Figueroa Street

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Figueroa Street is a street in Los Angeles County, California named for General José Figueroa (1792 – 9 September 1835), governor of Alta California from 1833 to 1835, who oversaw the secularization of the missions of California. It runs in a north/south direction for a length of more than 30 miles (48 km) between the Los Angeles communities of Eagle Rock and Wilmington. Termini are at Pacific Coast Highway in Wilmington and just north of the Ventura Freeway west of Pasadena, with a break between San Fernando Road in Highland Park and College Street in Chinatown. Just north of the Golden State Freeway, the street turns roughly northwest and runs parallel to the freeway into Griffith Park; from there it continues as a loop, with the southern part called Griffith Park Drive and the northern part called Zoo Drive or Crystal Springs Drive. It is not connected with the Figueroa Street running farther south. ^[1]

An early routing of Figueroa Street near downtown Los Angeles was part of U.S. Route 66, today a part of the Pasadena Freeway. The famed Figueroa Street Tunnels were once a part of that same stretch of roadway. Figueroa resumes its course near the overcrossing of Sunset Boulevard over the Pasadena Freeway, just north of the "stack" or four-level interchange. The road passes through Downtown Los Angeles near Bunker Hill and South Park. South of the Financial District, Figueroa Street services some popular locations including Staples Center arena, the Los Angeles Convention Center, and the University of Southern California. For the rest of its southbound journey, Figueroa Street runs parallel to the Harbor Freeway (Interstate 110) in South Los Angeles. The only portion of Figueroa Street that lies outside Los Angeles city limits is in the city of Carson, but it soon reenters Los Angeles near Wilmington. The street ends at Harry Bridges Boulevard north of San Pedro.

Part of the southern terminus was once part of U.S. Route 6 before its almost total decommissioning through California in 1964; indeed, Figueroa Street at Pacific Coast Highway was the actual western terminus of that highway,^{[citation needed]} although maps show that US 6 went as far east as Atlantic Avenue in Long Beach.

The MTA bus route 81 serves most of Figueroa Street, except for the portion between 9th Street and the 110 Freeway, and south of Imperial Highway.