Santa Ana Canyon
Santa Ana Canyon, also known as the Santa Ana Narrows, is a water gap in Orange, Riverside, and San Bernardino counties in California where the Santa Ana River flows between the Santa Ana Mountains and the Chino Hills. It has extremely strong Santa Ana winds in comparison to adjacent sites, therefore the name.
US Route 91 used to run through the canyon, but it has long since been re-signed or upgraded along the rest of its old right-of-way in the state. Its main successor is California State Route 91.
The canyon is traversed by the Santa Ana River biking track. This recreational route was built on the river’s bank and runs the length of Anaheim’s Yorba Regional Park. The bike path runs alongside SR 91 in certain parts and extends all the way to Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1) on the Pacific coast, according to locals. Santa Ana River County Beach is separated from Huntington State Beach by SR 1.
Santa Ana Canyon Road is the name of the road that runs parallel to the Riverside Freeway (SR 91) from the Anaheim-Orange County line to Gypsum Canyon Road in Yorba Linda.
La Palma Avenue, which runs from Torrance to Yorba Linda, is a much longer arterial road than Santa Ana Canyon Road. Del Amo Boulevard extends through Carson, Long Beach, Lakewood, and Cerritos, beginning on Vermont Avenue in Torrance and ending in Cerritos. Del Amo Boulevard exits Los Angeles County at Coyote Creek and enters Orange County in the city of La Palma as La Palma Avenue. The artery continues through Buena Park, Anaheim, and Yorba Linda until terminating at Gypsum Canyon Road.
The Eastern Transportation Corridor (SR 241 toll road) ends at State Route 91 as well. Because these three routes cross at State Route 91 in Santa Ana Canyon, there is frequently a bottleneck of eastbound traffic that begins there and continues past the county line and into Corona during evening rush hour. The bottleneck is exacerbated by the southern terminus of Corona Expressway (SR 71) immediately beyond that.
However, several improvements are being planned to reduce traffic across the canyon and into Corona and Riverside. Lane extensions and interchange improvements are among them, with some not being completed until 2030. One idea is to fully bypass the canyon by burrowing through the Santa Ana Mountains and connecting SR 241 to Interstate 15. Another proposal is to connect Green River Road to La Palma Avenue, though this is doubtful.
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