 State Route 1 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 1 highlighted in red; with relinquished, future, and unofficial portions in pink | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byCaltrans | ||||
| Length | 655.845 mi[1] (1,055.480 km) (broken into 5 pieces by U.S. Route 101. Also, portions of SR 1 have been relinquished to or are otherwise maintained by local or other governments, and are not included in the length) | |||
| Existed | 1934–present | |||
| Tourist routes |
| |||
| Restrictions |
| |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  I-5 inDana Point | |||
| Major intersections |
| |||
| North end |  US 101 inLeggett | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | California | |||
| Counties | Orange,Los Angeles,Ventura,Santa Barbara,San Luis Obispo,Monterey,Santa Cruz,San Mateo,San Francisco,Marin,Sonoma,Mendocino | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
State Route 1 (SR 1) is a major north–southstate highway that runs along most of thePacific coastline of the U.S. state ofCalifornia. At 656 miles (1,056 km), it is the longest state route in California, and thesecond-longest in the US afterMontana Highway 200. SR 1 has several portions designated as eitherPacific Coast Highway (PCH),Cabrillo Highway,Shoreline Highway, orCoast Highway. Its southern terminus is atInterstate 5 (I-5) nearDana Point inOrange County and its northern terminus is atU.S. Route 101 (US 101) nearLeggett inMendocino County. SR 1 also at times runsconcurrently with US 101, most notably through a 54-mile (87 km) stretch inVentura andSanta Barbara counties, and across theGolden Gate Bridge.
The highway is designated as anAll-American Road. In addition to providing a scenic route to numerous attractions along the coast, the route also serves as a major thoroughfare in theGreater Los Angeles Area, theSan Francisco Bay Area, and several other coastal urban areas. Though some maps and signs mark SR 1 as continuous through the cities ofDana Point,Newport Beach,Santa Monica, andOxnard, control of segments within those cities were relinquished to those local jurisdictions and are thus no longer officially part of the state highway system. The Golden Gate Bridge is also officially not included in the state highway system because it is maintained locally by theGolden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District.
SR 1 was built piecemeal in various stages, with the first section opening in theBig Sur region in the 1930s. However, portions of the route had several names and numbers over the years as more segments opened. It was not until the1964 state highway renumbering that the entire route was officially designated as SR 1. Although SR 1 is a popular route for its scenery, frequent landslides and erosion along the coast have caused several segments to be either closed for lengthy periods for repairs, or re-routed inland.
Due to its fragmented nature and piecemeal relinquishments, theCalifornia Streets and Highways Code defines Route 1 across several subdivisions of section 301 as follows:[5]
Route 1 is from:
(a)Route 5 south ofSan Juan Capistrano toRoute 101 nearEl Rio except for the portions of Route 1 relinquished:
- (1) Within the city limits of the City ofDana Point between the western edge of the San Juan Creek Bridge and Eastline Road at the city limits of the City ofLaguna Beach.
- (2) Within the city limits of the City ofNewport Beach between Jamboree Road and Newport Coast Drive.
- (3) Within the city limits of the City ofSanta Monica between the southern city limits andRoute 10.
- (4) Within the city limits of the City ofOxnard between Pleasant Valley Road and Route 101.
(b) Route 101 atEmma Wood State Beach, 1.3 miles north ofRoute 33, to Route 101, 2.8 miles south of theVentura-Santa Barbara county line at Mobil Pier Undercrossing.
(c) Route 101 nearLas Cruces to Route 101 inPismo Beach via the vicinity ofLompoc,Vandenberg Air Force Base, andGuadalupe.
(d) Route 101 inSan Luis Obispo toRoute 280 south ofSan Francisco along the coast viaCambria,San Simeon, andSanta Cruz.
(e) Route 280 near the south boundary of theCity and County of San Francisco to Route 101 near the approach to theGolden Gate Bridge in San Francisco.
(f) Route 101 near the southerly end of Marin Peninsula to Route 101 nearLeggett via the coast route throughJenner andWestport.
The definition omits Route 1'sconcurrencies with Routes 101 and 280 instead of duplicating those segments in the other routes' definitions in the code. And while the former portions of Route 1 have been relinquished by the state to the cities of Dana Point, Newport Beach, Santa Monica, and Oxnard, section 301 subdivision (g) further mandates that those cities must still "maintain within their respective jurisdictions signs directing motorists to the continuation of Route 1".[5] In addition to the relinquished portions listed under subdivision (a), sections 301 subdivision (h), 301.1, 301.3, 303.4 and 301.5 of the code permit the state to relinquish select or all portions of Route 1 in the cities ofLos Angeles,Torrance, Newport Beach,Laguna Beach and Pismo Beach respectively.[6][7][8][9]
SR 1 is part of theCalifornia Freeway and Expressway System,[10] and through the Los Angeles metro area, Monterey, Santa Cruz, and San Francisco metro area is part of theNational Highway System,[11] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by theFederal Highway Administration.[12]
TheBig Sur section from San Luis Obispo toCarmel is an officialNational Scenic Byway.[13] SR 1 is eligible to be included in theState Scenic Highway System;[14] however, only a few stretches betweenLos Angeles andSan Francisco have officially been designated as a scenic highway,[15] meaning that there are substantial sections of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.[16]
The entire route is designated as aBlue Star Memorial Highway to recognize those in the United States armed forces; this designation is sponsored by the California Garden Clubs, but the organization has not erected such markers along SR 1 yet.[17] In 1959, the legislature officially designated the segment in Southern California betweenInterstate 5 (I-5) inDana Point andUS 101 nearOxnard as the Pacific Coast Highway (commonly referred to as "PCH", without the definite article "the", unlike otherfreeway numbers in the Los Angeles area). Between US 101 at the Las Cruces junction (8 miles [13 km] south ofBuellton) and US 101 inPismo Beach, and between US 101 inSan Luis Obispo andInterstate 280 in San Francisco, the legislature also designated SR 1 as the Cabrillo Highway in 1959, after the explorerJuan Rodríguez Cabrillo who sailed along the coast line. The legislature also designated the route as the Shoreline Highway in 1957 between the Manzanita Junction nearMarin City andLeggett. Smaller segments of the highway have been assigned several other names by the state and municipal governments.[18]
For the most part, SR 1 runs parallel to the coastline, or close to it, but does turn several miles inland at various locations to avoid several federally controlled or protected areas such asVandenberg Space Force Base,Diablo Canyon Power Plant andPoint Reyes National Seashore. In addition to connecting the coastal cities and communities along its path, the route provides access to beaches, parks, and other attractions along the coast, making it a popular route for tourists. The route annually helps bring several billion dollars to the state's tourism industry.[19] Segments of SR 1 range from urban freeway to simple rural two-lane road. Under theCalifornia Coastal Act, those segments of the highway that run through the rural areas of the protected California Coastal Zone may not be widened beyond a scenic two-lane road.[20]
At its southernmost end inOrange County, SR 1 terminates at I-5 inCapistrano Beach inDana Point. It then travels west into the city center. After leaving Dana Point, Pacific Coast Highway (PCH) becomes simply "Coast Highway" while at the same time continuing northwest along the coast throughLaguna Beach (where it meets the southern terminus ofSR 133) andCrystal Cove State Park.[21][22]
SR 1 then entersNewport Beach and passes through several affluent neighborhoods, includingNewport Coast andCorona Del Mar, spans the entrance to theUpper Newport Bay, which marks the boundary between East Coast Highway and West Coast Highway, and crossesCalifornia State Route 55 near its southern terminus. Upon crossing theSanta Ana River mouth and enteringHuntington Beach, SR 1 regains the Pacific Coast Highway designation. It passesHuntington State Beach and the southern terminus ofCalifornia State Route 39 before reachingBolsa Chica State Beach and theBolsa Chica Ecological Reserve. PCH then continues along the coast intoSeal Beach, the final city on its journey in Orange County.[21][22]
