California State Route 1

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State Route 1
Defined by S&HC § 301, maintained by Caltrans
Length:	655.843 mi[1] (1055.477 km) (broken into 5 pieces by US 101)
History:	State highway in 1919; numbered in 1934
South end:	I-5 in San Juan Capistrano
Major junctions:	I-10 in Santa Monica SR 34 in Oxnard SR 227 in San Luis Obispo SR 68 in Monterey SR 17 in Santa Cruz I-280 near San Francisco SR 20 near Fort Bragg
North end:	US 101 near Leggett
State highways in California (list - pre-1964) County routes in California (list) < I-980 SR 2 > History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: 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. It is famous for running by some of the most beautiful coastlines in the world, leading to its designation as an All-American Road.

In Southern California, the California Legislature has designated the segment between Interstate 5 in Dana Point and U.S. Route 101 near Oxnard as Pacific Coast Highway (commonly referred to as PCH for short); between U.S. Route 101 at the Las Cruces junction (8 miles 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 legislature has designated State Route 1 as the Cabrillo Highway; and between Manzanita Junction near Marin City and U.S. Route 101 in Leggett, the legislature has designated State Route 1 Shoreline Highway. However, subsequent to naming the highway the Pacific Coast Highway, Cabrillo Highway, and Shoreline Highway, the legislature has given some segments of Route 1 additional names as described in the State Law section. In addition to this, some segments have been given alternative names by local governments.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System^[2] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.^[3][clarify]

[edit] Route description

[edit] Orange County

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 Laguna Beach and Crystal Cove State Park. Route 1 then moves slightly inland and drops "Pacific" from its name, passing through Newport Beach as Coast Highway. It once again becomes PCH upon entering Huntington Beach, where it borders city and state beaches. It continues along the coast, leaving Orange County after passing through Seal Beach.

[edit] Los Angeles and Ventura Counties

PCH then enters Los Angeles County and the City of Long Beach and continues in a northwesterly 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 a 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 Los Angeles districts 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, first as Olympic Boulevard, then as the approach to 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 is known locally as Palisades Beach Road, and formerly Roosevelt Highway. Upon leaving Santa Monica, it regains the PCH name as it continues westerly near the coast through the wealthy Los Angeles communities of Pacific Palisades and Castellammare Beach before reaching the City of Malibu.

South-bound view of a stretch of Pacific Coast Highway near Laguna Beach. The trailer park along the shoreline has since been removed.

From Malibu, PCH continues along the coast through Point Mugu State Park to just beyond the park's western boundary. As the PCH approaches the Oxnard plain it passes through a notch in the mountain that forms Point Mugu. The cut left a very large rock formation at the tip of the point that is called the Mugu Rock. At that point, PCH leaves the coast and heads northerly and then northwesterly along the northeastern boundary of Naval Air Station Point Mugu 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 about a 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).

The PCH passes the "Mugu Rock" at Point Mugu

[edit] Central Coast

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 near La Conchita. State Route 1 then merges with US 101 (although signage is nonexistent) for 54 miles, passing through Santa Barbara. Route 1, now named Cabrillo Highway, splits again from US 101 north of the Gaviota Tunnel, and heads through the coastal cities of Lompoc, Guadalupe, and Grover Beach before joining US 101 for the third time at Pismo Beach.

Looking south showing the McWay Rocks island group, about 16½ miles south of Big Sur.

State Route 1 splits from US 101 at San Luis Obispo and resumes as Cabrillo Highway continuing north as a freeway through Morro Bay and Cayucos until it again becomes a winding, two lane road with occasional passing lanes. It follows along the coast through San Simeon, past the elephant seal colony at Piedras Blancas Lighthouse, and to 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. The highway between San Simeon and Carmel was built between 1919 and 1937.

