California Highways (www.cahighways.org): Route 134

The definition of this route is unchanged from 1963.

The following freeway-to-freeway connections were never constructed:

WB Route 134 to SB US 101. Rationale: Construction of this connector was put "on hold" pending completion of the interchange for the Laurel Canyon Freeway (Route 170), which ended up never being constructed.
EB Route 134 to NB I-5. Rationale: Illogical Reverse Move. The angles between the two freeways are too sharp.

134 at Colorado In October 2015, the "Lets Go LA" blog proposed removal of the long ramps from Colorado to Route 134. Although that removal is unlikely, the blog provided a pointer to an interesting historical discussion. These ramps are leftovers from an early interim terminus of Route 134, when the state planned to run the freeway through Eagle Rock rather than the through the hills above it. In the 1950s, plans to complete Route 134 Freeway (then referred to as the Colorado Boulevard Freeway) started to take shape. At this point, the freeway portion of Route 134 already ran through Burbank and Pasadena, but it did not yet go through Glendale or Eagle Rock.
(Source: LetsGoLA: Freeway Removal at the 134, 10/13/2015)

Initially, there were a few routing configurations being considered for the portion through Eagle Rock. One proposal had the freeway running south of Colorado Boulevard along Chickasaw Avenue, while the other two placed the freeway north of the boulevard, with one along Las Flores Drive and the other on Hill Drive. These routes were immediately opposed by a substantial portion of the neighborhood, including local elected officials and the Chamber of Commerce. In 1960, a group of residents formally organized the “Northeast Skyway League” to fully advocate for routing Route 134 as far north into the hills as possible. The Skyway League argued a freeway in the hills would provide a more pleasant and scenic experience.Highway engineers criticized the Skyway League’s proposal, telling the community that a route far up into the ridge of local foothills would cost $15 million more than the engineer-favored routes and that the Skyway League’s route would not provide sufficient service. Despite pushback from engineers, Assemblymember John Collier defended the Skyway League’s proposed route in the foothills. By 1960, to the delight of the North Eagle Rock Homeowner’s Association, the state highway engineers formally favored routing Route 134 along Las Flores, which was planned to have two access points for on- and off-ramps. The engineers claimed this route would provide the best service, be the cheapest to construct and afford the most benefits to the community. This route would require nearly 400 homes be removed to build the freeway. The Skyway League’s route, by comparison, would only require the removal of 12 homes and the organization insisted no on- or off-ramps were necessary in Eagle Rock because Colorado Boulevard could provide all the access people need. Additionally, the Eagle Rock Citizens Protective League preferred a route just north of Hill Drive. This route was estimated to require the removal of about 150 homes and was considered to be a compromise between the Homeowners’ Association and Skyway League. Lastly, the Eagle Rock Freeway Association opposed any freeway through Eagle Rock but would favor a route south of Colorado Boulevard if a freeway was deemed absolutely necessary. Shortly after the Freeway Association entered the discussion, the Highway Commission picked the route preferred by the Citizens Protective League. At this point, the Skyway League dropped its opposition due to fear that further discussion might lead the Highway Commission to change its decision and go with a more southerly route. The Skyway League urged Assemblymember Collier to adopt their view, which he did. However, the Freeway Association continued their fight, arguing that the mile-long freeway connector in Eagle Rock to the already-built portion of the freeway would be abandoned if a route north of Colorado Boulevard were built. Highway officials countered that the freeway stub would become an on- and off-ramp. Additionally, in 1964 plans for an on- and off-ramp at Eagle Rock Boulevard were discarded. The freeway was also built to go around Eagle Rock Park, rather than through it.
(Source: Walk Eagle Rock: Eagle Rock's Freeway Revolt, 3/23/2015; LetsGoLA:Freeway Removal at the 134, 10/13/2015)

Pre 1964 Signage History

The surface routing of Route 134 was LRN 161, defined in 1933. LRN 161 ran along Colorado Blvd. The later freeway routing was LRN 240, defined in 1957. This route was signed by 1935, but was not one of the original signed routes in 1934. Between US 101 and US 99, the route ran along Lankersheim, Riverside, and Alameda Avenue, then down San Fernando Road (cosigned with US 99) to Colorado Blvd.

