Interstate 605

Interstate 605 (abbreviated I-605, officially known as the San Gabriel River Freeway) is a 27-mile-long (43 km) major north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the Greater Los Angeles urban area of Southern California. It runs from I-405 and State Route 22 (SR 22) in Seal Beach to I-210 in Duarte. The San Gabriel River Freeway closely parallels the San Gabriel River for most of its alignment, hence its name, which is one of the few Southern California freeways not named after a city along its route.

For the cancelled interstate bypass in Seattle, Washington, see Interstate 605 (Washington).

Interstate 605 marker

Interstate 605

San Gabriel River Freeway
I-605 highlighted in red
Route information
Auxiliary route of I-5
Maintained by Caltrans
Length27.40 mi[1] (44.10 km)
History1940s as a state highway, 1964 as a number[2]
NHSEntire route
Major junctions
South end I-405 / SR 22 in Seal Beach
Major intersections
North end I-210 / Huntington Dr. in Duarte
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesOrange, Los Angeles
Highway system
← I-580→ I-680

Aside from changes to the interchange with I-105 (which did not open until the early 1990s), and the addition of an HOV lane between I-405 and I-10, I-605 is one of the only remaining freeways that kept its original alignment throughout its run through Los Angeles County since it first opened.

Route description

The California Streets and Highways Code defines Route 605 as "(a) Route 1 near Seal Beach to Route 405. (b) Route 405 to Route 210 near Duarte." However, the portion in subsection A has yet to be constructed.

The southern terminus of I-605 is at the San Diego (I-405) and Garden Grove (SR 22) Freeways in Seal Beach. From there, it runs roughly north through the Gateway Cities of the Los Angeles Basin. It then shifts north-northeast, crossing the Whittier Narrows and across the San Gabriel Valley. I-605 then ends at its junction with the Foothill Freeway, (I-210) in Duarte, a small city located at the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains.

I-605 follows most of the length of the San Gabriel River from the San Diego Freeway in Seal Beach to the Santa Fe Dam. Typically dry riverbed and flood basins are visible from many portions of the route, especially near the northern terminus.

In the mid 2000s, a HOV lane was added for motorists with two or more people to use between I-405 and I-10. The HOV lane ends at I-10 and there are no plans to extend it to I-210 at this time. With the addition of the HOV lane, the left shoulder was eliminated to avoid massive costs to widen the freeway. The highway also suffers from traffic jams regularly, especially the junction with I-5 (the Santa Ana Freeway). Newer signs with exit numbers replaced the older signs between the Orange County line and I-10 in 2016, with the completion of the I-605 and I-10 junction improvement. Guide signs along I-605 never included destinations (control cities) such as "Seal Beach" or "Irwindale" since its opening. Rather, cardinal directions ("NORTH" or "SOUTH"), and a simple "THRU TRAFFIC" designation in place of control cities, are used on signs along I-605 itself.

I-605 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[3] and is part of the National Highway System,[4] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[5] I-605 from I-405 to I-10 is known as the San Gabriel River Freeway, as named by Senate Bill 99, Chapter 1101 in 1967.[6]

History
Approaching the northern terminus of I-605

In 1957, the number for this route was proposed as I-13, as it is positioned approximately midway between I-5 and I-15 (although it intersects the former). That number was rejected, as was the second proposed number, I-102. Finally, the designation I-605 was accepted in 1958.[7]

I-605 began construction in 1963 and the first section was opened in 1964 from I-405 to SR 60. The newest section (extension to I-210) was opened in 1971 was originally signed as SR 243. There are plans to extend it to SR 1 further south in Orange County as SR 605, but strong community opposition means that it is unlikely that the alignment will ever be built.[7]

In 2020, there was a proposal to widen I-605, which would have added four new lanes to 12 mi (19 km) of I-605 between Norwalk and El Monte, California. This proposal was rejected due to strong community opposition, in particular due to the fact that it would have led to the destruction of houses in Downey, California.[8]

Exit list
CountyLocationmi[9][10]kmExit[9]DestinationsNotes
OrangeSeal Beach0.000.001A
 SR 22 west (7th Street) – Long Beach		Southern terminus; SR 22 exit 2
Seal Beach–Los Alamitos line0.410.661B

 I-405 south (San Diego Freeway) / SR 22 east (Garden Grove Freeway) – Garden Grove		Southbound exit and northbound entrance; former SR 7 south; I-405 north exit 24
♦

