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Written by George Kramer. For more, please see the official web page. One of the biggest congestion points along Interstate 5 is at its junction with I, U. This maze of interchanges, ramps and other maneuvers remains largely unchanged since its original construction, and so it is overwhelmed by traffic every day.
Through traffic on I-5 is squeezed into two lanes at one point as well as merged with traffic from the busiest freeway in Southern California, Interstate 10 Santa Monica Freeway. From here, Interstate 5 generally follows old U. Leaving the Los Angeles Basin, Interstate 5 regains its full freeway configuration of eight to ten lanes, but the evening commute generally hits at the north end of San Fernando Valley. The interchange between I-5, I and SR 14 is a choke point, even with the truck bypass.
Beyond San Fernando Valley, Interstate 5 ascends to one of the highest points along its course along the western coast. Crossing the Tehachapi Mountains at Tejon Pass elevation 4, feet as well as the infamous San Andreas fault, I-5 transitions from an urban to a rural freeway for the first time. In order to make the grade manageable for trucks, the northbound lanes of I-5 just north of Castaic switches sides with the southbound lanes. The result is several miles in which northbound Interstate 5 is on the left side of the freeway rather than the right side.
This kind of configuration is uncommon; Interstate 8 east of Yuma, Arizona has a similar inversion of its east and westbound lanes. Descending into the massive Central Valley via the Grapevine, Interstate 5 immediately splits into two routes: I-5 follows the Westside Highway, avoiding all major population centers between the Grapevine and Tracy. SR 99 follows the old U.
Fresno holds the dubious distinction as the largest city in the country not served by an Interstate highway. Nevertheless, Fresno still has its old standby, SR Most traffic destined for the Bay Area and points northward prefer to take Interstate 5, which is shorter and avoids urban traffic.
The next several hundred miles can be peaceful or stressful depending on the day of the week and time of year. During holiday weekends, Interstate 5 can be a parking lot filled with travelers eager to reach relatives and friends in Northern or Southern California.
At other times, I-5 is as free-flowing as any rural freeway. As this kind of usage increases, traffic delays become problematic in the Central Valley, even if the nearest city is many miles away. Once at Interstate , travelers en route to the San Francisco Bay Area may exit west to their destination.
I-5 remains in the Central Valley, closely following the California Aqueduct and Path 22, the flagship transmission power lines that follow the freeway through much of the state. Whenever Southern California needs power from Northern California, these power lines carry that extra power needed to satisfy their needs.
The power lines also work in reverse, thus ensuring that neither part of the state is without power for a long period of time. By the time Interstate 5 reaches Sacramento, it has expanded to eight to ten lanes.
Passing under Business Loop I, I-5 is well below grade … so low that the bottom of the nearby Sacramento River is higher than the level of the freeway as it passes by Old Town Sacramento. Occasionally, with significant amounts of rain and other variables, this section of Interstate 5 may flood.
However, there are plans to change this. Some Sacramento leaders want to see their access to the river restored, and part of that would require removing Interstate 5 from between downtown Sacramento and Old Town Sacramento.
This ambitious plan faces many hurdles, including major cost and environmental concerns, and nothing has been finalized.
Interstate 5 leaves Sacramento almost as quickly as it arrived. Most of the towns passed by Interstate 5 are small, but they have seen growth through the addition of fast food restaurants, gas stations and motels. Behind the veneer of these services, old towns with a great deal of history and farming tradition — such as Williams, Arbuckle, Willows, and Orland — await. I-5 leaves the Central Valley, and glimpses of towering Mount Shasta become common. Changing from the great valley to mountain scenery, I-5 cuts towering mountains as it winds its way northward along old U.
This terrain remains similar as Interstate 5 passes through northern California and enters southern Oregon. By the time it reaches Eugene, the freeway has entered the narrow Willamette Valley, and it approaches Portland. Both Portland and Seattle have several concerns with Interstate 5. In Portland, the Interstate Bridge over the Columbia River is substandard and causes traffic delays daily. In Seattle, the freeway is congested daily and cannot support the ever increasing crush of traffic.
South of San Diego, Interstate 5 replaced U. Some drivers may be tempted to take Interstate through Bellevue as an alternate route, but check traffic conditions before doing so as it is often even worse for traffic congestion than Interstate 5. Exits into local side streets may of changed so follow signs closely and prepare for heavy traffic of less than 50 mph going through this area.
There are limited or no access through JBLM to reach other surface roads in adjacent civilian areas. Speed limit through this segment is 50 mph. Follow signs closely and prepare for heavy traffic of less than 50 mph through this area. When on the road, most of the journey is straightforward freeway driving. If it is winter, it is wise to check the weather conditions at the Siskiyou pass before crossing the border from California into Oregon.
Snowy conditions are not uncommon, and officials usually close the road if things become too dangerous. A closure can be waited out in the Shasta or Redding area on the California side, or Ashland and Medford on the Oregon side.
It is also possible to detour along the coast. All of these are more scenic and interesting routes but are much longer and slower and are more of a journey to experience than just for getting from A to B. In some places the de-commissioned "Old Hwy 99" can have a different local street name rather than "Pacific Hwy" or "Old Highway 99".
This itinerary to Interstate 5 is a usable article. It explains how to get there and touches on all the major points along the way. An adventurous person could use this article, but please feel free to improve it by editing the page.
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