On December 13, 1913, Pasadena’s Colorado Street Bridge was dedicated. More than 3,000 local residents turned out for the ceremonies.The structure was replaced by the Arroyo Seco Bridge in 1951 as part of the Colorado Freeway in Pasadena.
(Source: Metro Library: This Day in Los Angeles Transportation History, 12/13/2018)

An August 1941 report issued by the Regional Planning Commission of Los Angeles County entitled “A Report on the Feasibility of a Freeway Along the Channel of the Los Angeles River” proposed a four-lane roadway on each levee from Anaheim Street in Long Beach north to Sepulveda Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley; excepting between Soto Street and Dayton Street in downtown Los Angeles, where, due to a lack of right-of-way along the river, the alignment matches the future alignment of the US 101 portion of the Santa Ana Freeway. There is no mention in the report of a master plan of freeways like that issued in 1947, although the maps showed connections to the already-completed Arroyo Seco Parkway and the proposed Ramona and Rio Hondo Parkways.
(Thanks to Daniel Thomas for hunting down this information)

On 11/18/1954, the CHC adopted a 10.9 mi route for the Riverside-Ventura freeway extending from the junction with US 99, the Golden State Freeway, westerly to Sepulveda Blvd.

Colorado St Extension A portion of Route 134 was constructed to freeway standards well before the current routing between I-5 and Route 210. This "quasi-freeway", called the Colorado Street Extension, now exists as a long on-ramp/off-ramp to I-5 near the LA Zoo. Michael Ballard writes this about the extension on his page on "Unsigned Colorado Freeway":

In 1955, the freeway was extended further west from Avenue 64 to Colorado Blvd at Eagle Vista Drive. In 1957, the Golden State Freeway was also extended from Western Avenue in Burbank to Los Feliz Blvd in Glendale. Along with many other interchanges, a freeway-grade exit to Colorado Street was built. This is known as the Colorado Street Freeway Extension and was signed as Route 134.

In 1971, the eastern Colorado Freeway was rebuilt to higher standards. It was widened, repaved, and realigned. It was also renamed the Ventura Freeway. Part of the old Colorado Freeway still exists, however, as the westbound Colorado Blvd exit. The western segment of the freeway still exists almost unmodified and still remains in heavy use. While it is no longer signed, the western segment still remains as a part of Route 134 (to be precise, it is Route 5S, LA 25.694 to LA 25.157). One aspect of the western segment is rather unique. It remained as the last freeway in Los Angeles with an intact raised median with no barrier until recently. The median was upgraded to a standard style median in 2016.

The Colorado Street Extension became Route 163 in 1964 between I-5 and San Fernando Road; Route 163 was deleted in 1965 (which explains why it became Route 5S instead of Route 134S).

Status

Although the legislative definition indicates this route ends at I-210, one correspondent (DW) has noted that there is a sign on Colorado Blvd indicating that the eastern terminus is at Arroyo Parkway and Route 110. By early 2000, this sign appeared to be gone. Further, there appear to be other portions of Colorado Street that are still signed as Route 134 (in particular, from I-5 to east of San Fernando Road). Again, by early 2000, this signage was gone.

In late April 2007, a project was begun to add an onramp to westbound Route 134 near the media center in Burbank (~ LA 2.341) in order to improve traffic flow in a heavily traveled area. The $47-million onramp will give drivers access to westbound Route 134 from Alameda Avenue, just east of Hollywood Way. Burbank transportation officials realigned the Hollywood Way off-ramp from westbound Route 134 in order to make room for the addition. The existing ramp at the northwest corner of Hollywood Way and Alameda will remain in place. This new ramp opened at the end of April 2011. The new configuration eliminated a left turn that backed up traffic during peak times for a corridor that accommodates hundreds of workers for Disney, Warner Bros., Providence St. Joseph Medical Center and NBC. Previously, motorists heading north on Alameda Avenue had to cross traffic to turn onto the Alameda on-ramp. Now, instead of turning left, motorists can continue north and turn right onto the new Hollywood Way on-ramp. The ramp curves around a power station and merges with the existing Alameda on-ramp The project also included the lengthening of freeway overcrossings on Alameda and Pass avenues, as well as Hollywood Way.

