California State Route 1

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State Route 1, often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along a large length of the Pacific coast of California. In Southern California, major portions are known as Pacific Coast Highway (PCH for short); in various parts of central California, it is named Cabrillo Highway; and north of San Francisco, it is officially called the Shoreline Highway. Highway 1 is famous for running by some of the most beautiful coastline in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.

Contents

1 Route description

1.1
1.2 Los Angeles and Ventura Counties
1.3
1.4

2 The Lost Coast
3 Photos
4 State law

4.1 Other names

5 See also
6 References
7 External links

Route description

Route 1 has its southern terminus at Interstate 5 south of San Juan Capistrano. From there, named as Pacific Coast Highway, it heads north into downtown Dana Point, where for one mile (1.6 km) northbound traffic continues along the original PCH alignment whilst southbound traffic is diverted onto parallel Del Prado Street. Once reunified as PCH, Route 1 then heads north along the coast through the beach communities of Monarch Beach, Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove. Route 1 then moves slightly inward and drops "Pacific" from its name, passing through Corona del Mar and Newport Beach as Coast Highway. It once again becomes PCH upon entering Huntington Beach, where it borders city and state beaches. It leaves Orange County after passing through Sunset Beach and Seal Beach.

Los Angeles and Ventura Counties

PCH then enters Los Angeles County and passes through Signal Hill and Long Beach (where it intersects with Lakewood Boulevard State Route 19 and Los Coyotes Diagonal at the Long Beach Traffic Circle). Although it does not border the coastline, it retains the PCH name as it runs through the beach cities of Torrance, Redondo Beach, and Hermosa Beach. Upon entering Manhattan Beach, it becomes Sepulveda Boulevard, which it continues as through El Segundo and the Los Angeles International Airport, directly passing underneath two runways. Route 1 then shifts to Lincoln Boulevard before being briefly duplexed with Interstate 10 in Santa Monica. Route 1 rejoins the scenic coastline in Santa Monica, and regains the PCH name as it moves through the wealthy coastal communities of Pacific Palisades and Malibu before heading inward to join U.S. Route 101 in Oxnard. A several mile stretch of the highway eastward from Oxnard was built to freeway standards.

After traveling through Ventura, State Route 1 separates from US 101 to travel along the beach from Emma Wood State Beach to the Mobil Pier Undercrossing, where it rejoins US 101 about 3 miles south of the Santa Barbara County line. Then after passing through Santa Barbara, Route 1 splits again from US 101 south of Buellton and heads through the coastal city Lompoc before joining US 101 for the third time at Pismo Beach.
Route 1 splits from US 101 at San Luis Obispo and continues north as a winding, two lane road with occasional passing lanes. It follows along the coast past Hearst Castle and through the cliffs of Big Sur. Then several miles north, the highway crosses the scenic Bixby Creek Bridge, a reinforced concrete arch with a 320-foot span that passes over the Bixby Creek gorge, and the Rocky Creek Bridge. From there, State Route 1 passes through Carmel and Monterey before turning into a multi-lane freeway between and Watsonville and Santa Cruz. Upon reaching downtown Santa Cruz, it continues as Mission Street and Coast Road before regaining the Cabrillo Highway name.

Highway 1 then continues north as a winding, two lane road following the west coast of the San Francisco Peninsula, passing through Half Moon Bay.
Before reaching Pacifica, the highway travels through a treacherous stretch where it is dubbed Devil's Slide. Here the road is in constant danger of sliding into the Pacific Ocean. This stretch of road has been closed indefinitely since April 2, 2006 due to damage under the roadbed from rain saturation. Caltrans says extensive work needs to be done to stabilize the hillside, making the reopening around September 2006. It has been closed several times before, including about five months in 1995 and about three months in 1983.[Previous Devil's Slide closures] To avoid these problems, a tunnel is being constructed to bypass the slide area, opening in 2011 according to [Caltrans].
Highway 1 turns into a multi-lane freeway in Pacifica before joining Interstate 280 in Daly City. After reaching the city of San Francisco, Route 1 splits from Interstate 280 and becomes the six-lane wide 19th Avenue where, in spite of being a city street, it dangerously retains a fast and dense traffic flow. Route 1 turns into Park Presidio Boulevard before it passes through the city's Golden Gate Park. It then joins US 101 for a fourth time just before going across the Golden Gate Bridge.
After entering Marin County, Highway 1 then splits from US 101 again near Marin City, where it, now as the Shoreline Highway, returns to a winding, two lane road as it goes through the coastal cities of Bodega Bay and Fort Bragg. The highway then terminates at US 101 in Leggett in Mendocino County.

The Lost Coast

Instead of terminating at Leggett, California State Highway 1 was originally planned to follow the Pacific coast even farther north from Rockport to Ferndale. But this portion was never constructed, and so the portion of Highway 1 that was completed between Ferndale and US 101 was renumbered as State Route 211. Because of the lack of highways along the coast between Rockport and Ferndale, this area has been coined as California's Lost Coast.

Photos

Image:PCH Near Laguna Beach.jpg|South-bound view of a stretch of PCH near Laguna Beach Image:California_State_Route_1_Looking North.jpg|State Route 1 looking northward. Image:California_State_Route_1.jpg|State Route 1 Looking Southward. Image:California_State_Route_1_All_American_Road_sign.jpg|Road sign along State Route 1. The sign below, an image of a California Poppy, indicates it is part of California's Scenic Highway System.

State law

Legal definition of Route 1: [California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 301]

Route 1 is part of the [Freeway and Expressway System], as stated by section 253.2 of the California State Highway Code.

Route 1 is part of the [Scenic Highway System], as stated by section 263.2 of the California State Highway Code.

Other names

Blue Star Memorial Highway: From Junction with I-5 at Dana Point in Orange County to State Hwy Route 101 at Leggett in Mendocino County. Sponsored by the National Council of State Garden Clubs, Inc. as a tribute to the men and women of the Nation's Armed Forces.
CHP Officer John Pedro Memorial Highway: From Harkins Slough Road to Pajaro River Bridge. Officer John Pedro was killed in the line of duty in a traffic collision.
Los Angeles County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway: Portion in L.A. County.
Louis J. Papan Highway: From Interchange at Skyline Boulevard to Southern City Limits of Pacifica. "Assemblyman, chair numerous committees, aided poor."
Orange County Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway: From San Juan Capistrano to Golden West Street in Huntington Beach.
San Simeon Highway: From San Luis Obispo to Monterey. Named by historical and long local usage in the County of San Luis Obispo.
U.S. Submarine Veterans of WWII Memorial Highway: From Golden West St in Huntington Beach to Orange County Boundary.
Ventura County Vietnam Veterans Memorial Highway: Portion in Ventura County.

Source: [2004 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances In California]

References

External links

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