PCH entersLos Angeles County and the city ofLong Beach after crossing theSan Gabriel River. SR 1 then continues northwest through the city to its junction withLakewood Boulevard (State Route 19) and Los Coyotes Diagonal at theLos Alamitos Circle, more than 2 miles (3.2 km) from the coast. From the traffic circle, it continues inland west through Long Beach, including approximately one mile adjacent to the southern boundary ofSignal Hill. PCH is marked as such in Long Beach, but originally bore the name of Hathaway Avenue east of the traffic circle and State Street west of there. PCH then passes through theLos Angeles districts ofWilmington andHarbor City. While bypassing the immediate coastline ofPalos Verdes, SR 1 continues to head west into the cities ofLomita andTorrance along the route of the former Redondo-Wilmington Boulevard.[21][22]
PCH then turns north throughRedondo Beach andHermosa Beach. Upon enteringManhattan Beach, it becomesSepulveda Boulevard and turns back into PCH designation throughEl Segundo.[23] At Imperial Highway, it regains the name Sepulveda Boulevard as it descends and passes under two runways ofLos Angeles International Airport (LAX) via theSepulveda Boulevard Tunnel.[21][22]
After leaving LAX, SR 1 splits from Sepulveda and turns northwest, becomingLincoln Boulevard and passing through the Los Angeles neighborhoods ofWestchester,Playa Vista, andVenice, as well as the unincorporated community ofMarina Del Rey. This portion of SR 1 suffers heavy congestion at most times due to the shortage of alternate north-south arterial roads west ofInterstate 405. It then enters the city ofSanta Monica, where SR 1 turns southwest, merging onto the westernmost segment of theSanta Monica Freeway. Passing through theMcClure Tunnel (which also serves as the national western terminus ofInterstate 10), SR 1 emerges along the beachfront in Santa Monica as PCH again and continues along the coast, separated from Downtown Santa Monica by the palisades north ofSanta Monica Pier; this portion is also known locally as Palisades Beach Road and formerly as Roosevelt Highway. Upon leaving Santa Monica, PCH continues to follow the coast, curving west through thePacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles before becoming the main thoroughfare of the city ofMalibu while traversing the entire 21 miles (34 km) of that city.[21][22]
SR 1 crosses the county line and continues through theVentura County portion of the Malibu coast throughLeo Carrillo State Park andPoint Mugu State Park. After passing through a notch in the promontory that marksPoint Mugu, the western end of theSanta Monica Mountains, and the beginning of theOxnard Plain. The road cut left a very large rock formation at the tip of the point that is called the Mugu Rock. At that point, PCH leaves the coast and heads north, and then northwest as a freeway along the northeastern boundary ofNaval Base Ventura County Point Mugu for several miles to an interchange at Rice Avenue, Pleasant Valley Road, and Oxnard Boulevard inOxnard.[21][22] The reconstructed interchange at Rice Avenue and Pleasant Valley Road channels traffic north on the surface street, Rice Avenue, towards the interchange with US 101. The historic route along Oxnard Boulevard was relinquished in 2014. Truck traffic to and from thePort of Hueneme also uses this designated route at the Rice Avenue/Hueneme Road connector to connect with Route 101 at the Rice Avenue Interchange.[24]
After traveling throughVentura, SR 1 separates from US 101 to travel thehistoric beach route along the Rincon coast that was originally opened up by the construction of theRailroad Coastal Route fromEmma Wood State Beach to the Mobil Pier Undercrossing nearSea Cliff, where it rejoins US 101 about 3 miles (4.8 km) south of theSanta Barbara County line nearLa Conchita.[21][22]
The US 101/SR 1 concurrency (although actual signage mentioning SR 1 through this segment is nonexistent) from the Mobil Pier Undercrossing runs for 54 miles (87 km), passing through the City ofSanta Barbara and its neighboring communities along the coast of Santa Barbara County. The route then turns away from theGaviota Coast atGaviota State Beach, avoidingPoint Conception, and heads due north throughGaviota State Park and theGaviota Tunnel. InLas Cruces, SR 1, now named Cabrillo Highway, splits again from US 101 and heads northwest to the city ofLompoc. It is briefly joined withSR 246 along Lompoc's east–west Ocean Avenue, before turning north as H Street to Harris Grade Road, where it then regains the Cabrillo Highway name.[21][22]
After reaching the main entrance toVandenberg Space Force Base, SR 1 turns northeast, away from the immediate coastline of the base, to joinSR 135. SR 135 then splits from SR 1 south ofOrcutt, and the Cabrillo Highway turns northwest back towards the coast toGuadalupe. It entersSan Luis Obispo County, avoiding the immediate coastline of the protectedGuadalupe-Nipomo Dunes, before passing throughGrover Beach and subsequently joining US 101 for the third time atPismo Beach. The US 101/SR 1 concurrency then avoids the immediate coastline ofAvila Beach andDiablo Canyon Power Plant, and instead heads straight inland toSan Luis Obispo.[21][22]
SR 1 splits from US 101 at Santa Rosa Street in San Luis Obispo and then resumes as a four-lane road as the Cabrillo Highway. It rejoins the coast inMorro Bay, running through that city as a freeway, where it crossesMorro Creek at the site of a prehistoricChumash settlement dating to theMillingstone Horizon.[25] From there, SR 1 proceeds north toCayucos until it again becomes a winding, two-lane road with occasional passing lanes. It then continues along the coast throughCambria andSan Simeon, and past the elephant seal colony atPiedras Blancas Light Station. SR 1 provides access toHearst Castle in San Simeon in Northern San Luis Obispo County.[21][22]
SR 1 then enters theBig Sur region, crossingSan Carpóforo Creek just south of theMonterey County line. For about 72 miles (116 km) from San Carpóforo Creek toMalpaso Creek, the road winds and hugs the cliffs of Big Sur, passing various coastal parks in the area, with no connection to the other side of theSanta Lucia Mountains except forNacimiento-Fergusson Road. The road briefly leaves the coast for a few miles, passing through a redwood forest in the Big Sur River valley. The Big Sur segment of the highway, built between 1919 and 1937, also crosses a number of historic bridges, including the scenicBixby Bridge, a reinforced concrete arch with a 320-foot (98 m) span that passes over the Bixby Creek gorge, theRocky Creek Bridge,[21][22] and theBig Creek Bridge.[26] The segment of SR 1 through Big Sur is "considered one of the most beautiful drives in the world" and "attracts tourists from all over the world".[27]
After crossing the Carmel River, SR 1 turns inland and runs along the eastern boundary ofCarmel and the western boundary ofCarmel Valley before becoming a freeway inMonterey. After bypassing the immediate coastline ofPebble Beach and the rest of theMonterey Peninsula, the freeway heads north along the coast ofMonterey Bay throughSand City,Seaside, andMarina. At the interchange withSR 156 nearCastroville, SR 1 continues north as a two-lane rural road toMoss Landing.[21][22]
SR 1 becomes a freeway once again just before entering intoSanta Cruz County. This four-lane freeway continues up the Monterey Bay coast throughWatsonville to its interchange withSR 17 inSanta Cruz. (Thistrumpet interchange is locally known as The Fishhook due to its tight loop ramps that resemble a fishhook when viewed from above). After a short expressway section, it skirts downtown Santa Cruz as four-lane Mission Street, regaining the Cabrillo Highway designation (local/historic name is "Coast Road") after it leaves the city and continues north-west as a two-lane road (with occasional four-lane sections) up the coast throughDavenport.[21][22]
EnteringSan Mateo County, SR 1 follows the west coast of theSan Francisco Peninsula, passing by the marine mammal colonies atAño Nuevo State Park, and the historicPigeon Point Lighthouse, before reachingHalf Moon Bay. Between Half Moon Bay andPacifica, the highway bypasses a treacherous stretch known asDevil's Slide via theTom Lantos Tunnels.[21][22]