There appear to be plans for a study to improve the I-5/Route 134 interchange (~ LA 3.973 to LA R5.72) (March 2001 CTC Agenda). This study should be complete in early 2001; it is District 7 TCRP Project #154. It plans to explore completing the "back moves", i.e., from Eastbound Route 134 to Northbound I-5, and from Southbound I-5 to Westbound Route 134.

Glendale Cap Park (~ LA R6.959 to LA R7.862)

In March 2013, it was reported that Glendale has received an initial concept presentation exploring the idea of capping Route 134 to create park space between Central and Glendale Avenue, similar to Seattle's Freeway Park, Boston's Rose Kennedy Greenway and the proposed park over US 101 in Hollywood. The funding to explore the idea came from a grant front the Southern California Association of Governments, and has been led Glendale's mobility planner Mike Nilsson in conjuction with planning and urban design consultants Melendrez.
(Source: Tropico Station Blog)

The product to cover Route 134 has continued to have momentum into 2015. The project is now called Space 134. According to their website, the Glendale "Space 134" project is a concept study for a "freeway cap park" over Route 134 from Central Avenue to Glendale Avenue. The freeway cap park would connect the community to the City's civic, cultural, and business core through public open space and pedestrian and bike friendly trails. The intial concept phase is entirely funded by the Southern California Association of Governments (SCAG) through their Compass Blueprint Grant which was awarded to the City of Glendale in 2012. The Near-Term Phase includes improvements to existing bridges, incorporation of public art and adding pedestrian lighting to roads & bridges. The Mid-Term Phase explores partially capping Route 134 in certain sections between Central Avenue and Glendale Avenue. The long-term vision for the cap imagines the potential for over 20 acres of open space, including a convention and events center, transit facilities, active sports facilities, passive open space and a potential reconfiguration of existing retail centers. They held a community workshop on the plan in October 2015.
(Source: Emory at Aaroads, Space 134)

In March 2016, it was reported that updated renderings of the Route 134 Cap Park are finally really starting to take shape. They show what the 24-acre green space could look like, and give a better idea of how the park will be laid out. Working with the firm Melendrez, Glendale officials have created a concept plan that has the park set up as a kind of link between Glendale's downtown area and its residential neighbors to the east. The segment of the park between Central Avenue and Louise would be oriented toward downtown, and would include a restaurant, a mobility hub with bike parking and rental facilities, and transit connections. From Louise east to Balboa, in the more residential areas, there would be a playground, community centers, and sports courts. There would be three event spaces, but the one in the downtown section could handle large-scale events like festivals. Much-desired walking trails will run the length of the cap park. The cap park will eventually extend for a .7-mile length of the freeway between Central and Balboa avenues, but will be built in phases, with the first phase to be built between Central Avenue and Brand Boulevard. Glendale's planning on private and public funding sources to help pay for the cap park, which it hopes to start construction on after 2020. Images and such may be found in the linked source article.
(Source: Curbed LA, 3/7/2016)

Reconfiguration of Colorado Blvd in Eagle Rock (~ 134 LA 9.693 to LA 11.188)

