CA RxR 4.12: Route 14, Route 64, LRN 290: The Valley Freeways that Never Happened

Episode 4.12 starts our exploration of the last route of this season: Route 14. Segment (a) of Route 14 is the unbuilt “Reseda to the Sea” freeway, so we take this opportunity to discuss the unbuilt freeways of the San Fernando Valley: the Reseda Freeway (Route 14), the Whitnall Freeway (Route 64), the Laurel Canyon Freeway (Route 170), and the freeway plans for Sunland Tujunga, the Angeles National Forest (Route 118, Route 122, Route 249), and the plan for the Mulholland Expressway (Route 268). We also discuss LRN 14 (part of US 40) and Sign Route 14 (which became Route 91). We’ll discuss the built portion of Route 14 between I-5 and US 395 in the last official season 4 episode. With respect to Tom’s sound quality: It’s better. Daniel’s mic has an occasional “pop” or “thump” problems; we’ll hopefully fix that in Ep 4.13. We’re also working to line up 2-3 bonus episodes during the season break.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

Here are some relevant links (I may edit this to add more links in later):

• California Highways:
  • LRN 14: US 40, I-80, Route 123, LRN 7
  • Sign Route 14: Route 91, Sign Route 18, LRN 175
  • Unbuilt Freeways of the San Fernando Valley:
    • Route 14: LRN 290
    • Route 64: Route 258, LRN 265
    • Route 170: LRN 160
    • Sunland Freeway: Route 170
    • Angeles National Forest: Route 118 / LRN 266; Route 122 / LRN 266; Route 196 / LRN 269 ; Route 249 / LRN 266;
    • Mulholland Highway: Route 268
  • Telling a Story Through Highway and Planning Maps: The History of Southern California Freeway Development
• Gribblenation Blogs:
  • LRN 14:
    • The original alignment of US Route 40 over the Martinez-Benicia Ferry and Carquinez Scenic Drive
    • California State Route 123/San Pablo Avenue; a trip down Old US Route 40 and the US Route terminus points in the Oakland Area
  • Sign Route 14:
    • California State Route 14 (i) (Sign Route 14)
  • Unbuilt Freeways of the San Fernando Valley:
    • Paper Highways; California State Route 64 the unbuilt Malibu Canyon-Whitnall Freeway
    • Paper Highways of the Mojave Desert and San Gabriel Mountains; CA 48 (ii), CA 122, CA 196, and CA 249
    • Angeles Forest Highway (Los Angeles County Route N3)
    • Mulholland Drive; Cahuenga Pass west to Sepulveda Pass (and the odd tale of Post-1964 Legislative Route Number 268)
• Other Links:
  • California @ AARoads (Andy Field): California 14, California 170
  • Michael Ballard: Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads:
    • “Golden State Freeway / Antelope Valley Freeway Interchange“
    • “La Cienega Freeway“
  • Archives:
    • “CA 64 – The Valley’s Right of Way to the Beach“, CSUN Archives, 12/6/2022
    • “Mulholland Scenic Parkway Specific Plan“, LA City Archives, 5/13/1992
    • “Saugus to the Sea and other shortcuts that never were….“, Chatsworth Historical Society, 9/2020
    • “Past Visions of Los Angeles’s Transportation Future“, LA Metro Archives
  • News Articles:
    • “Activists Fear Rebirth of Plan for ‘Reseda-to-Sea’ Road : Environment: Los Angeles city officials are criticized for failing to keep their pledge to kill the road proposal“, LA Times, 1/31/1991
    • “Crossroads of Confusion“, LA Times, 3/20/1998
    • “L.A.’s forgotten freeways“, LA Times, 10/28/2014
    • Reseda Freeway in Rustic Canyon, FB post, 4/14/2019
    • “Phantom Fast Lanes: Whitnall Highway and the Footprint of Best Laid Plans“, PBS SoCal, 6/28/2013
  • Newhall Oil District: Saugus to the Sea Road
  • Maps:
    • 1956 Metropolitan Transportation Engineering Board (MTEB) Master Plan of Freeways and Expressways Map

We encourage you to explore our back catalog through this site or our Spotify for Creators home.