SR 1 then becomes a freeway once again at Sharp Park in Pacifica before turning inland to joinInterstate 280 inDaly City. Just short of reaching the City and County ofSan Francisco, SR 1 splits from Interstate 280, where the road becomesJunipero Serra Boulevard. Shortly thereafter, the highway makes a slight left, becoming the six-lane wide19th Avenue; theSan Francisco Municipal Railway'sM Ocean Viewstreetcar line runs in the median from this point until a junction to a rail only right-of-way near Rossmoor Drive. SR 1 then turns intoPark Presidio Boulevard after it passes through the city'sGolden Gate Park. Then after entering thePresidio of San Francisco, it goes through theMacArthur Tunnel before joining US 101 for a fourth time on the approach to theGolden Gate Bridge known as Doyle Drive.[21][22]
After crossing the bridge and enteringMarin County, SR 1 then splits from US 101 again nearMarin City, where it leaves the city and, as the Shoreline Highway, returns to a winding, two lane road as it passes over theMarin Hills to rejoin the coast atMuir Beach. After passingStinson Beach and theBolinas Lagoon, SR 1 avoids the immediate coastline ofPoint Reyes National Seashore and the rest of thePoint Reyes Peninsula, and instead heads towards, and then along, the eastern shore ofTomales Bay.[21][22]
Leaving Tomales Bay, SR 1 heads further inland to intersect with Valley Ford Road just north of theSonoma County border. It then rejoins the coast inBodega Bay, where its name changes to Coast Highway past theSonoma Coast State Beaches. After bridging theRussian River atJenner, SR 1 continues to wind along the rugged coast toFort Ross,Salt Point State Parks, and the planned community ofSea Ranch.[21][22]
SR 1 then crosses theGualala River and entersMendocino County. The highway enters the city ofPoint Arena, in which it becomes Main Street, before following School Street to the northwest and then becoming Shoreline Highway once again. It bridges theGarcia River and then, nearElk, theNavarro River, where it meetsSR 128.[21][22]
At the town ofAlbion, theAlbion River is spanned by theAlbion River Bridge, the only remaining wooden trestle bridge on the highway. SR 1 then passes throughLittle River andVan Damme State Park, crossesBig River and passes throughMendocino Headlands State Park and the Victorian community ofMendocino. Continuing north, SR 1 crossesRussian Gulch State Park on theFrederick W. Panhorst Bridge, and passes through the town ofCaspar. It passes through aroundabout just south of the intersection with the western terminus ofSR 20,[28][29] where it widens to two lanes, then bridges theNoyo River atNoyo, becomes Main Street ofFort Bragg, and crosses theCalifornia Western Railroad.[21][22]
North of Fort Bragg as a two-lane highway again, SR 1 passesMacKerricher State Park and the towns ofCleone andInglenook before crossingTen Mile River. After passingWestport-Union Landing State Beach, the road goes through a series of redwood-forested switchbacks before reachingRockport. North of Rockport, the highway turns away from theLost Coast to avoid steep and unstable highlands created byMendocino triple junction uplift. The highway follows Cottaneva Creek inland through redwood-forested mountainous terrain before terminating at US 101 just outsideLeggett.[21][22]
SR 1 has become famous worldwide,[30] but the highway was signed as several other routes prior to 1964. When the road was first envisioned in the World War I era, California highways were referred to by either a highway name or a route number. The route numbers were used by state highway planners and the Legislature from 1915 until 1964, but were never posted on highways, referred to by the auto clubs or public, nor used on maps. The SR 1 designation was first assigned in 1939. Various portions of SR 1 have been posted and referred to by various names and numbers over the years. State construction of what became SR 1 started after the state's third highwaybond issue passed before 1910.
Eager for a direct coastal route betweenVentura andSanta Barbara, civic boosters used locally raised funds to begin building theRincon Sea Level Road in 1911. The route between theVentura River andCarpinteria had been an unimproved route along small alluvial fan beaches that skirted coastal bluff rock outcroppings at low tide.[31] Construction of theSouthern PacificCoast Line railroad had created a road flanked byriprap along this area. In order to make this part of the first coastal route for motorists driving fromSan Francisco toLos Angeles, they paved the road and built wooden causeways where the route flooded from the ocean waves.[32] Local funding ran out, but the newly formed State Highway Commission took over and completed the road in 1913.[33]
One of the most difficult routes to build was along theBig Sur coast. The state first approved building Route 56, or the Carmel-San Simeon Highway,[34] to connect Big Sur to the rest of California in 1919. Federal funds were appropriated and in 1921 voters approved additional state funds.San Quentin State Prison set up three temporary prison camps to provide unskilledconvict labor to help with road construction. One was set up byLittle Sur River, one at Kirk Creek and a third was later established in the south atAnderson Creek. Inmates were paid 35 cents per day and had their prison sentences reduced in return. The route necessitated construction of 33 bridges, the largest of which was theBixby Bridge. Six more concrete arch bridges were built between Point Sur and Carmel.[35]
After 18 years of construction, aided byNew Deal funds during theGreat Depression, the paved two-lane road was completed and opened on June 17, 1937.[36] The road was initially called the Carmel-San Simeon Highway (Route 56), but was better known as the Roosevelt Highway, honoring the current PresidentFranklin D. Roosevelt. A 1921 law extended Route 56 south over the county road toCambria.[37]
Route 60, fromOxnard via the coast toSan Juan Capistrano, was extended from Oxnard toEl Rio (midway to Ventura, now the site of the Oxnard Boulevard interchange withUS 101), in 1925. AtPoint Mugu, a path for the highway was cut through the mountains using surplus World War I explosives, thus creating Mugu Rock.[38] The 1921 legislation, in theory, made Route 60 a continuous coastal loop, with both ends at what becameUS 101 in Oxnard and at Capistrano Beach (since 1964 the southern terminus of SR 1 atInterstate 5 in Orange County).[39] Route 56 was extended further south from Cambria to connect to present-day US 101 inSan Luis Obispo in 1931.[40]
The route fromSan Simeon toCarmel (connecting with existingcounty highways at each end) was one of two sections designated as SR 1. It and Route 60 were intended as links in a continuous coastal roadway fromOregon toMexico,[41][42]
A large expansion of the state highway system in 1933 resulted in Route 56 being extended in both directions. To the south, a second section was added, beginning atPismo Beach on US 101 (Route 2) and heading south throughGuadalupe andLompoc to rejoin US 101 at a junction called Los Cruces (sic), just north of Gaviota Pass. (A short piece nearOrcutt and Los Alamos had been part of Route 2, which originally followed presentSR 135 from Los Alamos to Santa Maria.) To the north, Route 56 was continued along the coast from Carmel throughSanta Cruz toSan Francisco. Several discontinuous pieces were added north of San Francisco, one from Route 1 (US 101) north of theGolden Gate to the county line nearValley Ford, another from theRussian River nearJenner (where the newRoute 104 ended) toWestport, and a third fromFerndale to Route 1 nearFernbridge. Except for the gaps in Route 56 north of San Francisco, these additions completed the coastal highway, with other sections formed by Routes 1, 2, and71.[43][44]
The section of SR 1 from Santa Monica to Oxnard, via Malibu, went out to contract in 1925 as "Coast Boulevard", but was designated "Theodore Roosevelt Highway" when it was dedicated in 1929. Before the completion of its present alignment in 1937, a narrow, winding, steep road known asPedro Mountain Road connectedMontara with Pacifica. That highway was completed in 1914 and provided competition to theOcean Shore Railroad, which operated between San Francisco andTunitas Creek from 1907 to 1920. SR 1 also used to run along the coast between Pacifica and Daly City, but this segment was damaged and rendered unusable aftera 5.3 magnitude earthquake on March 22, 1957. A small stub remains nearThornton Beach.
