Four Level Interchange
Encyclopedia
The Four Level Interchange (officially Bill Keene Memorial Interchange) was the first stack interchange
in the world. Completed in 1949 and fully opened in 1953 at the northern edge of downtown Los Angeles
, California
, USA
, it connects U.S. Route 101 (Hollywood
Freeway and Santa Ana Freeway
) to State Route 110 (Harbor Freeway and Arroyo Seco Parkway).
which connects U.S. Route 101, the Hollywood Freeway, to State Route 110, the Harbor Freeway. All movements are possible in this interchange between US 101, which crosses over SR 110, and the Harbor Freeway, but not necessarily with surrounding roads like Sunset Boulevard
, which crosses SR 110 just northeast of the interchange. The interchange is located at exit 3 of US 101 and exit 24A of SR 110.
, former KNX
and KNXT
traffic and weather reporter, although the new name is rarely used. Keene referred to the interchange as "The Stacks" and the "4-H Interchange". During the 1960s, Dick Whittinghill
on radio station
KMPC
sometimes called it the Four Letter Interchange.
The interchange was constructed as a stack interchange because surrounding buildings and terrain made construction of a cloverleaf interchange
impractical. The mainline traffic of US 101 is at the top of the interchange, above the ramps, a rarity in stack interchanges. Its distinctive architecture has long made it a symbol of Los Angeles' post-World War II
development, and it appears on numerous postcard
s of the 1950s and 1960s.
Stack interchange
A stack interchange is a free-flowing grade separated junction between two roads.In countries where one drives on the right, left turns are handled by semi-directional flyover/under ramps...
in the world. Completed in 1949 and fully opened in 1953 at the northern edge of downtown Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, USA
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, it connects U.S. Route 101 (Hollywood
Hollywood Freeway
The Hollywood Freeway is one of the principal freeways of Los Angeles, California and one of the busiest in the United States. It is the principal route over the Cahuenga Pass, the primary shortcut between the Los Angeles Basin and the San Fernando Valley...
Freeway and Santa Ana Freeway
Santa Ana Freeway
The Santa Ana Freeway is one of the principal freeways in Southern California, connecting Los Angeles and its southeastern suburbs including the freeway's namesake, the city of Santa Ana. The freeway begins at the Four Level Interchange in downtown Los Angeles, signed as U.S. Route 101...
) to State Route 110 (Harbor Freeway and Arroyo Seco Parkway).
Description
The highway is a stack interchangeStack interchange
A stack interchange is a free-flowing grade separated junction between two roads.In countries where one drives on the right, left turns are handled by semi-directional flyover/under ramps...
which connects U.S. Route 101, the Hollywood Freeway, to State Route 110, the Harbor Freeway. All movements are possible in this interchange between US 101, which crosses over SR 110, and the Harbor Freeway, but not necessarily with surrounding roads like Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is a street in the western part of Los Angeles County, California, that stretches from Figueroa Street in downtown Los Angeles to the Pacific Coast Highway at the Pacific Ocean in the Pacific Palisades...
, which crosses SR 110 just northeast of the interchange. The interchange is located at exit 3 of US 101 and exit 24A of SR 110.
History
In July 2006, the freeway interchange was officially named after Bill KeeneBill Keene
Bill Keene was a television and radio personality who became famous in the Los Angeles, California market as a traffic and weather announcer...
, former KNX
KNX (AM)
KNX is an all-news radio station in Los Angeles, California, USA. The station operates on a clear channel and is owned by CBS Radio. KNX broadcasts from facilities shared with sister stations KFWB, KCBS-FM, KTWV, and KAMP on Los Angeles' Miracle Mile...
and KNXT
KCBS-TV
KCBS-TV, channel 2, is an owned-and-operated television station of the CBS Television Network, located in Los Angeles, California. KCBS-TV shares its offices and studio facilities with sister station KCAL-TV inside CBS Studio Center in the Studio City section of Los Angeles, and its transmitter...
traffic and weather reporter, although the new name is rarely used. Keene referred to the interchange as "The Stacks" and the "4-H Interchange". During the 1960s, Dick Whittinghill
Dick Whittinghill
Dick Whittinghill was an American movie and television actor, recording artist and radio disc jockey in the United States...
on radio station
Radio station
Radio broadcasting is a one-way wireless transmission over radio waves intended to reach a wide audience. Stations can be linked in radio networks to broadcast a common radio format, either in broadcast syndication or simulcast or both...
KMPC
KMPC
KMPC is a radio station based in Los Angeles, California and is owned by P&Y Broadcasting Licensee, LLC. Radio Korea is a division of the Radio Korea Media Group. The station airs Korean-language programming...
sometimes called it the Four Letter Interchange.
The interchange was constructed as a stack interchange because surrounding buildings and terrain made construction of a cloverleaf interchange
Cloverleaf interchange
A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which left turns, reverse direction in left-driving regions, are handled by ramp roads...
impractical. The mainline traffic of US 101 is at the top of the interchange, above the ramps, a rarity in stack interchanges. Its distinctive architecture has long made it a symbol of Los Angeles' post-World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
development, and it appears on numerous postcard
Postcard
A postcard or post card is a rectangular piece of thick paper or thin cardboard intended for writing and mailing without an envelope....
s of the 1950s and 1960s.