From there, State Route 1 passes through Carmel before becoming a freeway in Monterey. The freeway portion of Route 1 from Route 68 (west) to Munras Avenue opened in 1960. The segment from Munras Avenue in Monterey to North Fremont Blvd/Del Monte Blvd in Seaside opened in 1968, and bypasses the original highway alignment (North Fremont Blvd) through Sand City and Seaside. North of Seaside, the freeway was built over the original SR 1 alignment through Fort Ord in 1973. North of Fort Ord, SR 1 veers to the left of the original alignment and bypasses Marina to the west. This segment including the interchange with Route 156 and the short, 2-lane Castroville Bypass opened in 1976. Originally Route 1 followed the Route 156 alignment to the Route 183 intersection in Castroville, then turned northwest, following the present-day Route 183 through Castroville before rejoining its existing alignment at the northern terminus of the Castroville Bypass.

At the interchange with State Route 156 near Castroville, SR 1 continues north as a 2-lane rural road to Moss Landing. Despite heavy traffic on this segment, it was not upgraded to a freeway because doing so would require cutting through a wildlife refuge area east of Moss Landing. Another freeway segment begins at Watsonville and continues to the State Route 17 interchange at Santa Cruz. Upon reaching downtown Santa Cruz, it continues as Mission Street and Coast Road before regaining the Cabrillo Highway name.

View of the Pacific Ocean from the Bixby Bridge

[edit] San Francisco Bay Area and the Redwood Empire

SR 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 the completion of the present highway in 1937, a narrow, winding, steep road known as Pedro Mountain Road connected Montara with Pacifica. That highway was completed in 1914 and provided competition to the Ocean Shore Railroad, which operated between San Francisco and Tunitas Creek from 1907 to 1920.

Scene from SR 1 (near 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 is periodically closed, the last time from April 2, 2006 to August 3, 2006. Previous closures include about five months in 1995 and about three months in 1983.^[4] To avoid these problems, a tunnel is being constructed to bypass the slide area, opening in 2011 according to Caltrans.

SR 1 turns into a multi-lane freeway in Pacifica before joining Interstate 280 in Daly City. SR 1 used to run along the coast between Pacifica and Daly City but this segment was damaged and rendered unusable after a 5.3 magnitude earthquake on March 22, 1957. A small stub remains near Thornton Beach. Just short of reaching the city of San Francisco, Route 1 splits from Interstate 280 and the Cabrillo Highway designation ends at the Daly City / San Francisco border, where the road becomes Junipero Serra Boulevard. Shortly thereafter, the highway makes a slight left, becoming the six-lane wide 19th Avenue where, in spite of being a city street, it retains a dense traffic flow. Route 1 turns into Park Presidio Boulevard after it passes through the city's Golden Gate Park. It then joins US 101 for a fourth time on the approach to the Golden Gate Bridge known as Doyle Drive.

The Golden Gate Bridge, which Route 1 shares with US 101.

After crossing the bridge and entering Marin County, SR 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 various coastal cities and towns between Muir Beach and Fort Bragg. It cuts through the center of many of the coastal communities between these two, including Bodega Bay and Point Arena, in which it becomes Main Street, before following School Street to the northwest. Similarly, in Fort Bragg itself, the highway is known as Main Street. North of Fort Bragg, the highway follows the coast for a while, then cuts through a redwood forest, before terminating at US 101 in Leggett in Mendocino County.

[edit] History

Two portions of present SR 1 were added to the state highway system for the third bond issue, passed in 1919. These were Route 56 from San Simeon to Carmel (connecting with existing county highways at each end) and Route 60 from Oxnard to San Juan Capistrano, intended as links in a continuous coastal roadway from Oregon to Mexico.^[5][6] A 1921 law extended Route 56 south over the county road to Cambria,^[7] and Route 60 was extended from Oxnard to El Rio in 1925. The latter law made Route 60 a continuous coastal loop, with both ends at Route 2 (now I-5 and US 101).^[8] Route 56 was extended further south to Route 2 in San Luis Obispo in 1931.^[9]