Route 56 along Big Sur was incorporated into the state highway system and re-designated as SR 1 in 1939. The section of road along the Big Sur Coast was declared the first State Scenic Highway in 1965, and in 1966 the first lady,Lady Bird Johnson, led the official designation ceremony atBixby Bridge.[45] The route was designated as an All American Road by the US Government.[35]
 State Route 3 | |
|---|---|
| Location | San Juan Capistrano–Oxnard |
| Existed | 1934–1935 |
  U.S. Route 101 Alternate | |
|---|---|
| Location | San Juan Capistrano–Oxnard |
| Existed | 1936–1964 |
 State Route 208 | |
|---|---|
| Location | Rockport–Leggett |
| Existed | 1964–1984 |
SR 1 signs first went up after California decided to number its highways, in 1934. The section forHumboldt,Mendocino,Sonoma,Marin,San Francisco,San Mateo,Santa Cruz,Monterey,San Luis Obispo andSanta Barbara counties was posted as SR 1, that section of the road known Route 56 (Las Cruces to Fernbridge). ForVentura,Los Angeles andOrange counties, Route 60 (San Juan Capistrano to the Oxnard area) became SR 3, and a few SR 3 signs were actually posted.[46] The SR 3 signs were replaced by US 101 Alt. shields by 1936, as the road was built out; this change also allowed the extension ofUS 66 to end at another U.S. Route, in Santa Monica.[47]
The gaps of non-state highway along the northern coast were finally filled in by the Legislature in 1951, though theState Department of Public Works was not required to maintain the newly added portions immediately. A connection from near Rockport to Legislative Route 1 (signed US 101) atLeggett was also added to the Legislative Route 56 definition,[48] as the existing county road north from Rockport to Ferndale had not yet beenpaved.[49]
A portion of the road heading to the Golden Gate Bridge was widened to four lanes as part of a project competed in 1954.[50]
The state Legislature in 1963 tossed out the old conflicting Legislative Route Numbers (1964 renumbering), got rid of some famous old U.S. routes, and renumbered many state highways. It abolished US 101A in Los Angeles, Orange and Ventura counties and renumbered it as SR 1. The Rockport to Leggett connection then became State Route 208.[51] The cover of "California Highways" magazine in fall 1964 shows state engineers posting the new shield at Point Mugu.[52] The same year, the Legislature by state law named SR 1 "Pacific Coast Highway" in Orange, Los Angeles and Ventura counties, "Cabrillo Highway" from Santa Barbara north to San Francisco, and "Shoreline Highway" from Marin County to its northern terminus. Many cities, however, did not change the name of city streets that are part of SR 1, such as Lincoln and Sepulveda boulevards in Los Angeles, Santa Monica and El Segundo; and Junipero Serra and Park Presidio boulevards in San Francisco. Several other cities and communities like Newport Beach, Laguna Beach and Bodega Bay merely named their respective city streets as "Coast Highway".
The freeway portion of SR 1 from Highway 68 in Monterey to Munras Avenue opened in 1956–1960. The segment from Munras Avenue to the northern border of Sand City and Seaside opened in 1968, and bypasses the original highway alignment of Munras Avenue and Fremont Street in Monterey, and Fremont Boulevard through Seaside. North of Seaside, the freeway was built over the original SR 1 alignment throughFort Ord in 1973. North of Fort Ord, SR 1 now veers to the left of the original alignment and bypasses Marina to the west. This segment including the interchange withSR 156 and the short, 2-lane Castroville Bypass opened in 1976. Originally SR 1 followed the SR 156 alignment to theSR 183 intersection in Castroville, then turned northwest, following the present-day SR 183 through Castroville before rejoining its existing alignment at the northern terminus of the Castroville Bypass.
Plans to upgrade SR 1 to a freeway from its southern terminus all the way to Oxnard, including building an offshore causeway from theSanta Monica Pier toTopanga Canyon Boulevard south of Malibu, were ultimately killed by 1971 due to local opposition.[53] In 1980, another section was added northwest ofVentura nearEmma Wood State Beach, when several miles of the old two-lane alignment ofU.S. Route 101 were posted as SR 1 where the freeway had bypassed it in about 1960. Then in 1988, the segment from Purisima Road in Lompoc to SR 135 was re-routed from Harris Grade Road to the former County Route S20 so it could directly serveVandenberg Air Force Base.
Construction to bridge the gap in theLost Coast region between Rockport and Ferndale was eventually abandoned. The steepness and related geotechnical challenges of the coastal mountains made this stretch of coastline too costly for highway builders to establish routes through the area.[54] In 1984, SR 1 was then re-routed to replace State Highway 208, connecting Rockport and Leggett, while the segment between Ferndale and Fernbridge was renumbered asState Highway 211.[55] Most of the coastline in the area is now part ofSinkyone Wilderness State Park and theKing Range National Conservation Area.
The roadway alongDevil's Slide, south ofPacifica, became the site of frequent deadly crashes and roadway-closinglandslides. Beginning in 1958,Caltrans supported a plan to construct an inland bypass overMontara Mountain as an alternate route, but was eventually opposed by community and environmental groups who supported a tunnel instead. After decades of legal disputes, theFederal Highway Administration ordered Caltrans in 1995 to re-evaluate the proposed tunnel. Then on November 5, 1996, San Mateo County voters approved Measure T to change the county's official preference from the bypass to the tunnel. Ground eventually broke in 2005, and theTom Lantos Tunnels opened in April 2013.
In 2014, two-way traffic was restored along the original PCH segment from Copper Lantern to Blue Lantern streets in the Dana Point city center after 25 years of one-way operation.[56] During that period, only northbound traffic had flowed along this section of PCH while southbound traffic had been diverted onto the parallel Del Prado Avenue.
SR 1 has never been planned to extend south intoSan Diego, or north intoCrescent City, where I-5 (which replaced the US 101 designation and signage between Los Angeles and San Diego) and US 101 serve as the coastal highways in those areas, respectively.
For the1932 Summer Olympics, the segment of the SR 1 between Oxnard and Santa Monica (then known as the Theodore Roosevelt Highway) hosted part of theroad cycling events.[57] Portions of SR 1 have also hosted stages of theTour of California.[58][59]
California's coastline is constantly changing and continually presents us with challenges. Through hard work and determination, we continue to keep this scenic highway open.