Although not directly on Route 134, in April 2021 it was reported that LA Metro is pushing for a bus rapid transit (BRT) route through Eagle Rock that would reduce Colorado Boulevard to one car lane each way between Eagle Rock Boulevard and Linda Rosa Avenue (paralleling 134 LA R9.693 to LA R11.188, roughly where the on-ramp to EB Route 134 comes off Colorado). The car-lane reduction would create room for dedicated bus lanes and enhanced bike lanes, while preserving most on-street parking. There are a number of options being discussion. Subsequent discussion of this item on AAroads noted that one reason for this is the traffic from Route 134 in the area that diverts to surface streets when the freeway is jammed.
(Source: Boulevard Sentinel, 3/30/2021)

In May 2021, it was reported that Los Angeles City Councilmember Kevin de León has called on Metro to delay moving forward with its proposal for a bus rapid transit (BRT) route in Eagle Rock that would reduce much of Colorado Boulevard to one car lane each way. De León said a delay was needed because Metro had pushed ahead with the one-car-lane-each-way proposal without presenting a full picture of the plan to Eagle Rockers and adequately soliciting their feedback. De León also wrote that Metro needed to take the time to develop a route option for Colorado Boulevard that attempts to preserve two car lanes each way and safe bike lanes, without eliminating the medians and curb extensions. Metro should then hold public meetings where both the one-car-lane proposal and the two-car-lane proposal are presented so that Eagle Rockers can weigh the options and provide feedback. As a result, at its mid May meeting on the proposed North Hollywood-to-Pasadena bus rapid transit line, the Metro Board Planning and Programming committee unanimously approved a staff recommendation to advance two potential design options for Colorado Boulevard in Eagle Rock to the project’s next planning stage. One of the design options would reduce Colorado Boulevard to one car lane each way, affecting traffic; the other would retain two car lanes each way, affecting curbside parking and/or the median. Both options would establish dedicated bus lanes on the boulevard and maintain the boulevard’s buffered bike lanes. An earlier option by Metro that retained two car lanes each way, retained parking, preserved the medians and created dedicated bus lanes has apparently fallen out of the mix. That option met stiff opposition from bicycle advocates because it would have converted the boulevard’s bike lanes to a shared lane for use by bicycles and buses.
(Source: Boulevard Sentinel, 5/13/2021; Boulevard Sentinel, 5/19/2021)

Arroyo Seco Bridge (~ LA R12.54)

In July 2016, the LA Times reported on a design proposal to remake the Route 134 Arroyo Seco bridge near the intersection with Route 210 in Pasadena. This proposal comes from Michael Maltzan Architecture, a Los Angeles firm best known for the One Santa Fe apartment complex in the Arts District, the Star Apartments near Skid Row and the forthcoming Sixth Street Viaduct spanning the Los Angeles River. The proposal would wrap the freeway bridge, built in 1953 and expanded in 1971, inside a sort of tunnel, what Maltzan describes as a “new infrastructural overlay” stretching nearly three-quarters of a mile. The overlay would include acoustically insulated walls capable of reducing traffic noise, which has a severe effect up and down the Arroyo and throughout this part of Pasadena, by 65%. A perforated aluminum ceiling would direct auto emissions through concrete “lungs” made of precast concrete treated with titanium dioxide, capturing 516,000 tons of carbon dioxide per year. Transparent polycarbonate panels at eye level would maintain views from the freeway bridge for drivers and passengers; according to Maltzan the plan is “a design solution that celebrates the experience of driving over the Arroyo Seco while sustainably integrating the freeway into its immediate context.” The new structure would collect rainwater, storing it in a pair of drums big enough to hold 750,000 gallons each. Some of that water would be used to maintain hanging plants on the exterior of the tunnel. The rest — as much as 5 million gallons per year — would be added to the city of Pasadena water supply. A field of photovoltaic panels along the top of the tunnel would produce about 6 million kilowatt-hours of electricity annually — enough to power 600 homes. To be approved and built, the plan would require cooperation among the city of Pasadena, Los Angeles County and Caltrans.
(Source: LA Times, 7/7/2016)

