California Freeways, a brief history

     So a second attempt for this blog since the first decided to drive off into the sunset.  So this post is going to be about the history of the California freeway system.  For those in California, you know this well.  For those not in California, you have only seen an interpretations in movies and TV shows.   While researching this subject I came across lists upon lists of the numbers for the highways and freeways in California.  The number was over 250 different numbered highways and freeways across the state.

The California State Highway code defines numerous types of highways and freeways as:

"State highway"

Any highway which is acquired, laid out, constructed, improved or maintained as a State highway pursuant to constitutional or legislative authorization. [SHC Sect 24]. Elsewhere, this is defined as a way or place of whatever nature, publicly maintained and open to the use of the public for purposes of vehicular travel. Highway includes street.

"Freeway"

A highway in respect to which the owners of abutting lands have no right or easement of access to or from their abutting lands or in respect to which such owners have only limited or restricted right or easement of access. If, in the judgment of the commission or the director, the public interest would be advanced thereby, a freeway, as defined herein, may be denominated a "controlled access highway". In all other respects, the "controlled access highway" shall be subject to all provisions of this code pertaining to freeways. [SHC Sect. 23.5]

     So that is just the start.  We also have The Freeway System, the Expressway system, the California Scenic Highway System, California Historic Parkway System, Classified Landscape Freeway, Interregional Road System and the Blue Star Highways.

     The freeway systems came about through the creation of the Bureau of Highways in 1895.  The bureau studied highway needs and recommended a 4,500 mile sate highways system.  IN 1897 the California Department of Highways was established until 1907 she the state department of Engineering was cerated.  In 1910, voters approved the State Highways Act of 1909.  This provided $18 million for construction and acquisition of a state highway system.

      In 1912 the first state highway construction began.  This was the beginning of Highway 1, El Camino Real, Pacific Coast Route.  

     By 1923, the first state gas tax was created to fund the expansion of the state highway system.  Initially the tax was set at 2 cents a gallon.  Some of this tax went towards maintenance, repair, widening, resurfacing and reconstruction the highways.  Finally in 1937, the Pacific Coast Highway was completed.

     The Arroyo-Seco Parkway, California’s first freeway, was dedicated on December 30, 1940. This project marked the beginning of the freeway era in the Golden State.  By 1953, California’s gas tax was increased to 6 cents a gallon to fund more highway improvements.


     President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. Under the act, the federal government supplied 90% of funding for interstate highways, with the state paying the remaining 10%.

     California established, in 1961, the Highway Transportation Agency that consisted of the Department of Public Works (which included the Division of Highways), Department of Motor Vehicles, and the California Highway Patrol.

     In 1971, California’s first traffic management center in was established in Los Angeles. The 42-mile surveillance loop included the Santa Monica, San Diego, and Harbor freeways. This was a significant milestone in developing a fully-automated traffic management system and included elements such as underground loop detectors and ramp metering. The passage of the Transportation Development Act extended the state's retail sales tax to include gasoline, and provided for a portion of that revenue to be returned to local governments for transportation. This provided a significant new source of revenue for local transportation facilities, in particular, for transit.

The massive Loma Prieta Earthquake occurred on October 17 1989, raising awareness for the need to strengthen and retrofit state highway bridges.  Again in 1994 the Northridge Earthquake hit in Los Angeles destroying freeways and Caltrans had to reconstruct Interstate 5/State Route 14, the Gavan Canyon Bridge, and the Santa Monica Freeway Interstate 10.

One of the major additions added to California is that of the Amber Alert.  The first Amber Alert notification occurred on August 1 2002, when two teenage girls were abducted near Lancaster.

While the California Freeway systems have had a long history nothing is worse then getting stuck at on one when you are in a hurry to be any where else.  California freeways are the worst, but it's the only way to get anywhere around here.