U.S. Route 101 Hollywood Freeway Photographs (Los Angeles to North Hollywood)
Left - Facing south along U.S. Route 101 at the Interstate 5 and Pomona Freeway (Hwy 60) Interchange in Los Angeles. This complex interchange marks the end of U.S. Route 101's long journey down the western coast of the United States. The Santa Ana Freeway continues south towards Orange County as Interstate 5.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Facing south along U.S. Route 101 (Santa Ana Freeway) from the 4th Street Overpass in Los Angeles
(Photograph taken on March 22, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing north along U.S. Route 101 (Santa Ana Freeway) from the 4th Street Overpass in Los Angeles
(Photograph taken on March 22, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - U.S. Route 101 facing north towards Downtown Los Angeles from the Interstate 10 (San Bernardino Freeway) Interchange
(Photograph taken on March 15, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Facing north along U.S. Route 101 near the Main Street Underpass in Downtown Los Angeles
(Photograph taken on March 15, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Close-up of a freeway guide sign for the approaching Hwy 110 (Harbor Freeway) Interchange. The Santa Ana Freeway ends at the Hwy 110 Interchange, but U.S. Route 101 continues north along the Hollywood Freeway.
(Photograph taken on March 15, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Night view of reflectorized "button copy" guide sign on U.S. Route 101 in Downtown Los Angeles
(Photograph taken on March 21, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - U.S. Route 101 is a depressed freeway through Downtown Los Angeles. This on-ramp connects Los Angeles Street to U.S. Route 101 South.
(Photograph taken on March 15, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Complex overhead freeway guide signs on U.S. Route 101 leaving Downtown Los Angeles. U.S Route 101 connects to three major freeways in a distance of just over one mile (Interstates 5 & 10 and the Pomona Freeway - Hwy 60). Interstate 5 goes south to Santa Ana, while the latter two freeways go east to San Bernardino.
(Photograph taken on March 15, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing south along the Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110) towards the Sunset Boulevard Overpass and the Four-Level Interchange in Downtown Los Angeles. This iconic freeway interchange formed the nucleus of the Los Angeles Freeway System when the interchange was completed in 1949. This fully directional stack interchange was a remarkable highway engineering accomplishment, because it linked four freeway legs together at different elevations without the use of any cloverleaf loop ramps. This historic freeway junction marks the common terminus of the Hollywood Freeway (U.S. Route 101 North), the Santa Ana Freeway (U.S. Route 101 South), the Harbor Freeway (Hwy 110 South) and the Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110 North). The exit ramps to the Santa Ana Freeway and the Hollywood Freeway depart from the Pasadena Freeway at right, while the entrance ramps to the Pasadena Freeway from the Santa Ana Freeway and the Hollywood Freeway enter at left. While the Pasadena Freeway ends at the Four-Level Interchange, Hwy 110 continues south beyond the interchange as the Harbor Freeway.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Four-Level Interchange on the Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110) as seen from the adjacent Sunset Boulevard Overpass. The concrete pavement on the ramps and the freeway legs approaching the Four-Level Interchange is still original from when the interchange was built in the late 1940s. Due to construction staging, the north and south legs of the Four-Level Interchange were not actually opened to traffic until the early 1950s.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Midnight view of the Four-Level Interchange in Downtown Los Angeles, as seen from the Sunset Boulevard Overpass
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Close-up view of the Four-Level Interchange in Downtown Los Angeles. What makes this stack interchange so unique is that all of the ramp and flyover structures are tied together through a common set of piers at the centre of the interchange. Unfortunately, the first level of the interchange passes below the Pasadena/Harbor Freeway level, so these ramps are not visible from this vantage point. As a result, the interchange appears to have only three levels when it is viewed the middle of the Sunset Boulevard Overpass. U.S. Route 101 traffic passes through this interchange on the fourth (top) level of this complicated freeway structure. Traffic on Hwy 110 uses the second level, while the third and first (bottom) levels carry the ramps which connect the two highways together.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Ramp connecting the southbound Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110) to the Hollywood Freeway (U.S. Route 101 North)