In July 2017, there was a discussion about the increasing number of suicides from the Arroyo Seco Bridge. There’s a long history of jumpers since the 1930s, with dozens of deaths during the Great Depression. And a recent surge has city officials scrambling to put up temporary barriers while deciding on permanent solutions. The latest records show six deaths in four months between March and July 2017. Work crews have installed poles that will later have mesh stretched across them to block access to 20 pedestrian alcoves on the bridge, making it harder to jump the fence. Additionally, a Pasadena City Council committee will review a staff report on possible long-term fixes, along with details on what other cities — including San Francisco — have done to thwart suicides from bridges. The proposals include full-time bridge patrols, higher fencing and netting draped under the bridge.
(Source: LA Times, 7/19/2017)

Commuter Lanes

Naming

The portion of this route from Route 101 near Riverside Drive (the Route 170 junction) to Route 5 (~ LA 0.055 to LA 5.041R) is named the "Ventura Freeway". It was named by a Senate Concurrent Resolution in 1973.
(Image source: AARoads)

The interchange of the U 101, Route 134, and Route 170 freeways (~ 134 LA 0.000) is named the "Bruce T. Hinman Memorial Interchange." Officer Bruce T. Hinman was on routine motorcycle patrol on Route 170 at US 101 when he stopped to assist a disabled motorist. A drunk driver traveling at 60 m.p.h. along US 101 attempted to change routes by driving over a raised berm, then across the freeway and onto the dirt shoulder where he crashed into the disabled vehicle. The impact spun the disabled vehicle around, striking the motorist, who was using the freeway call box, and knocking Officer Hinman to the ground. The car came to rest with its rear wheels on top of the officer's chest, suffocating him. Officer Hinman, 34, was placed on life support but died a week later. He was a nine-year member of the CHP and was assigned to the West Valley Area office directly after graduating from the Academy. CHP Officer Bruce Hinman, an eight-year CHP veteran, was said to be the first officer in the 26-year history of the patrol's West Valley station to die in the line of duty.
(Image source: Flikr, Officer Down Memorial Page)

Amelia Earhart The portion of US 101 between the Laurel Canyon Boulevard exit on US 101 and the interchange with Route 134 (~ LA 11.866R to LA 12.88) and portion of Route 134 from the interchange with US 101 to the North Pass Avenue exit on Route 134 (~ LA 0.000 to LA 1.798) in the County of Los Angeles is named the “Amelia Earhart Memorial Highway”. It was named in memory of Amelia Earhart, who was born on July 24, 1897, in Atchison, Kansas. After graduating from Hyde Park High School in 1915, Earhart attended Ogontz, a girl’s finishing school in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Earhart left Ogantz in the middle of her second year to work as a nurse’s aide in a military hospital in Canada during World War I, attended college, and later became a social worker at Denison House, a settlement house in Boston. Earhart took her first flying lesson on January 3, 1921, and, in six months, managed to save enough money to buy her first plane, a second-hand Kinner Airster two-seater biplane painted bright yellow, which she named “The Canary,” and used to set her first women’s record by rising to an altitude of 14,000 feet. In 1928, Earhart was asked to join pilot Wilmer “Bill” Stultz and copilot and mechanic Louis E. “Slim” Gordon as part of a project to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. On June 17, 1928, the team left Trepassey Harbor, Newfoundland, in a Fokker F7 named Friendship, and arrived at Burry Port, Wales approximately 21 hours later. Their landmark flight made headlines worldwide because three pilots had died within the year trying to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic. When the crew returned to the United States, they were greeted with a ticker-tape parade in New York and a reception held by President Calvin Coolidge at the White House. Earhart and George Putnam, a book publisher and publicist, developed a friendship during preparation for the Atlantic crossing and were married on February 7, 1931. Intent on retaining her independence, she referred to the marriage as a “partnership” with “dual control”. Together, Earhart and Putnam worked on secret plans for Earhart to become the first woman and the second person to fly solo across the Atlantic and on May 20, 1932, five years to the day after the Lindbergh flight across the Atlantic, she took off from Harbor Grace, Newfoundland, to Paris; alas strong north winds, icy conditions, and mechanical problems plagued the flight and forced her to land in a pasture near Londonderry, Ireland. As word of her flight spread, the media surrounded her, both overseas and in the United States. President Herbert Hoover presented Earhart with a gold medal from the National Geographic Society and Congress awarded her the Distinguished Flying Cross-the first ever given to a woman. At the ceremony, Vice President Charles Curtis praised her courage, saying she displayed “heroic courage and skill as a navigator at the risk of her life”. Earhart felt the flight proved that men and women were equal in “jobs requiring intelligence, coordination, speed, coolness, and willpower”. In the years that followed, Earhart continued to reach new heights, setting an altitude record for autogyros of 18,415 feet that stood for years and on January 11, 1935, she became the first person to fly solo across the Pacific Ocean from Honolulu to Oakland, California. In 1937, as Earhart neared her 40th birthday, she was ready for a monumental, and final, challenge: she wanted to be the first woman to fly around the world. On June 1, 1937, Earhart and her navigator, Fred Noonan, departed from Miami and began the 29,000-mile journey around the world and by June 29, when they landed in Lae, New Guinea, all but 7,000 miles had been completed. On July 2, 1937, the pair embarked on a 2,556 mile flight from Lae, New Guinea to Howland Island. During this flight they encountered difficult conditions for navigation and Earhart lost radio contact the following morning with a nearby United States Coast Guard ship. Earhart’s plane disappeared and nothing further was heard from her. The world will always remember Amelia Earhart for her courage, vision, and groundbreaking achievements, both in aviation and for women. In a letter to her husband, written in case a dangerous flight proved to be her last, her brave spirit was clear. “Please know I am quite aware of the hazards,” she said. “I want to do it because I want to do it. Women must try to do things as men have tried. When they fail, their failure must be but a challenge to others”. Named by Assembly Resolution ACR 79, Res. Chapter 121, 08/19/22.
(Image source: Wikipedia)

