The Orange Crush Interchange is a freeway interchange in the city of Orange, California

Orange, California

Southern California is well-known for year-round pleasant weather: - On average, the warmest month is August. - The highest recorded temperature was in 1985. - On average, the coolest month is December. - The lowest recorded temperature was in 1950...

, near the confluence of the cities of Orange, Santa Ana

Santa Ana, California

Santa Ana is the county seat and second most populous city in Orange County, California, and with a population of 324,528 at the 2010 census, Santa Ana is the 57th-most populous city in the United States....

, Anaheim

Anaheim, California

Anaheim is a city in Orange County, California. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city population was about 365,463, making it the most populated city in Orange County, the 10th most-populated city in California, and ranked 54th in the United States...

, and Garden Grove

Garden Grove, California

Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...

. The Disneyland Resort

Disneyland Resort

The Disneyland Resort is a recreational resort in Anaheim, California. The resort is owned and operated by The Walt Disney Company through its Parks and Resorts division and is home to two theme parks, three hotels and a shopping, dining, and entertainment area known as Downtown Disney.The area now...

, The Block at Orange

The Block at Orange

The Outlets at Orange is an open-air shopping mall developed by The Mills Corporation and now owned jointly by The Mills, A Simon Company,, Faralon Capital and KanAm, in Orange, California, a few miles southeast of Disneyland near the heart of the Orange Crush interchange...

, St. Joseph Hospital, Children's Hospital of Orange County, the UCI Medical Center

University of California, Irvine Medical Center

The University of California, Irvine Medical Center is a major research hospital located in the City of Orange. It is Orange County's central public hospital and the teaching center for the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine.- Organizational history :Plans had been in place since...

, Westfield MainPlace

Westfield MainPlace

Westfield MainPlace, formerly known as MainPlace Santa Ana and sometimes colloquially as Main Place Mall, is an indoor tri-level, shopping center located on the far north side of Santa Ana, California...

, Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Angel Stadium of Anaheim

Angel Stadium of Anaheim is a modern-style ballpark located in Anaheim, California. It is the home ballpark to Major League Baseball's Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim of the American League, and was previously home to the NFL's Los Angeles Rams...

, Honda Center, and the Platinum Triangle

Platinum Triangle, Anaheim, California

The Platinum Triangle is a district of Anaheim, California surrounding the city's two major sports venues, the Honda Center and Angel Stadium of Anaheim...

 are all located at or near the interchange. The name of the interchange, credited to KNX Radio

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...

 traffic and weather reporter Bill Keene

Bill Keene

Bill Keene was a television and radio personality who became famous in the Los Angeles, California market as a traffic and weather announcer...

 , is a play on the name of the soda

Orange Crush

Crush is a carbonated soft drink brand, originally marketed as an orange soda, which was invented by California beverage and extract chemist Neil C. Ward. Most flavors of Crush are caffeine-free.-History:...

.

Description

The interchange comprises five freeway segments (i.e. there are five freeway 'paths' of travel into the complex) of three major highways:
The 2002 edition of the Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records

Guinness World Records, known until 2000 as The Guinness Book of Records , is a reference book published annually, containing a collection of world records, both human achievements and the extremes of the natural world...

 book cites this as the most complex road interchange in the world, stating that it is an intersection of 34 different routes, when taking into account collector/distributor roads, surrounding on- and off-ramps (such as Bristol Street/La Veta Avenue, Broadway/Main Street), and direct carpool-to-carpool flyovers. Adding to the complexity is that of the five possible directions to enter the interchange, entering eastbound on SR-22 is the only approach that allows motorists to exit the interchange in all possible directions of travel. This is a result of the acute intersecting angles of SR-57 and I-5, as well as the fact that the interchange is approximately 3 miles (4.8 km) from SR-22's eastern terminus at SR-55, which also intersects I-5 several miles south of the Orange Crush.

In addition, although it is not a vehicular road, the Santa Ana River

Santa Ana River

The Santa Ana River is the largest river of Southern California in the United States. Its drainage basin spans four counties. It rises in the San Bernardino Mountains and flows past the cities of San Bernardino and Riverside, before cutting through the northern tip of the Santa Ana Mountains and...

 coincidentally crosses I-5 at the Orange Crush area, forming a large "X" visible from space imagery in the heart of Orange County. Its bike path

Santa Ana River bicycle path

The Santa Ana River Bicycle path is a bicycle Trail in Southern California, stretching 30 miles from the Pacific Ocean at Huntington Beach along the Santa Ana River to the Orange/Riverside county line...

 offers bicyclists an alternative route through the Orange Crush, avoiding signals backed up with vehicles getting on or off freeways there during rush hour. Normal traffic is exacerbated during game times for the Angels

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim are a professional baseball team based in Anaheim, California, United States. The Angels are a member of the Western Division of Major League Baseball's American League. The "Angels" name originates from the city in which the team started, Los Angeles...

 or Ducks

Anaheim Ducks

The Anaheim Ducks are a professional ice hockey team based in Anaheim, California, USA. They are members of the Pacific Division of the Western Conference of the National Hockey League...

, whose home stadiums lie in very close proximity to the Crush.

History

Significant construction funded by Measure M in the late 1990s and early 2000s has greatly improved the efficiency and safety of motorists traveling through the interchange. Most of the transitions were re-aligned and/or widened during this reconstruction, including the addition of HOV transitions between SR 57 and I-5. Prior to its reconstruction, driving through was challenging and, combined with heavy traffic volume, resulted in frustrating traffic congestion, hence the name "Orange Crush."

In late 2004 the Orange County Transportation Authority

Orange County Transportation Authority

The Orange County Transportation Authority is the public sector transportation planning body and mass transit service provider for Orange County, California. Its ancestor agencies include not only the prior Orange County Transit District but also such diverse entities as the Pacific Electric...

began a construction project to widen the entire length of SR 22, including the stretch through the Orange Crush Interchange. This project also added new HOV lanes to SR 22, but no direct HOV connectors from I-5 to SR 22 were constructed. Construction called for the closing of the connector from eastbound SR 22 to southbound I-5 for one year, from November 2005 to November 2006. The project was completed at the end of November 2006.