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Ramp connecting the southbound Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110) to the Santa Ana Freeway (U.S. Route 101 South)
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Ramps connecting the Santa Ana and Hollywood Freeways (U.S. Route 101) to the northbound Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110). These former dual-lane ramps have been re-striped as single lane ramps in an effort to improve traffic operations.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - General view of the landscaping in the northwest quadrant of the Four-Level Interchange in Los Angeles. Despite being in the middle of the city, the Four-Level Interchange possesses a park-like aura due to the strategic placement of landscaping features when the interchange was first built in the 1940s.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Facing south along the ramp from the Pasadena Freeway to the Santa Ana Freeway from the Sunset Boulevard Overpass. This ramp, along with the ramp from the northbound Harbor Freeway to the Hollywood Freeway pass underneath the Four-Level Interchange stack structure.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Bridge-mounted freeway guide signs approaching the Four-Level Interchange on the southbound Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110) at the Alpine Street Overpass. A 1948 date stamp is visible on the western wing wall of the Alpine Street Overpass, at the bottom right corner of this photo.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Night view of the reflectorized "button copy" freeway guide signs on the Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110) at the Alpine Street Overpass
(Photograph taken on February 27, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Approaching the Four-Level Interchange on the southbound Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110) at the Alpine Street Overpass
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Close-up of the reflectorized "button copy" freeway guide signs for Sunset Boulevard, U.S. Route 101 North and Interstate 5 South on the southbound Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110) at the College Avenue Overpass.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Close-up of the reflectorized "button copy" freeway guide signs for U.S. Route 101 North and Interstate 5 South on the southbound Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110) at the Alpine Street Overpass
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Heading south along the ramp from the southbound Pasadena Freeway to the Santa Ana Freeway at the Four-Level Interchange
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - The exit for the Santa Ana Freeway at the Four-Level Interchange is marked as Interstate 5, even though the Santa Ana Freeway carries the U.S. Route 101 designation for the first three miles. Presumably, this was done to simplify the signs, which would have otherwise given drivers the more confusing choice of taking either "U.S. Route 101 Hollywood Freeway" or "U.S. Route 101 Santa Ana Freeway".
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Passing below the Four-Level Interchange on the ramp to the Santa Ana Freeway. The bottom level of this interchange is also shared by the ramp to the Hollywood Freeway. Note the school bus at right, travelling on the opposing ramp. From this vantage point, the interconnections between the various structures and levels are visible. This interchange is quite ingenious, especially considering that it was planned out in 1947 when freeway interchange design was still very much in its infancy.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - The bottom level of the stack interchange passes below the Pasadena-Harbor Freeway. The bridge railings of both the Pasadena-Harbor Freeway structure and the Hollywood-Santa Ana Freeway structure were modified recently. The old steel handrails were replaced by a decorative concrete parapet wall. The connecting ramp structures on the third level of the stack interchange still retain their original 1940s hand rails.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Departing from the Four-Level Interchange on the exit ramp to the Santa Ana Freeway. At this point, the ramp from the northbound Harbor Freeway also joins in. It is interesting to note that the entrance ramps to the Santa Ana Freeway have their own exclusive ramp access to Temple Street. There is also an exit ramp from the mainline Hollywood-Santa Ana Freeway to Temple Street, which can be seen crossing over on the structure in the background of this photo
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - At the convergence of the Harbor and Pasadena Freeway ramps to the Santa Ana Freeway, the Santa Ana Freeway is signed as Interstate 5 and Interstate 10. While this section of the Santa Ana Freeway is officially known as U.S. Route 101, the route number is not particularly relevant at this point because U.S. Route 101 ends at Interstate 5 & 10 a short distance ahead.
