Interstate 5
Interstate 5 is an interstate highway along the west coast of the United States. Like other interstates, it is commonly referred to as I-5 by most Americans (Southern Californians typically call it the 5). Its odd number indicates that it is primarily a north-south highway (though in much of California it runs in a northwest-southeast direction). It extends from San Ysidro, California, south of San Diego, at the Mexican border, to Blaine, Washington at the Canadian border and, apart from the San Francisco Bay Area, which lies just to its west, it links most of the major metropolitan areas on the West Coast.
History
The portion of this highway from Los Angeles, California to San Ysidro, California was also co-signed as US 101 until the late 1960s.
The portion of this highway from Lebec, California to Red Bluff, California roughly follows old US 99W.
Length
- Total - 1379.62 miles
- California - 796 miles
- Oregon - 307 miles
- Washington - 276.62 miles
Major cities along the Route
- San Ysidro, California (border of Mexico)
- San Diego, California
- Anaheim, California, and Disneyland
- Los Angeles, California
- Stockton, California
- Sacramento, California
- Redding, California
- Eugene, Oregon
- Salem, Oregon
- Portland, Oregon
- Vancouver, Washington
- Olympia, Washington
- Tacoma, Washington
- Seattle, Washington
- Blaine, Washington (border of Canada)
- In California, I-5 travels on the western outskirts of Bakersfield, California and Fresno, California as a metropolitan bypass route, with state highways providing connections. Interstate 580 provides a loop-route connection to San Francisco, California and the San Francisco Bay Area.
Intersections with other Interstates
- Interstate 8 in San Diego, California
- Interstate 10 in Los Angeles, California
- Interstate 80 in Sacramento, California
- The western Interstate 84 in Portland, Oregon
- Interstate 90 in Seattle, Washington
Spur routes
- San Diego, California - I-805
- Los Angeles, California - I-105, I-405, I-605
- Tracy, California - I-205
- Sacramento, California - I-305
- I-305 in Sacramento is the hidden Interstate designation for Business Loop I-80 and US 50 between I-80 in West Sacramento and State Highway 99 near downtown Sacramento. Unlike most signed routes in California, there is no assigned Calfornia State Route 305, but the number is reserved because I-305 is still used for funding petitions for this road. [1]
- Zamora, California - I-505
- Eugene, Oregon - I-105
- Portland, Oregon - I-205, I-405
- Tacoma, Washington - I-705
- Seattle, Washington - I-405