Frequentlandslides and erosion along the coast have caused portions of SR 1 to either be closed for long periods of time, or be re-routed entirely. Some of these include:
In 2014, Caltrans relinquished the portion of SR 1 in Oxnard along Oxnard Boulevard. The plan is then for PCH between Pleasant Valley Road and US 101 to be re-routed from Oxnard Boulevard onto Rice Avenue.[84][85] That segment of Rice Avenue includes a railroad grade crossing at 5th Avenue that was the site of theFebruary 2015 Oxnard train derailment, which eventually led to one death and 29 injuries. This was the twelfth accident at the crossing in ten years.[86] An overpass has been planned at that site for almost two decades, but funding has not been available in Ventura County for the estimated $35 million grade separation project.[87] On July 12, 2023, the Ventura County Transportation Commission and the City of Oxnard received $15 million in state funding to build an overpass. The project was estimated to be completed by the fall of 2027.[88] As of February 2025, $134.5 million has been invested in the project. Construction started on March 19, and is estimated to be completed in December 2029.[89]
In 2015, a $20 million project was proposed to add over 150 safety improvements to the stretch of the highway in Malibu. This follows a string of fatal accidents in the area, including one involvingCaitlyn Jenner that claimed another person's life.[90]
The Calera Parkway project proposes to widen the non-freeway segment in Pacifica between theRockaway Beach and Vallemar districts, but is facing opposition by local residents and environmentalists.[91]
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).[1] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
| County | Location | Postmile [1][92][93] | Exit [94] | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange ORA R0.13-33.71 | Dana Point | R0.13 | I-5 (San Diego Freeway) –Santa Ana,San Diego | Interchange; southern terminus; I-5 exit 79; road continues as Camino las Ramblas | ||
| R0.78 | — | Coast Highway south, Doheny Park Road –Capistrano Beach | Interchange; former US 101 | |||
| | Northern end of freeway; northern end of state maintenance[a] | |||||
| Dana Point–Laguna Beach line | | Southern end of state maintenance[a] | ||||
| Laguna Beach | 9.42 |   SR 133 north (Broadway Street, Laguna Canyon Road) | ||||
| Newport Beach | 13.47 |    Newport Coast Drive toSR 73 Toll | Northern end of state maintenance[a] | |||
| 16.25 |  MacArthur Boulevard | FormerSR 73 north; servesJohn Wayne Airport | ||||
| 17.43 | Jamboree Road –Balboa Island | Southern end of state maintenance[a] | ||||
| 19.80 |  SR 55 north (Newport Boulevard) –Costa Mesa,Balboa Peninsula | Interchange; SR 55 exit 1 | ||||
| Huntington Beach | 22.09 | Brookhurst Street –Fountain Valley | ||||
| 23.74 |  SR 39 north (Beach Boulevard) | Southern terminus of SR 39 | ||||
| Los Angeles LA 0.00-62.69 | Long Beach | 1.97 |   SR 22 east (7th Street) | Western terminus of SR 22 | ||
| 3.56 |  SR 19 north (Lakewood Boulevard) / Los Coyotes Diagonal –Downey,Bellflower | Los Alamitos Circle; southern terminus of SR 19; servesLong Beach Airport | ||||
| 7.29 |  I-710 (Long Beach Freeway) –Long Beach,Pasadena | Interchange; I-710 exit 2 | ||||
| 8.27 |  SR 103 (Terminal Island Freeway) / Willow Street –Terminal Island | Interchange | ||||
| Los Angeles | 8.43 | 2200-2400 East Pacific Coast Highway –Port of Los Angeles | Interchange | |||
| 9.25 | O Street toAlameda Street (SR 47) | Interchange | ||||
| 11.61 |  I-110 (Harbor Freeway) –Los Angeles,San Pedro | Interchange; I-110 exit 4 | ||||
| 13.10 |  SR 213 (Western Avenue) | |||||
| Torrance | 16.01 |    SR 107 north /CR N7 south (Hawthorne Boulevard) –Inglewood,Palos Verdes Estates | ||||
| Hermosa Beach–Manhattan Beach line | 21.92 |  Artesia Boulevard toSR 91 east | Former western end of SR 91 | |||
| Los Angeles | 25.92 |   I-105 east (Century Freeway) /Imperial Highway –Norwalk | Interchange; I-105 exit 1 | |||
| 26.18 | Airport Tunnel | |||||
| 26.90 | Century Boulevard –LAX Airport | Interchange | ||||
| 27.40 | LAX Airport (96th Street) | Interchange | ||||
| 27.36 | Sepulveda Boulevard | No southbound left turn | ||||
| 28.50 | Westchester Parkway | Interchange | ||||
| 29.08 | Manchester Avenue | Former western end ofSR 42 | ||||
| Los Angeles–Marina del Rey line | | Culver Boulevard | Interchange | |||
| Los Angeles | 31.29 |  SR 90 east (Marina Freeway) | ||||
| 32.17 | Venice Boulevard (SR 187 east) –Culver City,Venice | |||||
| Los Angeles–Santa Monica line | | Northern end of state maintenance[a] | ||||
| Santa Monica | R34.53 | Southern end of state maintenance[a] | ||||
| R34.58 |  I-10 east (Santa Monica Freeway) /Olympic Boulevard –Los Angeles | Eastern end of I-10 concurrency; interchange; former western terminus ofSR 2; I-10 east exit 1A, west exit 1B | ||||
| Southern end of freeway on I-10[95] | ||||||
| | Western end of I-10 concurrency; western terminus of I-10[95] | |||||
| 35.17 | McClure Tunnel | |||||
| Northern end of freeway | ||||||
| 35.18 | Ocean Avenue –Downtown Santa Monica | Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; formerSR 187 east | ||||
| Topanga | 40.77 |  SR 27 north (Topanga Canyon Boulevard) | ||||
| Malibu | 48.17 |   CR N1 north (Malibu Canyon Road) | ||||
| 54.02 |  CR N9 north (Kanan Dume Road) | |||||
| 59.90 |  SR 23 north (Decker Canyon Road) –Thousand Oaks | |||||
| | 62.30 | Mulholland Highway | ||||
| Ventura VEN 0.00-28.48 | | | Southern end of freeway | |||
| | 10.23 | 107 | Las Posas Road –USN Point Mugu | |||
| | 11.59 | 108 | Wood Road –USN Point Mugu | |||
| | 12.79 | 109 | Hueneme Road | |||
| Oxnard | 13.59 | 110 | Nauman Road | No entrance ramps to SR 1; no access across SR 1 | ||
| R14.67 | Rice Avenue south | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | ||||
| 15.06 | 112 | Pleasant Valley Road, Oxnard Boulevard | Northern end of state maintenance;[a] Oxnard Boulevard is former SR 1 north | |||
| | Northern end of freeway | |||||
| | Fifth Street (SR 34 east) | |||||
| 22.08[b] |  US 101 south (Ventura Freeway) / Santa Clara Avenue –Los Angeles | Southern end of US 101 concurrency; interchange; southern end of state maintenance;[a] US 101 exit 60 | ||||
| Southern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||||
| 21.01[b] | 61[c] | Rose Avenue | ||||