The I-5/Route 134 interchange (~ LA 5.041R) is named the "Gene Autry Memorial Interchange". Gene Autry was best known as a singing cowboy of stage and screen. Wikipedia says the following about Autry: Orvon Grover "Gene" Autry (September 29, 1907 – October 2, 1998), nicknamed The Singing Cowboy, was an American singer, songwriter, actor, musician and rodeo performer who gained fame largely by singing in a crooning style on radio, in films, and on television for more than three decades beginning in the early 1930s. Autry was the owner of a television station (KTLA), several radio stations (KSFO, KMPC, KOGO), and the Los Angeles/California/Anaheim Angels Major League Baseball team from 1961 to 1997. From 1934 to 1953, Autry appeared in 93 films, and between 1950 and 1956 hosted The Gene Autry Show television series. During the 1930s and 1940s, he personified the straight-shooting hero—honest, brave, and true—and profoundly touched the lives of millions of Americans. Autry was also one of the most important pioneering figures in the history of country music, considered the second major influential artist of the genre's development after Jimmie Rodgers. His singing cowboy films were the first vehicle to carry country music to a national audience. In addition to his signature song, "Back in the Saddle Again", and his hit "At Mail Call Today", Autry is still remembered for his Christmas holiday songs, most especially his biggest hit "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer" as well as "Frosty the Snowman", "Here Comes Santa Claus", and "Up on the House Top". Autry is responsible for the creation of the "Cowboy Code" of behavior. Autry is a member of both the Country Music Hall of Fame and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and is the only person to be awarded stars in all five categories on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, for film, television, music, radio, and live performance. The named interchange is near the Gene Autry Western Heritage Museum, opened in 1988. Named by SCR 17, Resolution Chapter 61, on July 16, 1999.
(Image Source: Wikipedia)

The portion between Route 5 and Route 2 (~ LA R5.632L to LA R8.891) is unofficially called the "Ventura Freeway".

