Imperial Highway
The Imperial Highway is a west-east thoroughfare in the counties of Los Angeles, Orange, Riverside, San Diego, and Imperial in the U.S. state of California. The main portion of the existing route begins at Vista Del Mar in Los Angeles near the Los Angeles International Airport and ends at the Anaheim–Orange city line at Via Escola where it becomes Cannon Street. Historically, the Imperial Highway extended from Vista Del Mar to Calexico, where a portion of the highway still exists. The original route was replaced with other highways, leading the older portions of the Imperial Highway to fall out of use.
Route
The total length of the Greater Los Angeles portion of the Imperial Highway is approximately, of which run through Orange County and through Los Angeles County.Between SR 91 and SR 39, Imperial Highway is signed as State Route 90. A de facto freeway portion of the route in Yorba Linda is also known as the Richard M. Nixon Freeway.
The portion in Los Angeles County between Lakewood Boulevard and Valley View Avenue is located about one mile north of, and runs parallel to, Rosecrans Avenue.
Cities
Starting from Cannon Street & Via Escola in Orange, going east to west Cannon Street becomes Imperial Highway upon entering Anaheim. The highway then passes through the cities and communities of Anaheim Hills, Yorba Linda, Placentia, Brea, Fullerton, La Habra, La Mirada, Santa Fe Springs, Norwalk, Downey, South Gate, Lynwood, Los Angeles, Inglewood, Hawthorne, El Segundo, and Westchester. Imperial Highway ends at Dockweiler Beach on Vista Del Mar near Playa Del Rey, just past LAX.Freeways
Along its route, Imperial Highway crosses over or under these freeways from west to east:- Interstate 105
- California State Route 1
- Interstate 405
- Interstate 110 and [State Route 110 | Interstate 110]
- Interstate 710 and [State Route 710 | Interstate 710]
- Interstate 605
- Interstate 5
- California State Route 39
- California State Route 57
- California State Route 91
- Interstate 8
Transportation
Western terminus coordinates :
Eastern terminus coordinates :
History
Imperial Highway was built in large part because of lobbying from the Imperial Highway Association, founded in 1929. The Imperial Highway Association lobbied city and county governments to build Imperial Highway, gaining cities along the way until the highway finished construction in 1961.Imperial Highway was initially conceived as a commercial route connecting Imperial County to Los Angeles County. A segment remains today as California County Route S2 in Imperial County which connects Interstate 8 near Ocotillo. A segment in San Diego County was renamed the Great Overland Stage Route of 1849. Another segment adjacent to Lake Elsinore was once indicated on 1960s vicinity maps by H.M. Gousha, publisher of street maps.