Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Sorry about this but I can't seem to find the thread about the alternatives to Hwy 5 between Santa Clarita and DLR. Will someone please post a refresher course or a link to the thread? I'm also interested in any tips on merging, what lanes to be in for the change overs and such. We always seem to do fine on 5 but several friends and family are heading down this month and the alternate route is something I like to share (and have handy for myself Thanks!
Originally Posted By Ursula Shimmy to the 405 then take the 105 West then take the 91 to the 5. You cut across my fair land and avoid downtown. The other option is to take the 210 along the foothills to the 57 or 55 (I forget which as I do not go that way ever.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 Thank you very much Ursula! We might be shimmying by on Wednesday and I'll be sure to wave
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Ursula had a little typo-- in option one it's the 105 east, not west. Take that to the 605 south. That gets you to the 91, and then the 5. In the second option, it's the 210 to the 57, which you take all the way south to Ball Rd. ( or Katella, depending where you're staying. )
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 <<<<<hmmmm, wondering if it was a typo or Ursula didn't want me lurking around Disneyland, I have been known to attack LPers when sighted...... JK Thanks Dabob2, I really appreciate your post
Originally Posted By skidca I would definitely recommend taking the 210 east to the 57 south and exit at Ball Rd. unless you’re coming in on Monday thru Friday late in the afternoon. The 210 east normally turns into a parking lot at Lake Ave in Pasadena after 4:00. It stays that way until you get past the 605 and into Azusa.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Uh ... I would avoid the 405 option. It's not an option at all .. with construction going on now widening it from the 90 Marina Del Rey freeway up to the Supelveda Pass. Not to mention .. it's the primary freeway to connect to LAX. Take the 210 Freeway to the 57 Orange Freeway .. and off at Ball Rd. Both freeways have carpool lanes ... Just make sure you get out of the carpool lane on 210 .. on approach to the 57 .. in time to catch the "57" transition.
Originally Posted By oc_dean You'll enjoy the 210 route .. you'll pass by picturesque Pasadena and Altadena .. with the impressive San Bernardino mountain range behind.
Originally Posted By amazedncal2 So right now, due to construction, we'd take the 210, carpool lane, watching for the 57 transition. Exit at Ball Road. Watch the timing as 210 gets crazy with commute traffic late in the afternoon. Got it! Thanks skidca and oc dean I appreciate everyone's posts! We live north of SF and our county has ONE major freeway/highway, 101. LOL! Hey, in fact I remember when the bypass was built, 101 used to go down "Main Street" right past my dad's store.......I am high jacking my own thread!
Originally Posted By oc_dean Just keep in mind .. this is "LA" .. no path is guaranteed to get you there in a breeze .... but the 210/57 route is going to be much better than the 405/91/5 route.
Originally Posted By Manfried Frankly, you are better off just sticking with Interstate 5 the whole way.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 That all depends. LA-area traffic can be capricious in the extreme. You never know which roads will be clogged up. If you have an iphone or other smart phone and can get Google Maps, a good thing to do is choose "directions" in Google Maps, (it's the default "maps" app in the iphone), then choose Santa Clarita as your start point and Anaheim as your end point. Zoom in or out until you see the view of greater LA and its freeways that has green, yellow, and red lines. As you might expect, where the lines are red, the roads are being reported as clogged. Where they're yellow, they're sluggish but moving, and where they're green, they're moving well. I find this works better and is more reliable than radio traffic reports, which tend to lag behind reality. It works for the NY area too. You can choose this at your leisure ahead of time. Then, when you hit Santa Clarita, have someone in your car (preferably not the driver) switch to google maps and see which freeways are clear and which are not. If they're ALL clear, including the 5 through downtown, then go ahead and do that. It is the most direct. If it's not clear, see if one of the two alternates is. The 210 to 57 is the most likely to be so, unless it's rush hour. But you never know with LA freeways, so this is a good way to check.
Originally Posted By oc_dean Take it from someone who's spent his whole life in OC and LA counties .. and logged in well over 400,000 miles in 25 years: Stick to the 210/57 option. (Those who stick to the 5 will run into East LA Interchange traffic, and the 5 dwindles down to 3 lanes in each direction past the 605 going south .. and it does not reopen to more lanes till you hit the "OC" County line .. which is roughly Artesia Blvd/Knott Ave. A distance of roughly 10 miles. OH .. not to mention the widening program on the 5 between Artesia Blvd, and the 91 Freeway. 210 and 57 have 4 lanes in each direction, continuously ... and a carpool lane. (So really, it's 5 lanes in each direction).
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Normally that's true, but if the 5 is clear and the 210 and/or 57 are not due to an accident or whatever... It's probably the best way, but not 100% of the time.
Originally Posted By oc_dean ^^^ I like what you said: Capricious That's a good way to describe LA Basin traffic. One never knows!! I'm just going on past experience.
Originally Posted By Ursula Sorry about the East/West thing. Living here my whole life, I just know the way and forget these things. I really dislike the 210/57 thing. I think it takes you too far out of the way, but that's just my humble opinion.
Originally Posted By oc_dean The theory - Shortest time distance between point A and point B is a straight line .. does not always work. Detours can be quite handy sometime.
Originally Posted By Dabob2 Another variable: amazedncal says "we" in post 1; if there will be other people in the car, the HOV lanes become available, and in that case the 210/57 becomes more attractive compared to the 5 all the way.
Originally Posted By Ursula It just takes soooo long, even driving at my speed. And it is very boring.
