Hollywood Freeway

The Hollywood Freeway is one of the main freeways in Los Angeles, California. It is one of the busiest roads in the United States. This freeway is very important because it goes through the Cahuenga Pass, which is the best shortcut between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley. It helped a lot in how the San Fernando Valley grew and developed over time.

It is the second oldest freeway in Los Angeles, after the Arroyo Seco Parkway. The Hollywood Freeway starts at the Four Level Interchange and runs north. From there, it is part of U.S. Route 101 until it reaches a place called the Hollywood Split, where it meets the Ventura Freeway. After the split, the road becomes State Route 170 (SR 170) and continues north until it ends at the Golden State Freeway (Interstate 5). This freeway has been very important for travel and growth in the Los Angeles area.

Route description

The Hollywood Freeway is a major road in Los Angeles, California. It starts at the Four Level Interchange in downtown Los Angeles and goes north to the San Fernando Valley, ending near Sun Valley. From downtown to a place called the Hollywood Split, it is part of U.S. Route 101. After that, it becomes State Route 170 until it meets Interstate 5.

The Four Level Interchange where the Hollywood, Santa Ana, and Harbor freeways meet, along with the Arroyo Seco Parkway, is a famous spot in Los Angeles. It shows how the city grew after World War II.

State Route 170 starts near Riverside Drive and runs north to meet Route 5 close to Tujunga Wash. There are special lanes called HOV lanes open all day on SR 170 between Interstate 5 and the Hollywood Split. These lanes connect directly to similar lanes on I-5 and SR 14. Plans are in place to add soundwalls along SR 170 to help reduce noise for nearby neighborhoods.

History

Plans for the Hollywood Freeway began in 1924 when people in Los Angeles voted for a special road connecting Downtown Los Angeles to the San Fernando Valley. The first part of the freeway opened on June 15, 1940, and was called the "Cahuenga Pass Freeway." It was a short stretch through the Cahuenga Pass.

Over time, more parts of the freeway were built. By 1954, a longer section connecting the San Fernando Valley to Downtown Los Angeles was finished. The last part of the freeway was completed in 1968. The Hollywood Freeway became very busy very quickly, with many cars using it each day. It was built through some busy areas, requiring buildings to be moved or torn down. Today, it is one of the most important roads in Los Angeles.

Exit list

Except where a letter comes first, the distances on the road were measured as it was in 1964, based on how it looked back then. These distances might not be the same today. Letters like R, M, L, and T show changes that happened after that. The whole road is in Los Angeles County.

Postmile	Exit	Destinations
1.57	—	US 101 south to I-5 south (Santa Ana Freeway) / I-10 east (San Bernardino Freeway) / SR 60 east (Pomona Freeway)
1.62	3B	SR 110 (Arroyo Seco Parkway) to I-110 south (Harbor Freeway) – Pasadena, San Pedro
see US 101 (exits 4A–12C)
11.65	13B	SR 134 east (Ventura Freeway) – Pasadena
11.80R14.50	—	South end of SR 170 North end of US 101 overlap
	—	US 101 north (Ventura Freeway) – Ventura
R14.78	6A	Riverside Drive to US 101 north
R15.37	6B	Magnolia Boulevard – North Hollywood
R15.99	7	Burbank Boulevard
R16.63	8A	Oxnard Street
R17.25	8B	Victory Boulevard
R18.27	9	Sherman Way
R19.72	10	Roscoe Boulevard
R20.10	11A	Sheldon Street
R20.55	♦	I-5 north
	11B	I-5 north (Golden State Freeway) – Sacramento
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       HOV only       Incomplete access       Route transition