.svg)  Hollywood Freeway | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 170 highlighted in red; US 101 in blue | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byCaltrans | ||||
| Length | 16.6 mi (26.7 km) | |||
| Component highways |  US 101 fromDowntown Los Angeles toNorth Hollywood SR 170 from North Hollywood toSun Valley | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  US 101 /SR 110 in Downtown Los Angeles | |||
| Major intersections |  US 101 /SR 134 / SR 170 in North Hollywood | |||
| North end |  I-5 in Sun Valley | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | California | |||
| County | Los Angeles | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| Southern California freeways | ||||
| ||||
State Route 170 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Los Angeles |
| Length | 7 mi[1] (11 km) |
| Existed | 1962–present |
TheHollywood Freeway is one of the principalfreeways ofLos Angeles, California (the boundaries of which it does not leave) and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route through theCahuenga Pass, the primary shortcut between theLos Angeles Basin and theSan Fernando Valley. It is considered one of the most important freeways in the history of Los Angeles and instrumental in the development of the San Fernando Valley.[2] It is the second oldest freeway in Los Angeles (after theArroyo Seco Parkway).[2] From its southern end at theFour Level Interchange to its intersection with theVentura Freeway in the southeastern San Fernando Valley (theHollywood Split), it is signed as part ofU.S. Route 101. It is then signed asState Route 170 (SR 170) north to its terminus at theGolden State Freeway (Interstate 5).
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The freeway runs from theFour Level Interchange in downtown Los Angeles to theGolden State Freeway in theSun Valley district of Los Angeles in theSan Fernando Valley. From the Four Level Interchange to its intersection with theVentura Freeway in the southeastern San Fernando Valley (also known as theHollywood Split), the freeway is signed as part ofU.S. Route 101. Afterwards, it is signed as State Route 170 until its northern terminus atInterstate 5.
The intersection of the Hollywood,Santa Ana, andHarbor freeways and theArroyo Seco Parkway, known as theFour Level Interchange, is one of the major landmarks in Los Angeles and a symbol of the city's post-World War II development.
Route 170 is defined as follows in section 470, subsection (a) of theCalifornia Streets and Highways Code:[3]
Route 170 is fromRoute 101 nearRiverside Drive toRoute 5 nearTujunga Wash.
In addition to the above, the original 1963 definition of Route 170 included "Route 405 nearInglewood to Route 101 in Los Angeles" in a separate subdivision. This was defined in anticipation of theLaurel Canyon Freeway, which never came to fruition. In 1970, the definition was amended to subdivide the portion south of US 101 as "(a)Los Angeles International Airport toRoute 90." and "(b)Route 2 to Route 101 in Los Angeles," deleting the segment between SR 2 and an extension of SR 90 that was never constructed. Subdivision (b) would run alongHighland Avenue inHollywood. In 2015, the state relinquished Highland Avenue to the city of Los Angeles, and the legislature amended the definition to reflect that as well as remove the final unconstructed freeway segment.[4] However, subdivision (b) was also modified to require the city to still "maintain signs directing motorists to the continuation of Route 170".[3]
SR 170 begins its northbound route at the junction with the Ventura Freeway, continuing the freeway northwards. US 101 leaves the freeway, merging onto the Ventura Freeway and heads west. SR 134 continues the Ventura Freeway, heading east. On the southbound side, a sign indicates "END Route 170". Curiously, there is no interchange from SR 134 west to US 101 south. This connector route was put on hold pending the construction of the Laurel Canyon Freeway. Motorists intending to go in that direction must exit SR 134 atCahuenga Boulevard, make a left, continue on Lankershim Boulevard and follow the signs nearUniversal Studios to re-enter on US 101. Likewise, there is no interchange from US 101 north to SR 134 east. Motorists intending to go in that direction must exit US 101 at Vineland Avenue, make a right, make another right on Riverside Drive and enter SR 134 on the left. This interchange is also known as the "Hollywood Split".
SR 170 then continues through the northeastern portion of theSan Fernando Valley, finally merging onto northbound I-5. There is no connector route to I-5 south because the angle between the two freeways is too acute.
There areHOV lanes in operation 24 hours a day in each direction of SR 170 between I-5 and the Hollywood Split interchange. There is a direct connection from the northbound SR 170 HOV lanes onto the northbound I-5 HOV lanes, as well as from the southbound I-5 HOV lanes onto the southbound SR 170 HOV lanes. This makes it possible to connect with the I-5 HOV lanes as well as theSR 14 HOV lanes (from the I-5) without merging into regular lanes.
Both this portion of US 101 and the entirety of SR 170 are part of theCalifornia Freeway and Expressway System,[5] and are part of theNational Highway System,[6] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by theFederal Highway Administration.[7]
As of 2018, Caltrans is planning to add soundwalls to SR 170 in both directions betweenSherman Way and theHollywood Split. There are currently some neighborhoods located near the freeway, which cause noise pollution. Now that soundwalls are in place, it can reduce the noise and reduces smog.
