This page: Maps and General Items
Last modified: October 2006
Left:Signing in the 50s was white on black with mileage in tenths. Different font sizes were also tried. This is the San Diego Freeway (I-405) at Sunset Blvd. in 1966. This section of freeway was built in 1955. Thanks to Mike Ballard for this picture.
Right: Interstate 5 / US 101 co-signing at Avenue Pico in San Clemente, shortly after this stretch of freeway opened in 1961. Note the old style guardrail and lack of a center barrier. Thanks to Casey Cooper for this scan from California Highways and Public Works magazine.
Left: Signs on the Arroyo Seco Parkway (Pasadena Freeway) in 1940.
Middle: Mojave in 1937. US 466 is now California 58.
Right: Signing on the exit from the northbound Harbor Freeway to US 101, in 1962. Click on image for larger picture.
Evolution of the California "miner's spade" state highway shield
The "bear shield" on the left was used up to the 1950's, when a simplified black on white shield was used. In 1964 the current white on green style started to be used. Here is a California Highways & Public Works article on the 1963 renumbering.
I-5 in southern Los Angeles County, built in 1955 as US 101. (photo taken 3/2000)
Typical design of urban California freeways in the 1940's and '50's:
Three lanes each direction
Guardrail center divider (many of these were added years after the road was constructed)
Very little area on the center median for breakdowns
This sign at the I-405/CA 133 interchange shows 1960's/70's standard freeway interchange signing:
the freeway name is shown (current method is to just use the route number)
control cities are given but not the direction
lit from the bottom with florescent tubes (this shot, taken in 2001, shows the newer lights)
non-reflective lettering for lighted signs (reflectors were glued to these signs in the 1980s)
Southbound I-405 at CA 55 in 1976, built 1968.
Typical design of urban California freeways in the 1960's and '70's:
Four lanes each direction
Collapsible fence center divider
Non-reflective silkscreened signs (button reflectors were added to the lettering on most of these signs in the early 1980's)
"Bott's dots" lane markers in a repeated pattern of 4 dots, space, 4 dots, space, one reflector, space.
East L.A. interchange, 1963 (82k) prior to the
construction of CA 60, note the left side on ramp to southbound I-5 at Olympic
(since removed) in the lower right corner, also shows routes I-105 and I-110 which were later re-designated elsewhere.
Downtown Long Beach, 1964 (74k) Note the
waterfront before fill was added for Shoreline Dr, and shows the pontoon bridge that pre-dated the Desmond bridge on Ocean Blvd. Also pre-dates the
arrival of the Queen Mary.