| 22.01[b] | 62A[c] |  SR 232 north (Vineyard Avenue) –Oxnard | ||||
| 22.73[b] | 62B[c] | Oxnard Boulevard | Former SR 1 south | |||
| | 63A[c] | Ventura Road | Southbound exit only | |||
| Ventura | R23.45[b] | 63B[c] | Johnson Drive | Signed as exit 63 northbound | ||
| R24.65[b] | 64[c] | Victoria Avenue –Channel Islands Harbor | ||||
| 25.97[b] | 65[c] | Telephone Road | Northbound entrance is via Main Street | |||
| 26.39[b] | 66A[c] |  SR 126 east (Santa Paula Freeway) –Santa Clarita | Signed as exit 66 southbound; southbound entrance is via exit 1C from SR 126 west; SR 126 west exit 1A | |||
| 26.72[b] | 66B[c] | Main Street (US 101 Bus. north) | No southbound exit | |||
| 28.45[b] | 68[c] | Seaward Avenue | ||||
| 29.45[b] | 69[c] | Vista del Mar Drive, Sanjon Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 30.15[b] | 70A[c] | California Street, Ventura Avenue | ||||
| 30.91[b] | 70B[c] |  SR 33 north (Ojai Freeway) –Ojai | ||||
| 31.50[b] | 71[c] | Main Street (US 101 Bus. south) | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| Solimar Beach | R32.70[b] 21.25 | Northern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||
 US 101 north (Ventura Freeway) | Northern end of US 101 concurrency; interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance; US 101 exit 72 | |||||
| Sea Cliff | 27.68 R38.98[b] | US 101 south (Ventura Freeway) –Los Angeles | Southern end of US 101 concurrency; interchange; US 101 exit 78 | |||
| Southern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||||
| | R39.80[b] | 79[c] | Mussel Shoals (Old Pacific Coast Highway) | Southbound exit and entrance | ||
| | 41.00[b] | 81[c] | La Conchita (West Surfside Street) | Northbound exit and entrance | ||
| | R43.57[b] | 83[c] | Bates Road | |||
| Santa Barbara SB R0.00[b]-50.60 | Carpinteria | R0.63[b] | 84[c] |  SR 150 east –Ojai,Lake Casitas | ||
| 1.61[b] | 85[c] | Bailard Avenue | ||||
| 2.64[b] | 86A[c] | Casitas Pass Road | Signed as exit 86 northbound; formerSR 224 | |||
| 3.06[b] | 86B[c] | Linden Avenue | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| 3.77[b] | 87A[c] | Reynolds Avenue, Santa Monica Road | Signed as exit 87 northbound | |||
| 4.34[b] | 87B[c] | Carpinteria Avenue | Southbound exit only | |||
| Toro Canyon | R5.28[b] | 88[c] | Padaro Lane, Santa Claus Lane | |||
| Summerland | R7.14[b] | 90[c] | Padaro Lane –Summerland | |||
| R8.26[b] | 91[c] | Evans Avenue –Summerland | ||||
| Montecito | 9.00[b] | 92[c] | Sheffield Drive | |||
| 10.02[b] | 93[c] | San Ysidro Road | ||||
| 10.54[b] | 94A[c] | Olive Mill Road, Coast Village Road | No northbound entrance | |||
| Santa Barbara | 11.10[b] | 94B[c] | Hermosillo Drive | Northbound exit only | ||
| 11.41[b] | 94C[c] | Cabrillo Boulevard, Coast Village Road | No southbound entrance; signed as exit 94B southbound | |||
| | 95[c] | Los Patos Way (unsigned) | Southbound exit only | |||
| 12.10[b] | 95[c] | Salinas Street | Northbound exit and entrance | |||
| 12.75[b] | 96[c] | Milpas Street | FormerSR 144; northbound exit signed as exit 96A; southbound as exits 96B and 96A | |||
| 13.49[b] | 96[c] | Laguna Street, Garden Street –Downtown Santa Barbara | Laguna Street/Garden Street northbound exit signed as exit 96B; Garden Street southbound exit signed as exit 96C | |||
| R14.19[b] | 97[c] | Bath Street, Castillo Street;Santa Barbara Harbor | ||||
| R14.76[b] | 98A[c] | Carrillo Street –Downtown Santa Barbara | Signed as exit 98 southbound | |||
| 15.26[b] | 98B[c] | Arrellaga Street | Northbound exit and entrance | |||
| R15.73[b] | 99A[c] | Mission Street | Signed as exit 99 southbound | |||
| 16.05[b] | 99B[c] | Pueblo Street | Northbound exit only | |||
| 16.55[b] | 100[c] | Las Positas Road | FormerSR 225 | |||
| 17.78[b] | 101A[c] | La Cumbre Road, Hope Avenue | ||||
| 18.38[b] | 101B[c] |   SR 154 west / State Street –Cachuma Lake | ||||
| Eastern Goleta Valley | 18.92[b] | 102[c] | El Sueno Road | Northbound exit and entrance | ||
| 20.06[b] | 103[c] | Turnpike Road | ||||
| Goleta | 21.15[b] | 104A[c] | Patterson Avenue | Signed as exit 104 southbound | ||
| 21.41[b] | 104B[c] |  SR 217 west –Airport,UCSB | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| 22.53[b] | 105[c] | Fairview Avenue | ||||
| 23.72[b] | 107[c] | Los Carneros Road | ||||
| 24.77[b] | 108[c] | Glen Annie Road, Storke Road | ||||
| 26.91[b] | 110[c] | Winchester Canyon Road, Hollister Avenue | All ramps are via Cathedral Oaks Road | |||
| | | Northern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||
| | | Southern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||
| | 30.06[b] | 113[c] | Dos Pueblos Canyon Road | |||
| | | Northern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||
| | | Southern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||
| | 32.84[b] | 116[c] | El Capitan Ranch Road | |||
| | 33.85[b] | 117[c] | El Capitan State Beach | |||
| | 36.62[b] | 120[c] | Refugio Road –Refugio State Beach | |||
| | | Northern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||
| | 44.82[b] | 128[c] | Mariposa Reina | Interchange | ||
| | | Gaviota State Beach (Gaviota Beach Road) | At-grade intersection | |||
| Gaviota Pass | 46.30[b]– 46.90[b] | Gaviota Rest Area | ||||
| 47.19[b] | Gaviota Gorge Tunnel (northbound only) | |||||
| | | Southern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||
| Las Cruces | R48.85[b] R0.00 | Northern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||
| US 101 north –San Luis Obispo,San Francisco | Northern end of US 101 concurrency; interchange; US 101 exit 132 | |||||
| Lompoc | 19.25 |  SR 246 east / 12th Street –Buellton | Southern end of SR 246 concurrency | |||
| 20.57 | SR 246 west (Ocean Avenue) / H Street –NASA/Vandenberg SFB South Gate,Surf | Northern end of SR 246 concurrency | ||||
| 23.30 | Harris Grade Road, Purisima Road –Buellton | |||||
| Vandenberg Village | R25.07 | 211 | Constellation Road | Interchange | ||
| Vandenberg SFB | M29.89 | California Boulevard, Lompoc Casmalia Road –Vandenberg SFB | ||||
| | San Antonio Road West –Casmalia | |||||
| M33.30 | San Antonio Road East –Los Alamos | |||||
| M36.19 R31.04 | Southern end of freeway | |||||
  SR 135 south –Los Alamos | Southern end of SR 135 concurrency; interchange; southbound left exit and northbound entrance | |||||
| Orcutt | R34.78 | 226 | SR 135 north –Orcutt,Santa Maria | Northern end of SR 135 concurrency; northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| | Northern end of freeway | |||||