Plans for the Hollywood Freeway officially began in 1924 when Los Angeles voters approved a "stop-free express highway" betweenDowntown Los Angeles and the San Fernando Valley.[2] The first segment of the Hollywood Freeway built was a one and a half mile stretch through theCahuenga Pass. That segment opened on June 15, 1940. It was then known as the "Cahuenga Pass Freeway".Pacific Electric Railway trolleys ran down the center of this freeway until 1952. The next section of the freeway that stretched from the San Fernando Valley to Downtown Los Angeles opened on April 16, 1954 at a cost of $55 million. The final section, north of theVentura Freeway to theGolden State Freeway was completed in 1968.[2]
A year after the Hollywood Freeway opened, it was used by an average of 183,000 vehicles a day, almost double the capacity it was designed to carry. ActorBob Hope called it the "biggest parking lot in the world" in his routine.[2]
The segment through Hollywood was the first to be built through a heavily populated area and requiring the moving or demolition of many buildings, includingRudolph Valentino's former home in Whitley Heights. The freeway was also designed to curve aroundKTTV Studios andHollywood Presbyterian Church.[2] Much of the rubble and debris from the buildings removed for the freeway's construction was dumped intoChávez Ravine, the current home toDodger Stadium.[2]
In 1967, the Hollywood Freeway was the first freeway in California to haveramp meters.[2]
Near theVermont Avenue exit, there's a seemingly over-wide center strip now filled with trees. This is where the never-builtBeverly Hills Freeway was to merge with the Hollywood Freeway. Plans for the Beverly Hills Freeway were halted in the 1970s.[8]
The Hollywood Freeway is an expansion of the originalCahuenga Parkway, a short six-lane freeway that ran through theCahuenga Pass between Hollywood and Studio City. The Cahuenga Parkway featuredPacific Electric Railway "Red Car" tracks in its median, but by the 1950s these tracks were out of service due to radical reductions in Red Car service. The Pacific Electric right-of-way later accommodated an additional lane in each direction.
The second location ofLos Angeles High School was in the path of the freeway. The school moved to its third and current location in 1917. The school buildings were converted into a school for habitually truant boys until 1948, when it was demolished to make way for the freeway.[9]
SR 170 was originally supposed to run from the I-5 interchange to I-405 near theLos Angeles International Airport as the Laurel Canyon Freeway under theLaurel Canyon Boulevard, Crescent Heights Boulevard andLa Cienega Boulevard alignments of today. In fact, much of La Cienega Boulevard betweenManchester Avenue andVenice Boulevard was constructed tofreeway standards, with several grade-separated interchanges, although it is now an expressway maintained by Los Angeles County.
California's legislature has relinquished state control of the segment of SR 170 alongHighland Avenue, and thus that portion is now maintained by the City of Los Angeles.[10] Despite the relinquishment, exit numbers assigned at SR 170 remain starting at 5A at the Hollywood Split instead of 1 or 0.[11]
Except where prefixed with a letter,postmiles were measured on the road as it was in1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary (for a full list of prefixes, seeCalifornia postmile § Official postmile definitions).[12] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The entire route is inLos Angeles,Los Angeles County.
| Postmile [12][13] | Exit [14][11] | Destinations | Notes | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.57[a] | — |         US 101 south toI-5 south (Santa Ana Freeway) /I-10 east (San Bernardino Freeway) /SR 60 east (Pomona Freeway) | Continuation beyond SR 110 | ||||
| 1.62[a] | 3B[b] |  SR 110 (Arroyo Seco Parkway) toI-110 south (Harbor Freeway) –Pasadena,San Pedro | Signed as exit 3 northbound; south end of Hollywood Fwy; SR 110 exit 24A | ||||
| seeUS 101 (exits 4A–12C) | |||||||
| 11.65[a] | 13B[b] | SR 134 east (Ventura Freeway) –Pasadena | Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exit 5B on SR 170; SR 134 west exit 1A; south end ofHollywood Split | ||||
| 11.80[a] R14.50 | — | South end of SR 170 North end of US 101 overlap | Hollywood Freeway south follows SR 170 exit 5A to US 101 south; SR 134 west exit 1B | ||||
| — |  US 101 north (Ventura Freeway) –Ventura | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; SR 170 north follows US 101 north exit 13; north end ofHollywood Split | |||||
| R14.78 | 6A |  Riverside Drive toUS 101 north | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
| R15.37 | 6B | Magnolia Boulevard –North Hollywood | Signed as exit 6 northbound | ||||
| R15.99 | 7 | Burbank Boulevard | |||||
| R16.63 | 8A | Oxnard Street | |||||
| R17.25 | 8B | Victory Boulevard | |||||
| R18.27 | 9 | Sherman Way | |||||
| R19.72 | 10 | Roscoe Boulevard | |||||
| R20.10 | 11A | Sheldon Street | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||||
| R20.55 | ♦ |  I-5 north | HOV access only; northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||||
| 11B | I-5 north (Golden State Freeway) –Sacramento | No access to I-5 south; north end of SR 170/Hollywood Fwy; I-5 south exit 153B | |||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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