrance ramp to the Colorado Freeway on Colorado Boulevard (former SR 134) east at Linda Rosa Avenue.
12/10/05
The button copy guide sign for SR 134 east where the Colorado Freeway branches north from Colorado Boulevard was removed by 2007. The nearby guide sign was also removed by 2017. Caltrans inventories the Colorado Freeway eastbound roadway as Ramp 120867_P.
12/10/05
Ramp metering, which limits the flow of traffic onto eastbound SR 134, is in use along the eastbound Colorado Freeway during commuting hours. The left lane is striped for use by carpools during hours of ramp metering.
12/10/05
The bridge taking the Colorado Freeway east over Monte Bonito Drive includes the divoted curbing.
12/10/05
The bridge spanning Figueroa Street along the Colorado Freeway also features divoted curbing. An entrance ramp follows this grade separation from Figueroa Street before the Colorado Freeway converges with the Ventura Freeway.
12/10/05
Originally part of SR 134 but was bypassed when the modern freeway was built, the Colorado Freeway is the off-ramp from westbound SR 134 at Exit 11 to Colorado Boulevard. Exit 11 first partitions with an exit for Figueroa Street. Figueroa Street south to Colorado Boulevard connects with Historic U.S. 66. U.S. 66 followed Colorado Boulevard east to Pasadena via the Colorado Street Pioneer Bridge and Figueroa Street southwest to Downtown Los Angeles.
12/10/05
Beyond the exit to Figueroa Street, the Colorado Boulevard ramp passes over SR 134 (Ventura Freeway).
12/10/05
The long off-ramp to Colorado Boulevard looks like a typical four-lane freeway except for the lack of a raised center median.
12/10/05
The Colorado Freeway also spans Monte Bonito Drive west before joining Colorado Boulevard.
12/10/05
Old-style divoted curbing on the bridge over Monte Bonito Drive indicates the age of this span. The traffic signal ahead is with Colorado Boulevard, which was SR 134 before the Ventura Freeway was extended east.
12/10/05
Removed by 2011, a porcelain-enamel end freeway overhead preceded the traffic signal with Colorado Boulevard.
12/10/05
All traffic on the Colorado Freeway west defaults onto westbound Colorado Boulevard (old SR 134) en route to Glendale. No direct access to eastbound Colorado Boulevard, as the prior exit to Figueroa Street is part of that movement from SR 134 westbound.
12/10/05
Photo Credits:
- Andy Field: 12/10/05, 01/28/06
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Page Updated Saturday November 05, 2011.