Angeles Crest Highway
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The Angeles Crest Highway is a two-lane (one lane of travel in each direction) segment of State Route 2 in the United States. The road is 66 miles in length, with its western terminus at the intersection at Foothill Boulevard in La Cañada Flintridge and its eastern terminus at State Route 138 northeast of Wrightwood. The majority of the route passes through the mountainous terrain located north of the Los Angeles basin. Its alignment passes through the Angeles National Forest in the San Gabriel Mountains. Segments of the road reach altitudes above 7,000 feet, with a summit of 7,903 feet at the Dawson Saddle, which makes this road one of the highest in Southern California.
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[edit] Travel experience
The route is best described as mountain-rural. Because the route passes through the protected Angeles National Forest, development is very limited. There are not many buildings between La Cañada Flintridge and Wrightwood save for Newcomb's Ranch, campgrounds, and visitor centers. Other points of interest along the route include the Mountain High ski resort and Mount Wilson (and its corresponding observatory and various radio/television transmitters). Depending on the local weather, i.e. no clouds or fog, impressive views of the Los Angeles basin are possible from the vicinity of Mount Wilson - the most significant limit of what can be seen is the density of the smog and/or marine layer covering the basin.
The westernmost segment of the highway, combined with Angeles Forest Highway, is heavily travelled by southbound traffic in the morning (and corresponding northbound traffic in the afternoon) that comprises commuters who live in the Antelope Valley and work in the Greater Los Angeles area. The route is a convenient alternative to the Antelope Valley Freeway (State Route 14) and the Golden State Freeway (Interstate 5), both located to the west, to reach the Foothill Freeway (Interstate 210). Because the road is a two-lane highway, its vehicle capacity is significantly lower than either of the two freeways.
In contrast, the remainder of the Angeles Crest Highway is lightly travelled. Typically, this traffic is composed of vacationers, sightseers, and locals. Several snow ski resorts are located in Wrightwood, however, due to a massive landslide in 2004 (see photos below), Wrightwood is no longer directly accessible via the Northbound 2 coming from Los Angeles.
[edit] History
Construction for Angeles Crest Highway began in 1929. It was originally intended to be a fire access road. In 1941 construction stopped because of World War II. In 1946, after the war, construction resumed; the completed highway eventually opened in 1956. The road was constructed by prison labor. Division of Highways (Now known as CalTrans) staff lived at a site called Camp 37. Camp 37 has since been razed. The staff is now located at Chilao Flats. The children attended Chilao Mountain School, a one room school. The school has been closed for several years.
Roads in the San Gabriel Mountains have a high number of single-vehicle auto and motorcycle accidents. As an example, in the predawn hours of December 8, 2004, a van plunged off the side of Angeles Forest Highway at about 1 mile north of its junction with the Angeles Crest Highway, killing 3 of the 10 people in the van. The van was a carpool carrying workers of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory from the Antelope Valley to work in La Cañada Flintridge. It was determined upon investigation by the CHP that the driver fell asleep at the wheel of the van. The Angeles Crest Highway and Angeles Forest Highway have figured in various murders, not as scenes of the murder but as drop off points for the dead victims, including Linda Sobek, a model kidnapped and found dead in the area in 1995.
The motion picture Donnie Darko, released in 2001, was partially filmed on Angeles Crest Highway.[1] In the opening scene with Donnie waking up in the middle of the road, next to his bike, the camera zooms in on Donnie, then loops around and shows a view of the valley seen from Angeles Crest Highway. The highway is also used later in the movie for other scenes. The Angeles Crest Highway is also used extensively in the motion picture The Love Bug for racing scenes, as well as in the sequel film Herbie Goes To Monte Carlo, where the highway doubles for "The French Alps".
[edit] Access and closures
Intersections with other roads are few which can be problematic in the event of road closures due to acts of nature such as landslides and fires. At about the midpoint of the highway is the junction with the north terminus of State Route 39. However, access to State Route 39 is not possible as it is closed indefinitely to automobile traffic because of persistent landslides along its route. Therefore, travelers to the Angeles National Forest preferring the Angeles Crest Highway corridor should expect to be on the Angeles Crest Highway throughout much of its length, use available alternate routing where possible, or be willing to turn around and 're-trace' their trip, at any point along its route if necessary.
The Angeles Crest Highway is normally closed in the wintertime from Islip Saddle to Vincent Gap due to rockfall and avalanche hazards. However, the winter storms of 2004-05 caused several landslides and significant damage to the highway. Thus, the highway never reopened summer of 2005. Damage to the highway was estimated to be over 4 million dollars as of November 2005. Terri Kasinga, a spokeswoman for the California Department of Transportation, stated in November 2005 "It is definitely not going to open until next spring (of 2006)".[2] However, a March 2006 storm caused even more extensive damage to the highway including a complete washout of a large section of roadway, further delaying the reopening of the highway. Total construction costs now exceed 10 million dollars. Pending the availability of construction funds to repair this new damage, construction is anticipated to begin spring of 2008. As of now this portion of the highway has been closed since October 2004.[2] The closure of the highway has caused concern for the California Department of Forestry because it hinders firefighting.[3]
Cell phone reception can be sporadic and, when available, signal strength and clarity is poor. Although the surrounding mountainous terrain is the primary reason for this, the limited presence of, and/or proximity to, cellular communication antennas to receive and transmit signals along the route contributes to the problem.
The Federal Lands Recreation Enhancement Act passed in December of 2004, protects the Angeles National Forest. Although anyone can park at the side of the road and access the wilderness along the side of the road, doing so for extended periods of time, such as camping or hiking, requires a National Forest Adventure Pass available for a $5.00 fee.
[edit] References
- ^ Poster, Steven (Cinematographer). Donnie Darko Production Diary [DVD]. 20th Century Fox.
- ^ a b Standish, Leroy. "Ten-mile stretch of Highway 2 closed to all but bicycles, wildlife", Victor Valley Daily Press, 2005-11-08.
- ^ Gonzalez, Miguel. "Snowed in all summer?", Victor Valley Daily Press, 2005-06-01.
