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U.S. Route 101, also known as Highway 101, The 101 in Southern California, and simply 101 in Northern California, is one of the last remaining and longest U.S. Routes still active in California. 101 was also one of the original U.S. Routes established in 1926.
Route description
Los Angeles to Ventura
The south terminus of U.S. Highway 101 is in Los Angeles, about one mile east of downtown Los Angeles at the East Los Angeles Interchange, also known as the "Commuters' Complex" or sometimes, "The Five Level". This southernmost portion is named the Santa Ana Freeway, inheriting that title as the northerly extension of the roadway now known as Interstate 5.After merging with westbound traffic from the San Bernardino Freeway (I-10), U.S. Route 101 then proceeds northwest via the Downtown Slot under the northern edge of Los Angeles' Civic Center to California State Highway 110 at the Four Level Interchange. From here, U.S. 101 becomes the Hollywood Freeway. It then heads to Hollywood and up through the Cahuenga Pass before reaching the San Fernando Valley.
Highway 101 then intersects with State Route 134 and State Route 170 at the interchange known as the Hollywood Split. Here, the alignment of U.S. 101 'shifts' to the alignment of CA/SR-134 (i.e. heading northbound, the road's alignment turns left, or westbound) and thereafter is referred to as the Ventura Freeway until it reaches Ventura. Confusingly, the "Hollywood Freeway" name continues northward from this interchange on CA/SR-170, and the "Ventura Freeway" name continues eastward to CA/SR-134.
From the Hollywood Split, U.S. 101 is an east-west highway until it reaches Gaviota State Park in Santa Barbara County where it shifts back to a north-south alignment. The east-west geographical alignment of the Ventura Freeway and the north-south designation on freeway signs can be confusing to visitors; the same freeway entrance can often be signed as "101 North" and "101 West"; this is most common in the San Fernando Valley.
The Central Coast
North of Ventura, U.S. 101 is an intermittent freeway (i.e. there is occasional cross traffic) but there are no traffic signals until one arrives at San Francisco. The last traffic signals along this stretch of the highway were removed in the early 1990s when the section through downtown Santa Barbara was constructed after years of resistance from the Santa Barbara community.From Ventura and through Santa Barbara, Highway 101 closely follows the Pacific coastline (generally no more than one to two miles from the shore) until Gaviota State Park about 23 miles (37 km) west of Goleta. At Gaviota State Park, the highway shifts back from a east-west highway to a north-south alignment. About 1 mile north of this point, U.S. 101 passes through the Gaviota Tunnel.
A few miles north of the Gaviota Tunnel, State Route 1 splits from U.S. 101 and heads northwest, running along the Pacific coastline in California, parallel and to the west of U.S. 101. Highway 101 then connects the Central Coast cities of Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Paso Robles, and Salinas. The highway also joins State Route 46 for about three miles through Paso Robles.
San Francisco Bay Area
When U.S. 101 reaches Gilroy, it becomes the South Valley Freeway, and it then heads through the suburb of Morgan Hill before reaching San Jose. From San Jose to San Francisco, Highway 101 is known as the Bayshore Freeway as it passes through Palo Alto and the other major communities along the San Francisco Peninsula. This segment most likely took its name from the 101A bypass that ran along this path.From the San Francisco county/city line until the junction with Interstate 80 near the city's Civic Center, Highway 101 is named the James Lick Freeway. Afterwards, Highway 101 is briefly named the Central Freeway before the divided highway ends and traffic follows city streets. Northbound US-101 runs north on Van Ness Avenue and then turns left at Lombard Street (turning right on Lombard leads one to the Crookedest Street in the World). From Lombard Street, northbound US-101 traffic is shifted to Richardson Avenue, entering The Presidio, where it becomes a divided highway again (known as Doyle Drive). It then joins Highway 1 before crossing the Golden Gate Bridge into Marin County.
North of the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway 101 is known as the Redwood Highway. After crossing the bridge, U.S. 101 passes through the Waldo Tunnel, the first of its kind in 300 miles (the other being the Gaviota Tunnel in Santa Barbara County), before passing through the major cities of Marin County. It then reaches Sonoma County, where it becomes a heavily-traveled, four lane freeway, which will be upgraded to six lanes by 2010. The interchange with State Route 12 is named the Grape Crush Interchange; like the Orange Crush Interchange in Southern California, it handles major traffic loads, which makes for traffic jams from 6:00 AM through to 8:00 PM.
Northern California Coast
From Sonoma County to the Oregon border, Highway 101 is in some places a freeway and in others a two-lane road. The highway passes through the communities of Ukiah and Willits, and the rural areas of Mendocino County.In Humboldt County, U.S. 101 travels through Humboldt Redwoods State Park and a portion of the highway is known as the Avenue of the Giants for the huge, centuries-old redwood trees that can be found there. After reaching Eureka, the highway closely follows the Pacific coast again. Shortly north of Crescent City, U.S. 101 intersects with U.S. Highway 199, which heads northeast as the Redwood Highway, terminating in Grants Pass, Oregon. Highway 101 (no longer called the "Redwood Highway" at this point) continues north along the California coast until it reaches the Oregon border.
Historic U.S. 101
Instead of terminating in Los Angeles, Highway 101 used to travel all the way south through San Diego to the United States–Mexico border in San Ysidro, California. However, this part was decommissioned in favor of Interstate 5.
The old alignment in San Diego County from Oceanside to Del Mar is now known as San Diego County Route S21. It is signed unofficially in many places as "Historic Route 101".
External links
U.S. Highways in California | San Francisco Bay Area freeways | California Freeway and Expressway System
"U.S. Highway 101 in California"