San Fernando Road
San Fernando Road is a major street in the City of Los Angeles and Los Angeles County. Within the Burbank city limits it is signed as San Fernando Boulevard, and north of Newhall Pass it is signed as The Old Road. It is also designated as Business Loop 5 of Interstate 5.
Route
San Fernando Road starts off in Castaic as The Old Road, passing through Santa Clarita, where it is a major frontage road for Interstate 5. The name is considered amusing by local residents, who have styled some traffic signs along the road using a faux Old English typeface. The Old Road reaches as far as Newhall Pass, whereupon its intersection with Sierra Highway near the junction of the Golden State Freeway (I-5) and the Antelope Valley Freeway (SR 14), it becomes San Fernando Road San Fernando Road then enters the Northwestern/Western San Fernando Valley, and passes through the Sylmar district of Los Angeles, and the City of San Fernando. It re-enters the city of Los Angeles at the intersection with the Ronald Reagan Freeway (SR 118) in the Pacoima district, where it parallels Interstate 5. Like Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west in Sun Valley, it passes through rock quarries and the Hanson Dam Recreation Area, one of the last remaining open spaces in the San Fernando Valley.
The portion between Sun Valley and the city of Burbank is mostly industrial, with heavy truck traffic thorough this area. San Fernando Road passes next to Bob Hope Airport and through downtown Burbank. Upon entering the Burbank city limits, it is signed as San Fernando Boulevard. At the intersection with Cypress Avenue in the Media City Center, there is a brief interruption in the route. 1st Street and Magnolia Boulevard connect both portions of San Fernando Boulevard. The road becomes San Fernando Road again once it enters the city of Glendale, where it serves as a major street for West and South Glendale.
From the intersection with the Ventura Freeway (SR 134) to its southern terminus, the street closely follows the Los Angeles River through the Atwater Village, Glassell Park, and Cypress Park neighborhoods. North of Figueroa Street San Fernando Road splits with Avenue 26, and passes under the Arroyo Seco Parkway at the mouth of the Arroyo Seco. San Fernando Road ends at the Pasadena Avenue intersection, where it becomes Avenue 20, which ends 5 blocks later at North Main Street, northeast of/near Downtown Los Angeles.
Other uses
There is another San Fernando Road entirely within the city of Santa Clarita starting only 2½ miles north of the northern end of the original San Fernando Road. San Fernando Road in Santa Clarita has now been renamed and split into 3 different streets from south to north Newhall Ave, Main Street, and Railroad Ave. At times, the route carried SR 126.
San Fernando Road should also not be confused with the nearby San Fernando Mission Blvd. The two roads intersect in the City of San Fernando about a mile from the San Fernando Mission.
The Southern Pacific Railroad follows both portions of San Fernando Road for their entire routes.
History
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Prior to the construction of Interstate 5, San Fernando Road was old U.S. Route 99 and U.S. Route 6. With the completion of the Golden State Freeway, it was re-signed as State Route 163 in the 1960s and Business Interstate 5 in the 1970s, although Los Angeles did a poor job in maintaining business routes (see Ventura Boulevard).
Today, San Fernando Road is used as an alternative to the congested I-5 Freeway between Lincoln Heights and the Newhall Pass, due to the relatively few traffic signals on the route.
Local Transportation
Metro Local lines 94 and 224 run along San Fernando Road, as well as Metro Rapid line 794 and Glendale Transit lines 7 and 12.
References
External links
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Coordinates: 34°13′40″N 118°22′53″W / 34.22778°N 118.38139°W