Probably one of the most famous passes in the Country. The Newhall Pass separates Santa Clarita from the San Fernando Valley and Los Angeles CA. Probably the main reason I take the train to work in the morning, is the fact that this pass gets very congested, since it is the only way Southbound commuters can get into LA from the North.
I had to drive on Thursday and Friday of this week and I was reminded how terrible it can be to drive this stretch of road. I don't miss it at all, these past 13 years of riding the train.
If LA has some sort of major problem, earthquake, fire, etc... It always seems to center around The Newhall Pass. We lost the overpass twice, once in The Sylmar Quake and again in The Northridge Quake. Months of detours and reconstruction around an area that can ill afford it. The Northridge Quake is why I moved to full time rail commuting. The train approaches the pass itself, via a tunnel and comes into the pass area, down below the many roadways that are suspended up above grade level.
If it was just one Interstate Highway, it would probably be a bit less congested, but that's not the case here. The I-5 is the main North/South road through the state and on it's journey up into Oregon and Washington State, it passes right through here. On top of that, the Antelope Valley Freeway (Hwy 14) cuts in at this point, bringing travelers from the Antelope Valley and Palmdale/Lancaster area. This causes 6 lanes of traffic (three lanes for each freeway) and 2 truck lanes off to the right side. Those truck lanes wind under the freeways, performing a ballet with the main roads, snaking under the different ramps, via 2 tunnels. One of those tunnels is the one that had a catastrophic fiery crash just 2 months ago. You can still see the scorch marks on the concrete above the tunnel itself. They just opened the tunnel a few weeks ago, but when it happened, it again, cut off traffic and the train had to add cars to try to get commuters to work.
Deja Vu, all over again. It reminded me of what we dealt with after Northridge.
Residents of my City have a harder commute then many in the Southland, due to The Pass.
Such is the price, to live in paradise...sigh
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