The portion between Route 5 and Route 2 (~ LA R5.632L to LA R8.891) is officially named the "Charles A. Lazzaretto Memorial Freeway". Glendate Police Detective Lazzaretto was shot and killed while searching for a man suspected of trying to kill his girlfriend. As they entered a warehouse the suspect shot at the officers, killing Detective Lazzaretto. Officers returned fire and surrounded the warehouse during an all night standoff. Two Los Angeles police officers were shot and injured during the standoff. They both entered the warehouse in an attempt to rescue Detective Lazzaretto. Both officers knowingly entered the line of fire in their attempt and in a result were both shot multiple times, although no shots were life threatening. The suspect was found dead the next morning after SWAT entered the warehouse. Named by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 67, Chapter 97, on 9/3/1999.
(Image source: Officer Down Memorial Page)

Officially, the portion between Route 2 and Route 210 has no name, although it is called the "Ventura" Freeway. But then again....

Obama Signage On 9/11/2017, Senate Concurrent Resolution 8, Resolution Chapter 147, named the portion between Route 2 and Route 210 (~ LA R9.08 to LA R13.193) the "President Barack H. Obama Highway". It was named in honor of President Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. With a father from Kenya and a mother from Kansas, President Barack Hussein Obama was born in Hawaii on August 4, 1961. He was raised with help from his grandfather, who served under General George S. Patton in the United States Army, and his grandmother, who worked her way up from the secretarial pool to middle management at a bank. President Obama came from a middle-class upbringing in a strong family, where hard work and education were the means of getting ahead, and where the conviction that a life so blessed should be lived in service to others. President Obama obtained his early education in Jakarta, Indonesia, and Hawaii and spent two years at Occidental College in Los Angeles from 1979 to 1981, inclusive, which played a major role in determining his future. He made his first political speech there on February 18, 1981, as part of a movement to persuade the Occidental Board of Trustees to divest the college of its investments in South Africa. After working his way through college with the help of scholarships and student loans, President Obama moved to Chicago, where he worked with a group of churches to help rebuild communities devastated by the closure of local steel plants. He received a B.A. in 1983 from Columbia University in New York City and worked as a community organizer in Chicago, Illinois. He later studied law at Harvard University, where he became the first African American president of the Harvard Law Review, and received his J.D. in 1991. Upon graduation from Harvard Law School, he returned to Chicago to help lead a voter registration drive, teach constitutional law at the University of Chicago, and continue his community serviced. President Obama became a State Senator from Illinois from 1997 to 2004, inclusive, and was elected as a Democrat to the United States Senate in 2004, and served from January 3, 2005, to November 16, 2008, inclusive. He was elected the 44th President of the United States on November 4, 2008. After being reelected in 2012, President Obama completed his second and final term on January 20, 2017. President Obama and his wife, Michelle, are the proud parents of two daughters, Malia and Sasha. Signage for the road was installed in December 2018.
(Image source: KTLA, 12/20/2018, Biography)

Colorado Freeway Sign The segment of the route from former Route 159 (Figueroa Blvd) (134 LA R11.458) to Orange Grove was named the "Colorado Freeway". It acquired this name through the route's location, paralleling Colorado Blvd. It was one of the first freeway segments of future Route 134 constructed (together with the Colorado Stub off of I-5), and predates determination of the remainder of the Route 134 routing. Image note: The sign pictured was taken at Figueroa St EB on-ramp near Eagle Rock, which was later replaced by the new routing to the N. The Route 11 signage reflects the original routing of Route 11 in 1934: San Pedro to Jct. Route 118 near La Cañada, along Gaffey, Figueroa St, Ave 22, and Linda Vista to Route 118. The ramp is gone but remaining roadway now part of long Colorado Blvd off- and on-ramps.
(Image source: Post in Freeways of Los Angeles, 7/27/2021, excerpted down to just the naming sign to show proof of naming from an image ©️ California Dept of Transportation. Full image available at District 7 Archives, 100 S. Main St, Los Angeles. File No 3485; DOH photographer Sat Yoshizato)