California State Route 133

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State Route 133
Laguna Freeway, Eastern Toll Road
Defined by S&HC § 433, maintained by Caltrans and TCA
Length: 13.635 mi[1] (21.943 km)
History: State highway in 1933; SR 133 in 1964
South end: SR 1 in Laguna Beach
Major
junctions:		 I-5 in Irvine
North end: SR 241 near Irvine
State highways in California (list - pre-1964)
County routes in California (list)
< SR 132 SR 134 >
History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 133 (SR 133) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It connects SR 1 in Laguna Beach through the San Joaquin Hills with several freeways in Irvine, ending at the SR 241 toll road in the latter city.

The portion north of SR 73 in Laguna Beach is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, and it is built as an expressway from SR 73 to Laguna Canyon Road (just south of I-405 in Irvine). SR 133 is a freeway (the Laguna Freeway) to I-5, and a tollway (part of the Eastern Toll Road) to SR 241 near the Santa Ana Mountains.

Contents

[edit] Route description

State Route 133 begins at the Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1) as Broadway Street in Laguna Beach, a block from the Pacific Ocean. The name changes to Laguna Canyon Road as the highway leaves downtown Laguna Beach and enters Laguna Canyon, soon narrowing to one lane in each direction. After entering the canyon, which lies between Laguna Coast Wilderness Park (west side of SR 133) and Aliso and Wood Canyons Wilderness Park (east side of SR 133), the first major intersection is with El Toro Road (County Route S18). SR 133 widens to four lanes and becomes a highway after its interchange with the San Joaquin Hills Toll Road (SR 73).[2]

As it continues through the Laguna Coast Wilderness Park, SR 133 follows a four-lane alignment on the west side of the canyon, moved from the old two-lane road in the center of the canyon in late 2006. Laguna Canyon Road splits to the northwest where the canyon ends in Irvine. North of the park, the highway becomes the Laguna Freeway after crossing an at-grade intersection with Laguna Canyon Road, followed by an interchange at exit 8, San Diego Freeway (I-405). SR 133 then continues as a freeway and serves Barranca Parkway and the Santa Ana Freeway (I-5). After crossing I-5, SR 133 becomes part of the Eastern Toll Road along the northwest side of Marine Corps Air Station El Toro, crossing an interchange with Irvine Boulevard at exit 12 before ending at SR 241. Toll booths are located on the south-facing ramps just north of Irvine Boulevard.[2]

[edit] History

As part of its construction of concrete roads, started by a 1913 bond issue, Orange County paved the county road through Laguna Canyon, connecting State Highway Route 2 at Irvine with Laguna Beach, by 1917.[3][4] The road was added to the state highway system in 1933 as Route 185, an unsigned designation.[5][6] The entire route was added to the new California Freeway and Expressway System in 1959;[7] the planned upgrade had already been named the Laguna Freeway by the California Highway Commission on November 26, 1957.[8] The highway received a sign route number - State Route 133 - in the 1964 renumbering.[9]

Opening of the first - and only - piece of the Laguna Freeway was celebrated in Laguna Beach on October 1, 1952, connecting the north end of Laguna Canyon with a planned extension of the Santa Ana Freeway at a trumpet interchange and bypassing the old route on Sand Canyon Avenue. There were initially no other interchanges along the route.[10][11][2] The state decided not to build the remainder of the freeway in late 1975,[12] and in 1996 the portion south of SR 73 was removed from the Freeway and Expressway System.[13] Widening of the part north of SR 73 to a four-lane expressway was completed in late 2006, moving the road out of the canyon bottom and allowing better access to areas in Laguna Coast Wilderness Park.[14]

A new State Route 231 was added to the state highway system in 1988, connecting I-5 northwest of Irvine with SR 91,[15] and in 1991 the south end was shifted southeast to the north end of SR 133, with the old route becoming SR 261.[16] To prevent the route from changing numbers as it crossed I-5, the southern portion was renumbered SR 133 in 1996, with the remainder becoming an extended SR 241.[13] The Eastern Transportation Corridor, which includes SR 133 north of I-5, was completed on October 15, 1998, opening a new shortcut from Orange County to the northeast.[17]

[edit] Major intersections and exit list

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage.

