 Angeles Crest Highway | |
|---|---|
 Angeles Crest Highway highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained byCaltrans | |
| Length | 66 mi[citation needed] (106 km) |
| Existed | 1934[1]–present |
| Tourist routes |   Angeles Crest Scenic Byway |
| Restrictions |
|
| Major junctions | |
| West end | Foothill Boulevard inLa Cañada Flintridge |
| Major intersections |   I-210 /SR 2 in La Cañada Flintridge |
| East end |  SR 138 at thePiñon Hills–Phelan border |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Counties | Los Angeles,San Bernardino |
| Highway system | |
TheAngeles Crest Highway is a 66-mile (106 km)two-lane highway over theSan Gabriel Mountains, inSouthern California. It runs through theSan Gabriel Mountains National Monument and theAngeles National Forest. With the exception of a 1,000-foot-long (300 m) section inLa Cañada Flintridge, the entire route is part ofCalifornia State Route 2.
The road's western terminus is at the intersection atFoothill Boulevard inLa Cañada Flintridge, and its eastern terminus at thePearblossom Highway (State Route 138) northeast ofWrightwood. The majority of the route passes through the San Gabriel Mountains located north of theGreater Los Angeles Area. Segments of the road reach elevations above 7,000 feet (2,100 m), with a summit of 7,903 feet (2,409 m) at theDawson Saddle, which makes this road one of the highest in Southern California.
The segment from La Cañada Flintridge to theLos Angeles–San Bernardino county line is known as theAngeles Crest Scenic Byway, which is both aNational Forest Scenic Byway and an officially designatedCalifornia Scenic Highway.[3][4]
The route is best described as mountain-rural. Because the route passes through the protected San Gabriel Mountains National Monument and Angeles National Forest, development is very limited. There are not many buildings between La Cañada Flintridge and Wrightwood save forNewcomb's Ranch, and forest servicecampgrounds andvisitor centers. Other points of interest along the route include theMountain High andMt. Waterman ski areas.
Mount Wilson and itsMount Wilson Observatory and various radio/television transmitters are about 4.5 miles from the junction of Mount Wilson Road and Angeles Crest Highway. Depending on visibility conditions, impressive views of theLos Angeles Basin are possible from the vicinity of Mount Wilson. The most frequent hindrances of what can be seen are the smog and/or amarine layer covering the basin below.
The westernmost segment of the highway, combined withAngeles Forest Highway to/fromState Route 14, is heavily travelled by southbound traffic in the morning (and corresponding northbound traffic in the afternoon) that comprises commuters who live in theAntelope Valley and work in theGreater Los Angeles Area. The route is a convenient alternative to theAntelope Valley Freeway (State Route 14) and theGolden State Freeway (Interstate 5), both located to the west, for reaching theFoothill Freeway (Interstate 210) andSan Gabriel Valley. Because the road is a two-lane highway, its vehicle capacity is significantly lower than either of the two freeways.
In contrast, the remainder of the Angeles Crest Highway is lightly traveled. Typically, this traffic is composed of vacationers, sightseers, and locals. The three areas comprising Mountain High ski resort are just west ofWrightwood.
Construction of Angeles Crest Highway began in 1929. It was originally intended to be afire access road. In 1941 construction stopped because ofWorld War II. In 1946, after the war, construction resumed; the completed highway eventually opened in 1956. The road was constructed by prison labor from Camp 37, which has since been razed. Division of Highways (now known asCaltrans) staff lived at a site called Cedar Springs. The staff is now located at Chilao Flats. Children of the staff attended Chilao Mountain School, a one-room school; the school has been closed for several years.
Angeles Crest Highway was originally planned to be upgraded to afreeway in the 1950s, but was later considered geographically improbable and the plans were abandoned.[5]
Roads in the San Gabriel Mountains have a high number of single-vehicle auto and motorcycle accidents. As an example, in the predawn hours of December 8, 2004,a van plunged off the side of Angeles Forest Highway at about 1-mile (1.6 km) north of its junction with the Angeles Crest Highway, killing 3 of the 10 people in the van. The van was acarpool carrying workers of theJet Propulsion Laboratory from theAntelope Valley to work in Pasadena. It was determined upon investigation by theCHP that the driver fell asleep at the wheel of the van. The Angeles Crest Highway and Angeles Forest Highway have figured in various murders, not as scenes of the murders but as drop-off points for the bodies of the victims, including that of Linda Sobek, a model kidnapped and found dead in the area in 1995.
The motion pictureDonnie Darko, released in 2001, was partially filmed on Angeles Crest Highway.[6] In the opening scene with Donnie waking up in the middle of the road, next to his bike, the camera zooms in on Donnie, then loops around and shows a view of the valley seen from Angeles Crest Highway. The highway is also used later in the movie for other scenes. The Angeles Crest Highway is also used extensively in the motion pictureThe Love Bug for racing scenes, as well as in the sequel filmHerbie Goes to Monte Carlo, where the highway doubles for "The French Alps".
Intersections with other roads are few, which can be problematic in the event of road closures due to acts of nature such as landslides and fires. At about the midpoint of the highway is the junction with the north terminus ofState Route 39. However, access to State Route 39 is not possible as it is closed indefinitely to automobile traffic because of persistent landslides along its route. Therefore, travelers to theAngeles National Forest preferring the Angeles Crest Highway corridor should expect to be on the Angeles Crest Highway throughout much of its length, use available alternate routing where possible, or be willing to turn around and retrace their trip at any point along its route if necessary.
The Angeles Crest Highway is normally closed in the winter from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap due to rockfall and avalanche hazards.
The winter storms of 2004/05 caused several landslides and significant damage to the highway. Thus, the highway never reopened in the summer of 2005. Damage to the highway was estimated to be over $4 million as of November 2005. Terri Kasinga, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation, stated in November 2005 "It is definitely not going to open until next spring (of 2006)".[7] However, a March 2006 storm caused even more extensive damage to the highway, including a complete washout of a large section of roadway, further delaying the reopening of the highway. The long closure caused concern for the United States Forest Service and other emergency services agencies because it hindered access, particularly with firefighting efforts,[8] and it hurt business in Wrightwood. After a four-and-a-half year closure, the highway reopened on May 20, 2009. Repairs included the construction of a new bridge intended to allow landslides to pass underneath without damaging the road. The work cost $10.5 million.[9]
A moratorium on three-axles trucks was imposed in 2009 following the deaths of two people when atractor trailer lost control and crashed into a La Cañada Flintridge business (other California highways have similar truck bans such asI-580 andSR 85 but have been implemented for different reasons).[9]
Cell phonereception is sporadic and signal strength and clarity are poor, due to the terrain and distance fromcellular communication antennas.
The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act passed in December 2004, protects the Angeles National Forest. Although anyone can park at the side of the road and access thewilderness along the side of the road, doing so for extended periods of time, such as camping or hiking, requires aNational Forest Adventure Pass available for a $5.00 fee.
During the2009 wildfire season the large fire known as the "Station Fire" burned the mountains through which Route 2 travels. The fire damaged the signs, guardrails, and lane striping, as well as leaving large boulders and other debris all over the road. As a result, the highway was closed byCaltrans until November 30, 2009. It was briefly re-opened until mud and rock slides in early 2010 forced a portion of the highway to be closed again from 2 miles east of the I-210 junction to 14 miles east of La Cañada Flintridge.[10] It reopened on June 3, 2011.
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