Interstate 405
Interstate 405 is the designation of three different tertiary interstate routes of Interstate 5.
California
Interstate 405 in southern California, also known as the San Diego Freeway, is a loop branch of the I-5 extending from Laguna Hills, California, up through Orange County, California and Los Angeles, and rejoining the I-5 in the San Fernando Valley. The freeway is famous for its chronic traffic jams, which can sometimes last as long as 12 hours (occasionally through midnight) and stretch more than 20 miles. Its interchanges with other freeways are consistently ranked among the most congested in the United States. For Los Angeles, a city reliant on freeways for most transportation, the 405 is a central artery on which many Angelenos travel every day. The freeway was also the route that O.J. Simpson and Al Cowlings took in the famous "white Bronco" chase when Simpson was being sought on suspicion of murder and as a suicide risk.
Much of the San Diego Freeway's problems can be traced to the lack of alternate routes. Due to NIMBYism and fiscal constraints, they were never constructed, leaving the I-405 as the only option for many trips in southwestern Los Angeles County. The proposed but never built alternates include the Pacific Coast Freeway (State Highway 1) and the Laurel Canyon Freeway (State Highway 170).
Major Interchanges (south to north)
- Interstate 5, Laguna Hills. Known as The El Toro Y.
- State Highway 241 toll road, Irvine.
- Orange Freeway, Seal Beach.
- San Gabriel River Freeway, Long Beach.
- Long Beach Freeway, Long Beach.
- Harbor Freeway and Artesia Freeway, Torrance.
- Century Freeway, El Segundo.
- Marina Freeway, Culver City.
- Santa Monica Freeway, West Los Angeles.
- Ventura Freeway, Sherman Oaks.
- Ronald Reagan Freeway, Simi Valley.
- Foothill Freeway, Newhall just past the northern terminus where it once again meets I-5.
Major cities and suburbs
Washington
Interstate 405 in Washington state is a 30-mile loop route that bypasses downtown Seattle east of Lake Washington. The northern terminus is in Lynnwood and the southern terminus is in Tukwila. The highway runs through what has since become the "Eastside" technology center of Redmond, Bellevue, and Kirkland, making it an often congested commuter path. I-405 is known for its high-speed meandering "s-curves" through Renton. It intersects with Interstate 90 and a number of major state routes. Its official name is "Renton Freeway".
Major Interchanges
Major cities and suburbs
Oregon
Interstate 405 in Oregon is a short loop route that connects downtown Portland west of the Willamette River to Interstate 5. I-405 only travels through the city of Portland.
See Interstate 5