A large expansion of the state highway system in 1933 resulted in Route 56 being extended in both directions. To the south, a second section was added, beginning at Pismo Beach on Route 2 and heading south through Guadalupe and Lompoc to Route 2 near Las Cruces. (A short piece near Orcutt had been part of Route 2, which followed present SR 135.) To the north, Route 56 was continued along the coast from Carmel through Santa Cruz to San Francisco. Several disjoint pieces were added north of San Francisco, one from Route 1 (US 101) north of the Golden Gate to the county line near Valley Ford, another from the Russian River near Jenner (where the new Route 104 ended) to Westport, and a third from Ferndale to Route 1 near Fernbridge. Except for the gaps in Route 56 north of San Francisco, these additions completed the coastal highway, with other sections formed by Routes 1, 2, and 71.^[10][11]

When state routes were marked in 1934, Route 56 (Las Cruces to Fernbridge, including the gaps) became Sign Route 1, and Route 60 (San Juan Capistrano to El Rio) became Sign Route 3.^[12] The latter became U.S. Route 101 Alternate by 1936, as both ends were at US 101; this change also allowed the extension of US 66 to end at another U.S. Route.^[13] The gaps were finally filled in 1951, though the Department of Public Works was not required to maintain the newly-added portions immediately. A short connection from near Rockport to Route 1 at Leggett was also included,^[14] as the existing county road north from Rockport to Ferndale had not yet been paved.^[15] The Route 1 designation was legislatively adopted in the 1964 renumbering for both Routes 56 and 60, replacing US 101 Alternate on the latter; the Leggett connection became State Route 208.^[16] However, until 1968, the portion along 19th Avenue was officially part of Interstate 280, with SR 1 following present I-280 to the SR 82 interchange.^[17] In 1980, another section was added northwest of Ventura, when US 101 was moved to a new alignment,^[18] and in 1984 SR 1 replaced SR 208, with the old alignment to Fernbridge, never constructed south of Ferndale, becoming SR 211.^[19] This part of the Pacific coast, the only long section in California not served by a state highway, has been termed California's "Lost Coast".

[edit] Major intersections

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.