| R35.53 | Clark Avenue toSR 135 –Orcutt | |||||
| Guadalupe | 49.20 |  SR 166 east (Main Street) –Santa Maria | ||||
| San Luis Obispo SLO 0.00-74.32 | | | Valley Road –Arroyo Grande | |||
| Pismo Beach | |  Price Street (US 101 Bus. south) toUS 101 south | Southern end of US 101 Bus. concurrency | |||
| L16.54 17.75[b] | US 101 south | Northern end of US 101 Bus. concurrency; southern end of US 101 concurrency; interchange; no northbound exit; SR 1 south follows exit 191A | ||||
| Southern end of freeway on US 101 | ||||||
| R19.81[b] | 193[c] | Spyglass Drive | Northbound signage | |||
| Shell Beach Road | Southbound signage | |||||
| Avila Beach | R21.11[b] | 195[c] | Avilla Beach Drive | |||
| R22.29[b] | 196[c] | San Luis Bay Drive –See Canyon,Avila Beach | ||||
| | R24.30[b] | 198[c] | Higuera Street | |||
| San Luis Obispo | 25.91[b] | 200A[c] | Los Osos Valley Road | Signed as exit 200 southbound | ||
| 26.83[b] | 200B[c] | Prado Road, Elks Lane | Northbound exit and entrance | |||
| 27.50[b] | 201[c] |  SR 227 south (Madonna Road) | ||||
| 28.07[b] | 202A[c] | Marsh Street | ||||
| 28.81[b] | 202B[c] | Broad Street | ||||
| 29.08[b] | 203A[c] | Osos Street, Santa Rosa Street | ||||
| 29.08[b] 16.77 | Northern end of freeway on US 101 | |||||
| US 101 / Santa Rosa Street | Northern end of US 101 concurrency; interchange; US 101 exit 203B | |||||
| | | Southern end of freeway | ||||
| Morro Bay | 27.88 | 277 | Los Osos/Baywood Park (South Bay Boulevard) | |||
| 28.82 | 278 | Morro Bay Boulevard | ||||
| 29.62 | 279A | Main Street | ||||
| 30.14 | 279B |  SR 41 north –Atascadero | ||||
| | | Northern end of freeway | ||||
| Cayucos | | Southern end of freeway | ||||
| R34.91 | 284 | Cayucos (SR 1 Bus. north) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| R35.96 | 285 | Cayucos Drive | ||||
| | Northern end of freeway | |||||
| | North Ocean Avenue (SR 1 Bus. south) –Cayucos | |||||
| | 45.99 |  SR 46 east (Green Valley Road) –Paso Robles | ||||
| Cambria | 48.26 |   SR 1 Bus. north (Main Street) / Ardath Drive –Cambria | ||||
| | SR 1 Bus. south (Windsor Boulevard) / Moonstone Beach Drive –Cambria | |||||
| San Simeon | 56.39 | Hearst Castle | ||||
| | 71.34 | San Carpóforo Creek Bridge | Marks southern end of theBig Sur coastline | |||
| Monterey MON 0.00-R102.03 | | 18.91 | Nacimiento-Fergusson Road | Intersects at the southern end of Kirk Creek Bridge | ||
| | 28.09 | Big Creek Bridge | ||||
| | 45.52 | Pfeiffer Canyon Bridge | Demolished in March 2017 because of irreparable damage suffered during February 2017 landslides, effectively splitting Big Sur in half.[70][96] The replacement bridge reopened in October 2017.[97] | |||
| | 59.37 | Bixby Bridge | ||||
| | 60.05 | Rocky Creek Bridge | ||||
| | 72.28 | Carmel River Bridge | Marks northern end of theBig Sur coastline | |||
| | 72.92 |   CR G16 east (Carmel Valley Road) | ||||
| | | Southern end of freeway | ||||
| Monterey | 75.14 | 399A |  SR 68 west –Pacific Grove,Pebble Beach | Southern end of SR 68 concurrency | ||
| R75.75 | 399B | Munras Avenue (SR 1 Bus. north) –Monterey | No northbound entrance | |||
| R76.00 | 399C | Soledad Drive, Munras Avenue | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| R77.38 | 401A | Aguajito Road (SR 1 Bus. south) –Monterey | ||||
| R78.12 | 401B | SR 68 east –Salinas | Northern end of SR 68 concurrency; SR 68 west exit 7B | |||
| R78.18 | 401B | North Fremont Street (SR 1 Bus. north) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| R78.45 | 402A | Casa Verde Way | ||||
| R78.88 | 402B | Del Monte Avenue –Pacific Grove | ||||
| R79.36 | 403 |  SR 218 east (Canyon del Rey Boulevard) –Seaside,Del Rey Oaks | ||||
| Sand City | R80.27 | 404 | Fremont Boulevard (SR 1 Bus. south) / Del Monte Boulevard | |||
| Seaside | R82.89 | 406 | Lightfighter Drive | |||
| Marina | R84.48 | 408 | Imjin Parkway | |||
| R85.14 | 409 | Del Monte Boulevard (SR 1 Bus. north) | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| R86.48 | 410 | Reservation Road (CR G17) | ||||
| | R88.64 | 412 | Del Monte Boulevard (SR 1 Bus. south) –Marina | |||
| | R90.39 | 414A | Nashua Road, Molera Road | Signed as exit 414 southbound | ||
| Castroville | R90.98 | 414B |  SR 156 east toUS 101 –Castroville,San Jose | Northbound exit and southbound left entrance | ||
| | Northern end of freeway | |||||
| T92.21 |  SR 183 south (Merritt Street) toSR 156 east –Castroville,Salinas | |||||
| Moss Landing | 96.10 | Dolan Road –Elkhorn Slough Reserve | ||||
| | | Southern end of freeway | ||||
| | R101.04 | 423 | Salinas Road | Interchange; former at-grade intersection | ||
| Santa Cruz SCR R0.00-37.45 | | R0.72 | 425 |   SR 129 east (Riverside Drive) toSR 152 east –Watsonville | ||
| Watsonville | R2.27 | 426 | Harkins Slough Road, Green Valley Road | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | ||
| R2.68 | 426 | SR 152 east (Main Street) | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| R3.18 | 427 | Airport Boulevard | ServesWatsonville Municipal Airport | |||
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley | R4.07 | 428 | Buena Vista Drive | |||
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley–La Selva Beach line | R6.69 | 431 | Mar Monte Avenue | |||
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley–La Selva Beach– Rio del Mar tripoint | R7.66 | 432 | San Andreas Road, Larkin Valley Road | |||
| Aptos Hills-Larkin Valley–Aptos– Rio del Mar tripoint | 8.35 | 433A | Freedom Boulevard | |||
| Aptos–Rio del Mar line | 9.15 | 433B | Rio del Mar Boulevard | |||
| Aptos–Seacliff line | 10.54 | 435 | State Park Drive | |||
| Capitola–Soquel line | 12.09 | 436 | Park Avenue | |||
| 13.19 | 437 | Porter Street, Bay Avenue | ||||
| 13.62 | 438 | 41st Avenue | ||||
| Live Oak | 14.86 | 439 | Soquel Drive | Northbound signage just lists "SoquelDrive"[98] | ||
| Soquel Avenue | Southbound signage just lists the separate "SoquelAvenue"[99] | |||||
| Santa Cruz | 15.82 | 440 | Morrissey Boulevard | |||
| 16.63 | 441A | Emeline Avenue | Northbound exit only | |||
| 16.82 | 441B |  SR 17 north –San Jose,Oakland | Signed as exit 441 southbound; SR 17 exits 1A-B | |||
| 17.24 | 442 | Ocean Street – Beaches | ||||
| | Northern end of freeway | |||||
| 17.56 |  SR 9 north (River Street) –Boulder Creek,Big Basin,Downtown Santa Cruz | |||||
