California Roads - CA 134

CA 134



Courtesy Ian Ligget, he got me this nice photo before I've had a chance to process my own from the corridor, in enough resolution that I was able to break up the gantry into each of its signs. Nice lovely up-close button copy for CA 134 at I-5 and. Wait. I-5 and what now? Golden Stahuh?


The most interesting components of the sign are presented to you here. And you can click on any of these photos for the entire sign at full resolution, again all from Ian. The I-5 is clearly a tack-on, albeit a 50-year old one. The corners of this sign clearly started without button copy and it was only added after the green I-5 background was pasted over the original. And most of all, US 99. Which hasn't existed since the 1960s. I am told there's an excellent chance US 6 was on the left under I-5, since it used this freeway up to what is now CA 14 back in the US Highway heyday. And it was all painted directly on the sign because button copy was not yet used in California at that time. Well, Caltrans, please leave this here so we can study it in more detail, and feel free to peel off remaining portions of the sign so we can assess the original and understand the changes over the decades. And please give us those portions. And the original sign.

Dibs on the I-5 shield.


EB Exits 12 and 13A, to eventually be signed as such, taken from Colorado Blvd. (old US 66).


San Rafael Ave. and Orange Grove Blvd. NB at those same two exits, respectively. Notice how CA 134 EB is signed as I-210 EB when it's half a mile from ending, and yet California will continue to sign other routes in the same circumstance. I was once told that consistency is the hobgoblin of the feeble mind. In that case, Caltrans is frickin' genius.


Orange Grove Blvd. SB. To see the awesome tiny button copy CA 110, head up two blocks past Live Oaks Ave. The CA 110 panels on both signs were added later, maybe when I-710 failed to be finished through Pasadena, but this is the only place I've ever seen a green background shield with button copy instead of the traditional outline on the 134 below it. Also, "West" is being treated as a destination, which, in a way, it is, but it still should be entirely capitalized.


Holly St. EB at the same interchange. In this case, the entire sign was replaced, or else there had been no sign originally until after the decision was made to sign CA 110. By the way, isn't the button copy awesome out here?


Before I forget, this is the first sign on CA 134 WB as it leaves I-210. The sign on the right takes I-210 WB traffic to what was supposed to be I-710, but ends up being a mile-long one-lane stub freeway to California Blvd. Obviously, the sign was meant for much more information, probably CA 7 (the original route designation) to Long Beach.


The Arroyo Seco Bridge, carrying CA 134 over that river, seen from Arroyo Dr. and Arroyo Blvd. in the vicinity of Exit 13A. (See how I just can't stray from there?) If you think this is impressive, check out the Colorado Blvd. link below for the bridge just to the south (left in the first photo).

Onto I-5
Onto CA 126
Onto Colorado Blvd. (old US 66)
Onto I-210
To CA 110
Onto Secret CA 710 to Del Mar/CA Blvds.
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