County	Location	Postmile [1][20][21]	#[22]	Destinations	Notes
Orange ORA R0.13-33.72	San Juan Capistrano	R0.13		I-5 (San Diego Freeway) – Los Angeles, San Diego	Interchange
	Dana Point	R0.78		Doheny Park Road, Coast Highway south – Capistrano Beach	Interchange
	Laguna Beach	9.42		SR 133 (Laguna Canyon Road)
	Newport Beach	16.25		MacArthur Boulevard	Former SR 73
		19.80		SR 55 (Newport Boulevard) – Costa Mesa, Balboa Peninsula	Interchange
	Huntington Beach	23.74		SR 39 (Beach Boulevard)
Los Angeles LA 0.00-62.69	Long Beach	1.97		SR 22 (7th Street)
		3.56		Lakewood Boulevard	Los Alamitos Traffic Circle; former SR 19
		7.29		I-710 (Long Beach Freeway) – Long Beach	Interchange
		8.27		SR 103 (Terminal Island Freeway) / Willow Street – Terminal Island	Interchange
	Los Angeles	8.43		2300-2400 East Pacific Coast Highway – Port of Los Angeles	Interchange
		9.25		Alameda Street (SR 47)	Interchange
		11.61		I-110 (Harbor Freeway) – Los Angeles, San Pedro	Interchange
	Torrance	13.10		SR 213 (Western Avenue)
		16.01		SR 107 (Hawthorne Boulevard)
	Manhattan Beach	21.92		Artesia Boulevard	Former SR 91
	Los Angeles	25.92		I-105 east (Century Freeway) / Imperial Highway – Norwalk	Interchange
		26.90		Century Boulevard – LAX Airport	Interchange
		27.36		LAX Airport (96th Street)	Interchange
				Sepulveda Boulevard	No left turn from SR 1 south
		28.50		Westchester Parkway	Interchange
		29.08		Manchester Avenue	Former SR 42
		31.29		SR 90 east (Marina Freeway)
		32.17		Venice Boulevard (SR 187)
	Santa Monica	R34.58		I-10 east (Santa Monica Freeway) / SR 2 east (Lincoln Boulevard) – Los Angeles
		35.18		Ocean Avenue	Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; former SR 187
	Malibu	40.77		SR 27 (Topanga Canyon Boulevard)
		59.90		SR 23 (Decker Canyon Road)
Ventura VEN 0.00-27.68	South end of freeway
		10.23	107	Las Posas Road – USN Point Mugu
		11.59	108	Wood Road – USN Point Mugu
		12.79	109	Hueneme Road
	Oxnard	13.59	110	Nauman Road	No entrance ramps; no access across SR 1
		R14.67		Hueneme Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		North end of freeway
		15.06		Rice Avenue, Pleasant Valley Road
		15.93	113	Channel Islands Boulevard	Interchange; no southbound exit
		17.63		Saviers Road	Former SR 34 west
		18.15		SR 34 east (Fifth Street)
		20.14		SR 232 (Vineyard Avenue)
		21.08		US 101 (Ventura Freeway)	Interchange
		Gap in SR 1, filled by US 101
		21.25		US 101 south (Ventura Freeway)	Interchange
		27.68		US 101 (Ventura Freeway) – Los Angeles, Santa Barbara	Interchange
Gap in SR 1, filled by US 101
Santa Barbara SB R0.00-50.61	Las Cruces	R0.00		US 101	Interchange
	Lompoc	19.25		SR 246 east	South end of SR 246 overlap
		20.57		SR 246 west (Ocean Avenue)	North end of SR 246 overlap
	Vandenberg Village	R25.07	211	Constellation Road	Interchange
		M36.19 R31.04		SR 135 south – Los Alamos	South end of SR 135 overlap; interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
		R34.78	226	SR 135 north	North end of SR 135 overlap; interchange; northbound exit and southbound entrance
	Guadalupe	49.20		SR 166 (Main Street) – Santa Maria
San Luis Obispo SLO 0.00-74.32	Pismo Beach	L16.54		US 101	Interchange
	Gap in SR 1, filled by US 101
	San Luis Obispo	16.77		US 101	Interchange
	South end of freeway
		27.88	277	Los Osos/Baywood Park
	Morro Bay	28.82	278	Morro Bay Boulevard
		29.62	279A	Main Street
		30.14	279B	SR 41 east – Atascadero
	Short gap in freeway
		R34.91	284	Cayucos (13th Street)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		R35.96	285	Cayucos Drive
	North end of freeway
		45.99		SR 46
		48.26		SR 1 Bus. north – Cambria
				SR 1 Bus. south – Cambria
		56.39		Hearst Castle
Monterey MON 0.00-R102.03	Monterey	75.14	399A	SR 68 west – Pacific Grove, Pebble Beach	South end of SR 68 overlap
		R75.75	399B	Munras Avenue – Monterey	No northbound entrance
		R76.00	399C	Soledad Drive, Munras Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		R77.38	401A	Aguajito Road – Monterey
		R78.12	401B	SR 68 east – Salinas	North end of SR 68 overlap