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Close-up of a freeway guide sign on U.S. Route 101 for the Hwy 110 (Harbor/Pasadena Freeway) Interchange. The Santa Ana Freeway ends at the Four-Level Interchange at Hwy 110, but U.S. Route 101 continues north past the Four-Level Interchange as the Hollywood Freeway.
(Photograph taken on March 15, 2008 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Overhead sign mounted onto the Yale Street Pedestrian Bridge indicating the upcoming Sunset Boulevard and Four-Level Interchange exits (U.S. Route 101 and Interstate 5) on the southbound Pasadena Freeway
(Photograph taken on February 28, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Approaching the famous "Four-Level Interchange" on the Hwy 110 Freeway at U.S. Route 101 in Downtown Los Angeles, facing north. This historic fully directional stack interchange marks the common terminus of four major Los Angeles Freeways. They are: The Santa Ana Freeway (U.S. Route 101 South), The Hollywood Freeway (U.S. Route 101 North), the Harbor Freeway (Hwy 110 South) and the Pasadena Freeway (Hwy 110 North).
(Photograph taken on June 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - Night view of reflectorized "button copy" guide sign on U.S. Route 101 at Interstate 5 in Downtown Los Angeles
(Photograph taken on June 2, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Facing south along U.S. Route 101 (Hollywood Freeway) towards Downtown Hollywood from the Mulholland Drive Overpass
(Photograph taken on May 19, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Facing north along U.S. Route 101 (Hollywood Freeway) towards San Fernando from the Mulholland Drive Overpass
(Photograph taken on May 19, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - A traffic jam forms on Southbound U.S. Route 101 (Hollywood Freeway) approaching Highland Avenue. The Hollywood Freeway is an extremely congested transportation corridor at this point. U.S. Route 101 is one of only two freeway links which pass through the Santa Monica Mountains. The highway forms a vital link between Los Angeles and the western San Fernando Valley.
(Photograph taken on May 19, 2007 - © Cameron Bevers)
Left - Overhead sign on the eastbound Ventura Freeway (U.S. Route 101) approaching the Hollywood Freeway Interchange in Studio City. At this interchange, the route of U.S. Route 101 changes direction and follows the Hollywood Freeway south through Cahuenga Pass towards Downtown Los Angeles. The Ventura Freeway continues east towards Glendale and Pasadena, but it is known as Hwy 134 beyond the Hollywood Freeway Interchange.
(Photograph taken on February 21, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Centre - Overhead freeway guide signs on the Ventura Freeway at the Hollywood Freeway Interchange. Even though this is an interchange between two of the most important freeways in Los Angeles, it was only built as a partial interchange due to the skewed angle at which these two freeways cross. There is no direct freeway-to-freeway ramp connection between the eastbound Ventura Freeway (southbound U.S. Route 101) and the northbound Hollywood Freeway (Hwy 170) or between the northbound Hollywood Freeway (northbound U.S. Route 101) and the eastbound Ventura Freeway (Hwy 134). There is also no direct ramp between the southbound Hollywood Freeway (Hwy 170) and the westbound Ventura Freeway (northbound U.S. Route 101) or between the westbound Ventura Freeway (Hwy 134) and the southbound Hollywood Freeway (southbound U.S. Route 101).
(Photograph taken on February 21, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Right - The partial interchange between the Hollywood and Ventura Freeways is very well signed and is fairly easy for drivers to navigate, despite the rather complicated route number change on both freeways at this interchange. Had this been a full interchange, the ramp signing would have likely been very confusing for drivers.
(Photograph taken on February 21, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
Above - Overhead freeway guide signs on the Ventura Freeway at the Hollywood Freeway Interchange. The three lanes carrying U.S. Route 101 traffic depart from the Ventura Freeway and join the Hollywood Freeway. The two left lanes continue through the interchange and connect to the eastern leg of the Ventura Freeway (Hwy 134).
(Photograph taken on February 21, 2009 - © Cameron Bevers)