 I-405 south / SR 22 east		HOV access only; southbound exit and northbound entrance; future I-405 Express Lanes south
Orange–Los Angeles
county line		Seal Beach–Los Alamitos–
Long Beach tripoint		1C
 I-405 north (San Diego Freeway) – Santa Monica		Signed as exit 1A northbound; former SR 7 north; I-405 south exit 24A
OrangeLos Alamitos1.412.271DKatella Avenue / Willow StreetSigned as exit 1B northbound; southbound access to Willow Street is via exit 2A
Coyote Creek1.602.57Bridge
Los AngelesLong Beach1.692.722AWillow StreetSouthbound exit only
1.933.112BSpring Street / Cerritos AvenueSouthbound exit and northbound entrance
Long Beach–Lakewood line3.385.443Carson Street / Lincoln AvenueFormer US 91 and SR 18
Lakewood–Cerritos line4.517.265ADel Amo Boulevard
Cerritos5.398.675BSouth Street
6.6910.777A SR 91 (Artesia Freeway) – Beach Cities, Riverside
Cerritos–Norwalk line7.4511.997BAlondra Boulevard
Norwalk8.5013.689ARosecrans Avenue
9.2914.959B
 I-105 west (Century Freeway) / Imperial Highway		Signed as exits 9B (I-105) and 9C (Imperial Hwy) northbound; I-105 east exits 18A-B; Imperial Highway is former SR 90.
9.5315.3410Firestone BoulevardFormer SR 42
Downey11.2518.1111Florence Avenue
Downey–Santa Fe Springs line11.2518.1111 I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway) – Los Angeles, Santa AnaFormer US 101 Byp. south; I-5 exit 124
Santa Fe Springs11.8919.1412Telegraph RoadFormer US 101 Byp. north; former SR 26
West Whittier-Los Nietos13.1821.2113Slauson Avenue
13.6922.0314Washington BoulevardSigned as exits 14A (west) and 14B (east) southbound
West Whittier-Los Nietos–Whittier line15.2124.4815Whittier Boulevard (SR 72)Former US 101
Whittier–Pico Rivera line16.0525.8316Beverly BoulevardSouthbound access to Beverly Boulevard west is via exit 17
Pico Rivera–Industry line17.2127.7017Rose Hills Road
Industry18.2929.4318Peck Road
Industry19.0530.6619 SR 60 (Pomona Freeway) – Los Angeles, PomonaSR 60 exit 12
Avocado Heights–Industry line21.0333.8421Valley BoulevardFormer US 60 and SR 212
Baldwin Park21.8335.1322 I-10 (San Bernardino Freeway) – Los Angeles, San BernardinoFormer US 99 / US 70 / US 60; I-10 east exits 31A-B, west exit 31A
Baldwin Park–Irwindale line22.7136.5523Ramona Boulevard – Baldwin Park, El MonteFormer US 99
Irwindale23.7938.2924Lower Azusa Road / Los Angeles Street
25.1640.4925Live Oak AvenueNorthbound exit and southbound entrance
26.6042.8126Arrow HighwaySouthbound exit and northbound entrance
27.4044.1027 I-210 (Foothill Freeway) – Pasadena, San BernardinoSigned as exits 27A (east) and 27B (west); I-210 east exit 36A, west exit 36B
Irwindale–Duarte line27.5444.3227CHuntington Drive (Historic US 66) – DuarteNorthern terminus; at-grade intersection; former US 66; road continues as Mount Olive Drive
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. "Route Log and Finder List - Interstate System: Table 2". FHWA. Retrieved October 7, 2007.
  2. "Los Angeles Highways". Scvresources.com. Archived from the original on November 15, 2011. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
  3. "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  4. Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: Los Angeles, CA (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 29, 2017.
  5. Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  6. California Department of Transportation; California State Transportation Agency (January 2021). 2020 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California (PDF). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. p. 96. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2022.
  7. Faigin, Daniel. "Interstate 605". California Highways. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  8. "Metro Board Unanimously Approves Motion to Delay 605/5 Freeway Widening and Instead Study Alternatives". Streetsblog Los Angeles. October 22, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020.
  9. Warring, KS (April 18, 2008). "Interstate 605 Freeway Interchanges" (PDF). California Numbered Exit Uniform System. California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 1, 2014.
  10. "California Log of Bridges on State Highways: District 12" (PDF). Caltrans. California Department of Transportation. October 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2019.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Interstate 605 (California).
Template:Attached KML/Interstate 605
KML is from Wikidata
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.