		R78.18	401B	North Fremont Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		R78.45	402A	Casa Verde Way
		R78.88	402B	Del Monte Avenue – Pacific Grove
	Seaside	R79.36	403	SR 218 – Seaside, Del Rey Oaks
	Sand City	R80.27	404	Fremont Boulevard, Del Monte Boulevard – Seaside, Sand City
		R82.89	406	Lightfighter Drive
		R84.48	408	12th Street
		R85.14	409	Marina (Del Monte Boulevard)	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		R86.48	410	Reservation Road – Marina
		R88.64	412	Del Monte Boulevard – Marina
		R90.39	414A	Nashua Road, Molera Road	Signed as exit 414 southbound
		R90.98	414B	SR 156 east to US 101 – Castroville, San Jose	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
	North end of freeway
		T92.21		SR 183
Santa Cruz SCR R0.00-37.45	South end of freeway
		R0.72	425	SR 129 (Riverside Drive) to SR 152 – Watsonville
	Watsonville	R2.27	426	Harkins Slough Road, Green Valley Road	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		R2.68	426	SR 152 – Watsonville, Gilroy	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		R3.18	427	Airport Boulevard – Freedom	Serves Watsonville Municipal Airport
		R4.07	428	Buena Vista Drive
		R6.69	431	Mar Monte Avenue – La Selva
		R7.66	432	San Andreas Road, Larkin Valley Road
		8.35	433A	Freedom Boulevard
		9.15	433B	Rio del Mar Boulevard – Rio del Mar, Aptos
		10.54	435	State Park Drive – Seacliff Beach, Aptos
	Capitola	12.09	436	Park Avenue – Capitola, New Brighton Beach
		13.19	437	Porter Street, Bay Avenue
		13.62	438	41st Avenue
		14.86	439	Soquel Drive, Soquel Avenue
	Santa Cruz	15.82	440	Morrissey Boulevard
		16.63	441A	Emeline Avenue	Northbound exit only
		16.82	441B	SR 17 north – San Jose, Oakland	Signed as exit 441 southbound
		17.24	442	Ocean Street – Beaches
		North end of freeway
		17.56		SR 9 (River Street)
San Mateo SM 0.00-R48.56	San Gregorio	18.19		SR 84
	Half Moon Bay	29.04		SR 92 east – San Mateo
	South end of freeway
	Pacifica	R43.46	505A	Sharp Park Boulevard, Fairway Drive – San Bruno	Signed as exit 505 southbound
		R43.74	505B	Clarendon Road, Oceana Boulevard	Northbound exit only
		R44.21	506	Paloma Avenue, Francisco Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		R45.12	507	Manor Drive, Monterey Road, Palmetto Avenue
	Daly City	R46.72	508	SR 35 (Skyline Boulevard)	Signed as exit 508A (south) and 508B (north) southbound
		R47.27	509A	Serramonte Boulevard, Clarinada Avenue	Signed as exit 509 southbound
		R47.80 280 R25.28	509B	I-280 south (Junipero Serra Freeway) – San Jose	South end of I-280 overlap; no exit number southbound
		280 R25.78	510	Eastmoor Avenue, Mission Street	Signed as exit 48 southbound
		280 M27.17 R48.05		I-280 north – Downtown San Francisco, Bay Bridge	North end of I-280 overlap; southbound exit is exit 511
		R48.3	511	John Daly Boulevard – Daly City, Westlake District	Signed as exit 49A northbound
San Francisco SF R0.00-7.08		North end of freeway
		R0.11		Alemany Boulevard east – Cow Palace	Interchange
		R0.31		Brotherhood Way	Interchange
		R0.68		Junipero Serra Boulevard – San Francisco State University, San Francisco Zoo	No left turn from SR 1 south to Serra Boulevard north
		1.90		SR 35 (Sloat Boulevard) – Civic Center, Beach, San Francisco Zoo	No left turn from SR 1 north to Sloat Boulevard west (SR 35)
				25th Avenue	No left turn from 25th Avenue to SR 1 north
				Geary Boulevard – University of San Francisco	No left turns from SR 1
		South end of freeway
		7.08		US 101 / Marina Boulevard – Downtown San Francisco, Golden Gate Bridge
Gap in SR 1, filled by US 101
Marin MRN 0.00-50.51	Sausalito	0.00		US 101
Sonoma SON 0.00-58.58		5.38		Bodega Highway
		20.10		SR 116 east (River Road)
Mendocino MEN 0.00-105.58		40.27		SR 128
		59.80		SR 20
		90.87		Usal Road
		105.50		SR 271
		105.58		US 101

[edit] Other names

Route 1 is also known as:^[23]

• 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.

[edit] See also

• U.S. Route 101 in California

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Caltrans: Route 1 road conditions
• WestCoastRoads - State Route 1
• California Highways: SR 1