The entire route is in Orange County.

Location Postmile
[1][18][19]		 #[20] Destinations Notes
Laguna Beach 0.00 SR 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) – San Clemente, Newport Beach
3.42 CR S18 (El Toro Road) to SR 73 south (San Joaquin Hills Toll Road) – Aliso Viejo, Lake Forest, Laguna Hills, Laguna Woods
4 SR 73 (San Joaquin Hills Toll Road) / to El Toro Road Interchange; no access from SR 133 north to SR 73 south
Irvine 7.71 Laguna Canyon Road
South end of freeway
8.38 8 I-405 (San Diego Freeway) – Long Beach, San Diego Signed as exits 8A (south) and 8B (north) southbound
8.93 9 Barranca Parkway
9.57 10A I-5 south (Santa Ana Freeway) – San Diego Southbound exit and northbound entrance
9.57 10B I-5 north (Santa Ana Freeway) – Los Angeles Signed as exit 10 northbound
South end of toll road
11.90 12 Irvine Boulevard
R13.64 14 SR 241 (Foothill Toll Road, Eastern Toll Road) – Riverside, Santa Margarita Northbound exit and southbound entrance; signed as exits 14A (south) and 14B (north)

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b California Department of Transportation, State Truck Route List (XLS file), accessed December 2007
  2. ^ a b c Google Maps street maps and USGS topographic maps, accessed December 2007 via ACME Mapper
  3. ^ Ben Blow, California Highways: A Descriptive Record of Road Development by the State and by Such Counties as Have Paved Highways, 1920 (Archive.org or Google Books), pp. 192-196
  4. ^ Official Automobile Blue Book, Volume Eight, 1918, p. 548
  5. ^ "An act...relating to...the addition of certain highways to the State system.", 1933 chapter 767, p. 2040: "State Highway Route 60 near Laguna Beach to State Highway Route 2 near Irvine."
  6. ^ "An act to establish a Streets and Highways Code...", 1935 chapter 29, p. 286: "Route 185 is from Route 60 near Laguna Beach to Route 2 near Irvine."
  7. ^ "An act to amend...the Streets and Highways Code, relating to state highways, providing for a California Freeway and Expressway System...", 1959 chapter 1062, p. 3115
  8. ^ California Department of Transportation, 2007 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California, p. 73
  9. ^ "An act...relating to routes on the state highway system.", 1963 chapter 385, p. 1182: "Route 133 is from Route 1 near Laguna Beach to Route 5 near Irvine."
  10. ^ Long Beach Press-Telegram, Laguna Freeway Unit Dedication Oct. 1, September 29, 1952
  11. ^ Los Angeles Times, Traffic Opens on Laguna Highway Unit, October 2, 1952, p. A6
  12. ^ Thomas Fortune, Los Angeles Times, State Cancels Its Plans for Laguna Canyon Freeway, October 17, 1975
  13. ^ a b "An act...relating to transportation...", 1996 chapter 1154: "Route 133 from Route 73 to Route 241."; "Route 133 is from Route 1 near Laguna Beach to Route 241."
  14. ^ Pat Brennan, Orange County Register, Nature's new scene, November 3, 2006
  15. ^ "An act to add Sections 188.4 and 531 to the Streets and Highways Code, relating to transportation.", 1988 chapter 1364, p. 4561
  16. ^ "An act...relating to highways.", 1991 chapter 775, p. 3483
  17. ^ Megan Garvey, Los Angeles Times, Latest Toll Road in O.C. Is Major Test for Concept, October 15, 1998
  18. ^ California Department of Transportation, Log of Bridges on State Highways, July 2007
  19. ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2006
  20. ^ California Department of Transportation, California Numbered Exit Uniform System, SR-133 Northbound and SR-133 Southbound, accessed December 2007

[edit] External links

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