California State Route 1
State Route 1, often called
Highway 1, is a
state highway that runs along a large length of the
Pacific coast of the
U.S. State of
California. In
Southern California, the California Legislature has designated the segment between
Interstate 5 in Dana Point and
U.S. Route 101 near Oxnard
Pacific Coast Highway (
PCH for short); between
U.S. Route 101 at Santa Cruz junction (south of Buellton) and
U.S. Route 101 in Pismo Beach and between
U.S. Route 101 in San Luis Obispo and
U.S. Route 101 in
San Francisco, the California Legislature has designated State Route 1
Cabrillo Highway; and between Manzanita Junction near Marin City and
U.S. Route 101 in Leggett, the California Legislature has designated State Route 1
Shoreline Highway. However, subsequent to naming the highway the Pacific Coast Highway, Cabrillo Highway, and Shoreline Highway, the California Legislature has given some segments of Route 1 additional names as described in the State Law section. Also, some segments have been given alternative names by local governments as described in the Route Description section.
Highway 1 is famous for running by some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an
All-American Road.
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. 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 inland 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 the City of
Long Beach next to the coastline and continues in a northwestely direction to meet Lakewood Boulevard
State Route 19 (and Los Coyotes Diagonal at the
Long Beach Traffic Circle) more than two miles from the coast. From the traffic circle it continues inland in an westerly direction through Long Beach including approximately one mile adjacent to the southern boundary of
Signal Hill. Although it does not border the coastline, State Route 1 retains the PCH name as it continues westerly through the communities of
Wilmington and
Harbor City and the cities of
Lomita and
Torrance. It then turns northerly through the cities of
Redondo Beach, and
Hermosa Beach. Upon entering
Manhattan Beach, it becomes
Sepulveda Boulevard, and continues through
El Segundo and
Los Angeles International Airport, directly passing underneath two runways. Route 1 then turns northwesterly shifting to
Lincoln Boulevard before turning to the southwest being briefly duplexed with
Interstate 10 in
Santa Monica. Route 1 rejoins the scenic coastline in Santa Monica and continues in a westerly direction; along the Santa Monica coastline it it known locally as Palisades Beach Road. Upon leaving Santa Monica, it regains the PCH name as it continues westerly near the coast through the wealthy coastal communities of
Pacific Palisades and Castellammare Beach as well as the City of
Malibu.
From Malibu PCH continues along the coast through Point Mugu State Park to just beyond the park's western boundary. At that point, PCH leaves the coast and heads northerly and then northwesterly along the northeastern boundary of Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station for several miles and continues to Wooley Road in Oxnard. From the South Oxnard railroad grade crossing north of Statham Boulevard in Oxnard to Wooley Road, State Route 1 is known locally as Oxnard Boulevard. At Wooley Road the direction of State Route 1 changes from northwest to north; however, the Oxnard Boulevard name continues to Vineyard Avenue,
Route 232. From Vineyard Avenue, State Route 1 continues north as PCH and joins
U.S. Route 101 in
Oxnard approximately five miles inland from the coast. It is noted that the slightly over seven-mile stretch of PCH between Calleguas Creek near the south boundary of the Point Mugu Naval Air Weapons Station and the South Oxnard railroad grade crossing north of Statham Boulevard was built to freeway standards; however, today only part of that stretch, from Calleguas Creek to Pleasant Valley Road in Oxnard, a distance of over five miles, is operating as a freeway. The remaining distance from Pleasant Valley Road to the railroad grade crossing is operating as an expressway (including three signalized intersections).
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.
|
State Route 1 looking northward in the Big Sur area. |
Route 1 splits from US 101 at
San Luis Obispo and, now as the Cabrillo Highway, 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, with peak-hour only opening on
August 4,
2006 and fully reopening in 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, 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.
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.
Image:California_State_Route_1.jpg|State Route 1 Looking Southward. |
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. |
Legal definition of Route 1: California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 301Other 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.
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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.
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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*
U.S. Route 101 in California*
Caltrans: Route 1 road conditions*
WestCoastRoads - California 1*
California Highways: CA-1*
The Big Highways Page: California Route 1*
Western Exit Guide - California 1*
Cal-NExUS: Route 1 North*
Cal-NExUS: Route 1 South*
California's Lost Coast
