Interstate 105 (California)

Interstate 105, often called the Century Freeway or the 105, is a major highway in the busy area around Los Angeles. It stretches from near the Los Angeles International Airport and State Route 1 close to El Segundo all the way to Studebaker Road in the City of Norwalk. Many people know it as the Century Freeway because it runs close to a street named Century Boulevard.

The highway is also officially called the Glenn Anderson Freeway to honor Glenn M. Anderson, a congressman who worked hard to help build it. As an auxiliary Interstate Highway, I-105 helps connect many places in Southern California, making travel easier for drivers in the large Greater Los Angeles area.

Route description

Interstate 105, often called the Century Freeway, is a highway in the Los Angeles area. It starts near Los Angeles International Airport close to El Segundo and ends near Norwalk. Along the way, it meets other important roads such as I-405 and I-605.

The Century Freeway got its name because it runs close to a road called Century Boulevard. A train line also runs along the middle of most of the freeway.

History

Early planning

I-105 was part of a big plan made in the 1960s for freeways in Southern California, but it didn’t open until 1993. People had been talking about this road since 1947, but it wasn’t called the "Century Freeway" until 1956. It was numbered Route 42. In 1965, the plan for the Century Freeway was added to the state’s system, starting from State Route 1 (Sepulveda Boulevard) and going east to Central Avenue in Los Angeles. The current route became part of the Interstate system in 1968.

Design and local opposition

The route was designed between 1968 and 1972, but some people living along the path didn’t want it. This slowed things down and made some changes to the route. The growing environmental movement in the 1960s made people resist new freeways. Money problems from the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and taxes in the late 1970s also made it harder to build.

Many people in the areas where the freeway would go didn’t want it because past freeways had hurt their communities. Most cities wanted the freeway built lower to reduce noise. Norwalk didn’t want the freeway going through its center, and Caltrans had already decided not to extend it to the Santa Ana Freeway because it was too busy.

Keith v. Volpe

In 1972, some people sued to stop the freeway, saying it broke rules to protect the environment and civil rights. A judge named Harry Pregerson oversaw the case. He made sure the freeway followed environmental laws before building more. In 1979, they agreed to change the plans, add more public meetings, and build things like the Los Angeles Metro Rail Green Line (now the C Line) to help people. Part of the road was also built lower to reduce noise. When building started, some parts sank or cracked because they didn’t check the groundwater well, and they had to fix it with pumps.

Century Freeway Housing Program

Because houses had to be removed for the freeway, a program was started to build new homes for people. This was part of the agreement from the lawsuit.

Notable demolished homes and buildings

Some famous homes were torn down, like the childhood home of the Beach Boys’ Brian, Carl, and Dennis Wilson, and the home of David Marks, another bandmate. A landmark was later built there. Other homes, such as the birthplace of Ron McGovney from Metallica and the home of Richard and Karen Carpenter, were also torn down.

Post-construction

Congressman Glenn M. Anderson worked hard to get the freeway built, saying it would help traffic on several roads. After he died in 1994, the freeway was named after him. People still call it the Century Freeway sometimes. The signs at the west end used to say “El Segundo,” but many now say “LAX Airport” because the freeway ends near the airport.

Shortly before it opened, filmmakers used the empty freeway to shoot parts of the movie Speed.

Interstate 105 (1964–68)

Further information: Interstate 105 (California 1964–1968)

Before this I-105, the number was used for U.S. Route 101 from I-5 to I-10. It went back to being US 101 in 1968.

Future

There are plans to change the special carpool lanes on this highway into special toll lanes for cars with more people inside. The first part of this project, between Sepulveda Boulevard and Central Avenue, is set to finish in 2028. As of 2025, the plans for the next parts of the project, from Central Avenue to I-710 and then to Studebaker Road, are still being worked on.

Exit list

The entire route of Interstate 105 is located in Los Angeles County.

Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations
Los Angeles	0.00	0.00	1A	Imperial Highway west
	0.05	0.080		California Street
			West end of freeway
	0.50	0.80	1	Imperial Highway east
			1B	SR 1 south (Sepulveda Boulevard)
			1C	SR 1 north (Sepulveda Boulevard) – LAX Airport
	0.99	1.59	1D	Nash Street – LAX Airport Alt. Exit
	2.01	3.23	2A	La Cienega Boulevard / Aviation Boulevard
Los Angeles–Lennox– Hawthorne–Del Aire quadripoint	2.01– 2.11	3.23– 3.40	2B	I-405 (San Diego Freeway) – Santa Monica, Long Beach
Hawthorne–Lennox– Inglewood tripoint	3.32	5.34	3	Prairie Avenue / Hawthorne Boulevard
Hawthorne	4.71	7.58	5	Crenshaw Boulevard
Los Angeles–West Athens line	6.77	10.90	7A	Vermont Avenue
Los Angeles	7.39	11.89	7B	I-110 (Harbor Freeway) – Los Angeles, San Pedro
			—	I-110 Express Lanes north
Los Angeles–Willowbrook line	8.90	14.32	9	Central Avenue
Willowbrook	9.78	15.74	10	Wilmington Avenue
Lynwood	11.51	18.52	12	Long Beach Boulevard
Lynwood–Paramount line	13.47	21.68	13	I-710 (Long Beach Freeway) – Pasadena, Long Beach
Paramount	14.13	22.74	14	Garfield Avenue
	14.65	23.58	15	Paramount Boulevard
Downey	15.67	25.22	16	SR 19 (Lakewood Boulevard)
	16.64	26.78	17	Bellflower Boulevard
Norwalk	17.82	28.68	18A	I-605 south (San Gabriel River Freeway)
			18B	I-605 north (San Gabriel River Freeway)
	17.91	28.82	♦	Hoxie Avenue – Norwalk Metro Station
	18.15	29.21	♦	Studebaker Road
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Electronic toll collection       HOV only       Incomplete access