Images of Pomona

California 57

Routing

California 57 is the Orange Freeway. Starting at the Orange Crush interchange (Junction Interstate 5 and California 22) at the corner of Santa Ana, Orange, and Anaheim, the California 57 freeway travels almost due north past Fullerton on its way to Diamond Bar and Pomona, passing through the Kellogg Interchange (Junction Interstate 10 and California 71), ending at Interstate 210/Foothill Freeway in San Dimas and Glendora.

History

Originally, the path of California 57 was Pomona Avenue and Brea Canyon Road. The freeway was constructed in phases to connect Anaheim with Pomona. In the early 2000s, California 57 was extended north past the Kellogg Interchange to end at Interstate 210 due to the extension of that freeway east to Rancho Cucamonga.
Key Opening Dates of California 57 freeway sections:

• Interstate 5 to Chapman Avenue – March 24, 1976
• Chapman Avenue to Katella Avenue – March 24, 1976 (widened November 4, 1992)
• Katella Avenue to California 91 – November 14, 1974 (widened November 4, 1992)
• California 91 to Nutwood Avenue – June 2, 1969 (widened November 4, 1992)
• Nutwood Avenue to California 90 – June 3, 1970 (widened November 4, 1992)
• California 90 to Birch Street – September 20, 1971 (widened November 4, 1992)
• Birch Street to Tonner Canyon – September 20, 1971 (widened December 24, 1997)
• Tonner Canyon to North of Pathfinder Road – March 13, 1972 (widened December 24, 1997)
• North of Pathfinder Road to California 60 West Separation – March 13, 1972
• California 60 West Separation to California 60 East Separation – May 5, 1970 (widened March 9, 1998)
• California 60 East Separation to Temple Avenue – December 9, 1970
• Temple Avenue to Raging Waters Drive – May 1, 1972
• Raging Waters Drive to Interstate 210 – June 21, 1971

Many thanks to C.J. Moon for his assistance in providing this historical chronology.

Future Aspirations

Legislatively, California 57 is proposed for extension south through Santa Ana to a terminus at Interstate 405 in Fountain Valley. Discussions in the considered constructing the freeway as a toll road, perhaps by traveling on top of or alongside the Santa Ana River. An Orange County Register article from April 2009 stated, "Two of the alternatives to be studied call for digging up the Santa Ana River and putting in freeway lanes beneath the channel, allowing for it to continue to be used for flood control. One alternative calls for a double-bore underground tunnel, though one not necessarily following the alignment of the river. A final alternative calls for an arterial road to be built above the river, at the level of the 14 existing bridges that carry surface streets along the waterway." ²
Four alternatives for a California 57 south extension were studied in mid 2009. All four were labeled "D" as part of a possible five-part strategy for reducing congestion within the central area of Orange County. The five strategies included several strategies, including intelligent transportation systems, improvements to the existing freeway network, interchange improvements, bus rapid transit, arterial improvements, and HOT lanes. One of the possible alternatives studied was the extension of California 57, which could have taken the following forms:³

• D3: Freeway cut and cover tunnel
• D4: Freeway in dual bore tunnel
• D7: Freeway tunnel unconstrained alignment
• D8: Bridge level arterial with intersections

A study from October 2009 determined that the tunnel and arterial options were not feasible given cost, rights of way, and environmental concerns. The tunnel option in particular would be a very expensive proposition. Given these concerns, the proposed extension of California 57 is not imminent although may be studied further in the future.^{3, 4}
The proposed extension of California 57 is very controversial. Environmental impacts with the Santa Ana River are significant, as are cost impacts due to the elevated nature of the proposed freeway. The city of Fountain Valley is opposed to the extension for fear of impacts to already congested traffic during commuting hours on Interstate 405. Other improvements to existing roadways are planned to facilitate traffic management in central Orange County rather than focusing on this new highway proposal.²

Planned Improvements

Additional lanes and related improvements are slated for California 57 north. Between Fall 2010 and 2014, construction is slated along two segments to add lanes and improve interchanges. Segment 1 is from north of California 91 near Orangethorpe Avenue in Placentia to Lambert Road in Brea. Segment 2, which is slated to start in Summer 2011, will bring improvements to California 57 between Katella Avenue and Lincoln Avenue in Anaheim.⁵
Ongoing improvements are also underway in Diamond Bar at the California 57 and California 60 merge, including the direct connection ramp for High Occupancy Vehicle (Carpool) traffic. Specific improvements include development of collector/distributor lanes, traffic separation for the connections to Grand Avenue that eliminate weaving and merging across multiple lanes, and add the number of lanes. The project (planning, environmental review, design, and construction) is expected to continue from 2009 through 2016. For more information, visit the 57/60 Confluence Project web page.

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