California State Route 72
California State Highway 72 (Route 72) runs from Route 39 in La Habra to Atlantic Boulevard in East Los Angeles. It forms part of El Camino Real.
Route Description
Route 72 begins at the corner of Whittier Boulevard and Beach Boulevard (Route 39) in La Habra. The route follows Whittier Boulevard for its entire length, heading in a northwesterly direction through Whittier, as a four-lane street-running highway. East of Route 605, the route goes under a railroad bridge and then over the San Gabriel River as it enters Pico Rivera and meets Route 19 at Rosemead Boulevard. After a mile, the route crosses a much more narrow steel bridge over the Rio Hondo into Montebello. There, it continues towards Atlantic Boulevard.
The route formerly continued further down to Downey Road, where you drive under Route 710 with no interchange. As you skim along the south side of a cemetery, you will spot a sign assembly announcing the end of Terminal Access, signaling the abortive end of the route. (Whittier Boulevard itself continues well past Downey Road towards downtown Los Angeles. See below.)
It should be noted that, despite the fact that routes in California are defined from west to east and from south to north, Route 72 is actually defined in the opposite direction, from east to west. This reflects the fact that Route 72, having been derived from the longitudinal U.S. Highway 101, was actually a south-north highway, pivoting at Whittier and Harbor Boulevards and continuing west before ending at a point northwest of its beginning.
Legal Definition
"Route 72 is from Route 39 to Atlantic Boulevard near the City of Los Angeles, except as follows:
"(a) Route 72 shall cease to be a state highway when Route 90 freeway is completed from Route 5 to Route 39.
"(b) Notwithstanding subdivision (a), any portion of Route 72 from Route 605 to Atlantic Boulevard shall cease to be a state highway when the County of Los Angeles, the City of Montebello, and the City of Pico Rivera complete the reconstruction of their respective portions of Whittier Boulevard approximately between these two limits." [CS&HC Sec. 372]
History
California's historic El Camino Real, which connected the early California missions, ran along what was then U.S. Highway 101. Before 1964, U.S. Highway 101 continued past today's end near the East Los Angeles Interchange east onto Whittier Boulevard and south on Harbor Boulevard until it met its bypass in Anaheim. (What is now Route 5 from Los Angeles to Anaheim was the U.S. Highway 101 Bypass.)
In 1964, U.S. Highway 101 was decomissioned south of the East L.A. Interchange. Its routings on Whittier and Harbor became Route 72, and was initially defined to run from Route 5 (the former bypass) to an unbuilt Route 245, hence the route's lackluster end at Downey Road. (Route 245 was to have been a bypass connecting Route 5 with Route 60, a function that was eventually assumed by an extended Route 710, opened in 1965. In 1965, with Route 245 deleted, the definition was clarified to have Route 72 end at Downey Road, which was parallel to the planned Route 245.
In 1981, the portion from Route 5 to Harbor Boulevard (current Route 39) was deleted, and the portion from Harbor Boulevard to Route 39 was transferred to Route 39. In 1992, the portion from Atlantic Boulevard to Downey Road was deleted. Route 72 today is designated as part of El Camino Real.
Currently, a provision to relinquish Route 72 between Route 605 and Atlantic Boulevard to local cities is in effect. Portions of Route 72 within the Los Angeles County (East Los Angeles) and Montebello have since been relinquished and are no longer a state highway. It is guessed that a portion in Pico Rivera from Route 605 to Route 19 has also been relinquished. Also, Route 72 will be deleted when a Route 90 freeway is built. However, given the likeliness that such a freeway may never be built (and the fact that Route 72 today runs near several state facilities and forms part of El Camino Real), such a deletion is doubtful.
According to the California Highways website ([1]), "[a]n existing permit allows the closure of this route to all vehicular traffic, except emergency traffic, between Eastern and Atlantic Blvd on Friday, Saturday, and Sundy nights between 9:30 pm and 5:00 am. This permit was granted to reduce the 'cruising' that was occuring on the route on those evenings."
Points of Interest
- Pio Pico State Historic Park (west of Route 605)
| The California State Highway System | |
| Route 71
[CS&HC Sec. 371] | Route 73
[CS&HC Sec. 373] |
| Route 72
[CS&HC Sec. 372] | |
| Junction | Mile Post |
| 39 | ORA 11.42 |
| 605 | LA 6.66 |
| 19 | LA 7.67 |
| Atlantic
Boulevard | (?) |
| 710 | LA 12.99 |
| Downey Road | LA 13.44 |
See Also
- El Camino Real
- U.S. Highway 101
- Route 82, Route 72's sister highway in the San Francisco Bay Area.