| 19.00 | Bay Street –UC Santa Cruz | |||||
| | 27.62 | Bonny Doon Road | ||||
| | 30.44 | Swanton Road | ||||
| San Mateo SM 0.00-R48.55 | | 13.58 | Pescadero Road,Pescadero State Beach | |||
| San Gregorio | 18.19 |  SR 84 east –San Gregorio,La Honda,Redwood City | ||||
| Half Moon Bay | 29.04 |  SR 92 east –San Mateo | ||||
| | R39.00 | Tom Lantos Tunnels | ||||
| Pacifica | 40.75– 40.96 | Linda Mar Boulevard, San Pedro Avenue | ||||
| 42.01 | Rockaway Beach Avenue, Fassler Avenue –Rockaway Beach | |||||
| R42.58 | Reina Del Mar Avenue | |||||
| | Southern end of freeway | |||||
| R43.46 | 505A | Sharp Park Road, Fairway Drive –San Bruno | Signed as exit 505 southbound | |||
| R43.74 | 505B | Clarendon Road, Oceana Boulevard | Northbound exit only | |||
| R44.21 | 506 | Paloma Avenue, Francisco Boulevard | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| R45.12 | 507 | Manor Drive, Monterey Road, Palmetto Avenue | Palmetto Avenue not signed northbound; Monterey Road not signed southbound | |||
| Daly City | R46.72 | 508 |  SR 35 (Skyline Boulevard) | Signed as exit 508A (south) and 508B (north) southbound; SR 35 exits 54A-B | ||
| R47.27 | 509A | Serramonte Boulevard | Northbound signage | |||
| 509 | Clarinada Avenue | Southbound signage | ||||
| R47.80 | 509B |   I-280 south (Junipero Serra Freeway) –San Jose | Northbound signage; I-280 north exit 47 | |||
| 48.08 | 510 | Eastmoor Avenue | Northbound exit and southbound entrance; I-280 north exit 47 | |||
| R47.80 R25.28[d] | — | I-280 south (Junipero Serra Freeway) –San Jose | Southern end of I-280 concurrency; southbound signage; SR 1 south follows I-280 south exit 47B | |||
| R28.78[d] | 48[e] | Eastmoor Avenue, Sullivan Avenue | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| M26.50[d] | 49A[e] | John Daly Boulevard,Junipero Serra Boulevard | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| M27.17[d] R48.05 | — |  I-280 north –San Francisco,Bay Bridge | Northern end of I-280 concurrency; SR 1 north follows I-280 north exit 49B; SR 1 southbound access via exit 49 | |||
| 48.55 | 49[f] |  John Daly Boulevard toI-280 north | Southbound exit and northbound entrance | |||
| City and County ofSan Francisco SF R0.00-7.07 | R0.11 | Alemany Boulevard | Northbound exit and southbound entrance | |||
| Northern end of freeway | ||||||
| R0.31 | Brotherhood Way | Interchange; no northbound exit to Brotherhood Way east and no southbound entrance from Brotherhood Way west | ||||
| 1.90 | SR 35 south (Sloat Boulevard) –San Francisco Civic Center, Beach,San Francisco Zoo | No northbound left turn | ||||
| 6.33 | Southern end of freeway | |||||
| MacArthur Tunnel | ||||||
| 7.08 9.60[b] | US 101 south – Marina Boulevard | Southern end of US 101 concurrency; US 101 south was formerSR 480 east; US 101 exit 438 | ||||
| 9.71[b] | 439[c] | Lincoln Boulevard – View Area,Presidio,Golden Gate NRA,Fort Point | Lincoln Boulevard not signed northbound | |||
| Golden Gate | 11.18[b]– L0.01[b] | Golden Gate Bridge (Southbound toll only; no state maintenance on bridge) | ||||
| Marin MRN 0.00-50.50 | Sausalito | 0.10[b] | H. Dana Bower Rest Area and Vista Point (northbound only) | |||
| 0.32[b] | 442[c] | Alexander Avenue | Last free exit for southbound traffic | |||
| 0.89[b] | Robin Williams Tunnel underWaldo Grade | |||||
| 1.52[b] | 443[c] | Spencer Avenue, Monte Mar Drive | ||||
| 2.48[b] | 444[c] | Rodeo Avenue (east) | Northbound exit and entrance only | |||
| Rodeo Avenue (west; not a thru road) | Southbound exit and entrance only; connects to the Rodeo Trailhead at theGolden Gate NRA | |||||
| 3.33[b] | 445A[c] | Sausalito (Bridgeway),Marin City (Donahue Street) | ||||
| 4.46[b] 0.00 | Northern end of freeway on US 101 | |||||
| US 101 north –San Rafael,Eureka,Santa Rosa | Northern end of US 101 concurrency; US 101 exit 445B | |||||
| Olema | 26.51 | Sir Francis Drake Boulevard –San Rafael | ||||
| Sonoma SON 0.00-58.58 | Jenner | 20.10 |  SR 116 east (River Road) –Guerneville | |||
| Mendocino MEN 0.00-105.57 | | 40.27 |  SR 128 east toUS 101 –Cloverdale,Boonville | |||
| Albion River | 43.74 | Albion River Bridge | ||||
| Russian Gulch Creek | 52.64 | Frederick W. Panhorst Bridge | ||||
| Fort Bragg | 59.80 |  SR 20 east –Willits | ||||
| 60.23 | Noyo River Bridge | |||||
| Leggett | 105.50 |  SR 271 south –Leggett,Drive Thru Tree Road | FormerUS 101 | |||
| 105.57 | US 101 –Ukiah,Eureka | Northern terminus | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| ||||||
Tim Buckley's 1969 albumHappy Sad includes a song with the title "Love from Room 109 at the Islander (On Pacific Coast Highway)".
R & B groupCon Funk Shun released a song titled "California 1" on their 1981 albumCon Funk Shun 7.
In 1999, theRed Hot Chili Peppers released a song titled "Road Trippin'" on theCalifornication album. It describes a surfing trip along theBig Sur portion of the highway.
In 2002,the Decemberists released a song titled "California One/Youth and Beauty Brigade" on their albumCastaways and Cutouts.
In 2008,Old 97's released a song titled "The One" on their albumBlame It on Gravity. The song reminisces about their early days as a band being flown from Texas out to Los Angeles to be courted by various big record company labels. In this delightful reimagining, the band ultimately decides it would be easier and more fun to become bank robbers instead, and they make their escape along this famous route ("Let's take The One!").
In 2012,the Beach Boys released a song titled "Pacific Coast Highway" on the albumThat's Why God Made the Radio. Described by critics as "introspective", "autumnal", and "hymnlike",[100][101][102] the song takes the perspective of an aged person driving down the highway during sunset as he reflects on his advancing years in life, deciding that he is more comfortable living alone.
California Roads portal
Greater Los Angeles portal.png)
Monterey Bay Area portal
San Francisco Bay Area portalRoute 56 is from ... to Route 1 near Fernbridge via the coast route through Jenner, Westport and Ferndale, including lateral connection with Route 1 near Leggett Valley
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link){{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)The shared alignment with SR-1 is between 4th / 5th Street and Lincoln Blvd.
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Other | |
_pictogram.svg)
