California State Route 134

California State Route 134

California State Route 134 is a 24-mile state highway and freeway corridor across the eastern San Fernando Valley and San Gabriel Valley connecting Pasadena, Glendale, and central Los Angeles. It links major regional routes including I‑210, I‑5, and US 101 while traversing neighborhoods near Burbank, La Cañada Flintridge, and Eagle Rock. The route serves commuters, freight, and access to institutions such as Griffith Observatory, California Institute of Technology, and Bob Hope Airport.

Route description

SR 134 begins at a junction with I‑210 in Pasadena near the San Rafael Hills and proceeds west through South Pasadena before entering Glendale. The highway crosses the Los Angeles River corridor and intersects SR 2 near Downtown Glendale, providing links to Hollywood, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, and the Santa Monica Mountains. Westbound, SR 134 passes adjacent to Forest Lawn and industrial districts serving Burbank media facilities such as Warner Bros. Studios, The Walt Disney Company, and the NBCUniversal campus. The freeway continues westward, crossing the Verdugo Mountains via the Glendale Freeway segment, before merging with I‑5 in central Los Angeles near Elysian Valley and providing access to Downtown Los Angeles, Chinatown, and the Los Angeles River. Eastbound, SR 134 resumes from I‑5 and continues to I‑210 in Arcadia near the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains and institutions like the Huntington Library and Santa Anita Park.

History

The corridor that became SR 134 evolved from early 20th-century roadways and municipal boulevards linking Pasadena and Los Angeles before freeway development during the postwar era. Initial state highway designations in the 1930s and 1940s incorporated segments of what later was numbered as SR 134; construction of freeway portions accelerated in the 1950s and 1960s amid regional projects including I‑5 expansion and the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956. The Glendale Freeway portion opened in phases, influenced by local politics involving Glendale and Los Angeles County planners, and connected with the existing Ventura Freeway network serving the San Fernando Valley. Later improvements tied SR 134 to the Metrolink and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority corridors and addressed seismic retrofit requirements after the Northridge earthquake prompted statewide retrofit programs. Preservation debates around historic neighborhoods such as Eagle Rock and civic sites including Caltech shaped alignments and interchange designs.

Major intersections

The route features key interchanges with regional arterials and freeways that support access to cultural and commercial centers: - Western terminus: I‑210 in Pasadena — connection toward San Bernardino and Los Angeles. - Interchange with SR 2 in Glendale — access to Hollywood Bowl, Universal City, and Mount Wilson Observatory approaches. - Junction with SR 2 and proximity to Forest Lawn and Descanso Gardens. - Connection with I‑5 in central Los Angeles — routes toward Santa Ana and Golden State Freeway corridors. - Eastern terminus: I‑210 in Arcadia — access to the San Gabriel Valley, Huntington Library, and Santa Anita Park.

Future and improvements

Planned projects have focused on congestion relief, multimodal integration, and seismic resilience coordinated by the California Department of Transportation and Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority. Proposals include interchange reconfigurations to improve freight movement to Port of Los Angeles corridors, ramp metering and high-occupancy vehicle enhancements to link with I‑5 and I‑210, and noise-abatement measures near residential neighborhoods like Glendale and South Pasadena. Transit-oriented improvements to coordinate with Metrolink stations, Los Angeles Metro Rail planning studies, and regional mobility plans consider dedicated bus lanes and express bus rapid transit connecting to hubs such as Union Station and Bob Hope Airport.

Cultural references and incidents

SR 134 and the Glendale Freeway have appeared in film and media associated with nearby studios including Warner Bros. Studios, Paramount Pictures, and Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The corridor has been referenced in news coverage of incidents involving LAPD responses, emergency closures during wildfires affecting the San Gabriel Mountains, and notable traffic collisions reported by outlets centered in Los Angeles. Community activism over air quality and noise involved organizations such as the Sierra Club, local neighborhood councils, and environmental review processes tied to California Environmental Quality Act. High-profile events near the route include access impacts during sporting and cultural gatherings at Rose Bowl Stadium, Dodger Stadium, and entertainment venues in Downtown Los Angeles.

Category:State highways in California