Harbor Boulevard (formerly Spadra Road[2]) is a north–south road corridor in the counties of Los Angeles and Orange.[3] One of the busiest routes in Orange County, the thoroughfare passes through some of the most densely populated areas in the region and carries about 8 percent of the county's bus riders.[4] The route provides access for local residents to travel to work and for drivers travelling from Valley Boulevard in the City of Industry via Fullerton Road to Newport Beach.
.JPG) Harbor Boulevard in its stretch adjacent to the Disneyland Resort | |
 Interactive map of Harbor Boulevard | |
| Maintained by | Local jurisdictions |
|---|---|
| Length | 23.4 mi (37.7 km)[1] |
| South end |  SR 55 in Costa Mesa |
| Major junctions |  I-405 in Costa Mesa SR 22 in Garden Grove I-5 in Anaheim SR 91 in Anaheim SR 90 in Fullerton SR 39 in La Habra |
| North end | Fullerton Road and Pathfinder Road in Rowland Heights |
Route description
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Harbor Boulevard runs in Orange County from Costa Mesa through the cities of Fountain Valley, Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Anaheim, Fullerton, and La Habra. It crosses into Los Angeles County upon entering La Habra Heights, then 2 miles later, it turns into Fullerton Road in the unincorporated community of Rowland Heights just over the Los Angeles County line.
History
edit
Previously, Harbor Boulevard ended at Fullerton Road in La Habra Heights. Commuters were directed to turn left onto Fullerton Road through a two-lane windy road to Pathfinder Road. An extension was proposed to extend Harbor Boulevard to Pathfinder Road in Rowland Heights in the 1980s. This extension would provide an alternate route for commuters coming from Orange County as they were limited to Hacienda Road, Brea Boulevard, and SR 57 at the time. The route would also connect Los Angeles County with Orange County with the developing unincorporated community Rowland Heights and provide access to SR 60 from Orange County. Originally opposed by residents of La Habra Heights, with one person stating that Harbor Boulevard would become a "freeway", the four-lane extension was granted when Shea Homes broke ground for their newest community, Vantage Pointe, in Rowland Heights. The extension opened in 1992, though the two-lane Fullerton Road is still open for residents who live on that street to use.[5]
The portion of Harbor Boulevard between La Palma Avenue in Anaheim to Whittier Boulevard in La Habra was part of the historical routing of U.S. Route 101 (US 101), which was at the time the Coast Route from the Mexican Border to Oregon. This portion was also formerly part of SR 72, but this segment was later relinquished to the cities of Anaheim, Fullerton, and La Habra.
When the extension of Harbor Boulevard opened in 1992, there were plans to make Harbor Boulevard the official SR 39 between Whittier Boulevard and Colima Road in order to close the gap SR 39 currently has, but signs were never erected and it is unknown when this segment will be signed.[6]
North Harbor Boulevard, where it rises from La Habra and passes over the Puente Hills, follows the historical route of the 1769 Portolà expedition, first Europeans to explore inland California.
In 1976, the Orange County District Attorney declared the stretch in Garden Grove with six gay bars a "red light area" and attempted to close the bars. While formal charges were filed, they were dismissed a year later with no convictions.[7]
Protest marches over the Anaheim police shootings in July 2012 were centered around Harbor. A fatal shooting by police officers on July 21 was followed by a second on July 22. On July 29, 200 protesters walked from the Anaheim police headquarters toward Disneyland. They were stopped at the intersection of Harbor Boulevard and Ball Road by a line of riot police and officers on horseback. Both shootings were eventually ruled justified by the Orange County District Attorney.[3]
Public transit
editHarbor Boulevard is the busiest north–south transit corridor in Orange County, carrying a substantial share of Orange County Transportation Authority (OCTA) bus ridership.[4] From 2016 to 2018, OCTA conducted the Central Harbor Boulevard Transit Corridor Study, which examined options to improve transit along the corridor through the cities of Santa Ana, Garden Grove, Anaheim, and Fullerton.[4][8] The study evaluated twelve conceptual alternatives across several modes, including enhanced bus, bus rapid transit, and streetcar service.[8] In technical scoring, the streetcar and bus rapid transit options rated highest, but in June 2018 the OCTA Board of Directors instead favored an "enhanced bus" package—the least costly option—incorporating measures such as off-board fare collection, all-door boarding, transit signal priority, and queue-jump lanes.[9][8]
Separately, the OC Streetcar, a light-rail line under construction in Santa Ana and Garden Grove, has its western terminus at a planned transit center on Harbor Boulevard just north of Westminster Avenue.[10]
Major intersections
edit| County | Location | mi[1] | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange | Costa Mesa | 0.0 | 0.0 | SR 55 (Newport Boulevard) | Southern terminus |
| 3.8 | 6.1 | I-405 (San Diego Freeway) – San Diego, Long Beach | I-405 north exit 11, south exit 11B | ||
| Santa Ana | 4.5 | 7.2 | MacArthur Boulevard | ||
| Garden Grove | 8.8 | 14.2 | SR 22 (Garden Grove Freeway) – Long Beach, Orange | SR 22 exits 12A-B | |
| 9.2 | 14.8 | Garden Grove Boulevard | Former SR 22 | ||
| Anaheim | 12.2 | 19.6 | I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway) – Los Angeles, Santa Ana | I-5 exit 110A | |
| 13.5 | 21.7 | Lincoln Avenue | Former SR 214 | ||
| 14.9 | 24.0 | SR 91 (Riverside Freeway) – Beach Cities, Riverside | SR 91 exit 28 | ||
| Fullerton | 17.0 | 27.4 | Brea Boulevard | Former SR 57 | |
| 19.4 | 31.2 | SR 90 (Imperial Highway) | |||
| La Habra | 20.8 | 33.5 |  SR 39 south (Whittier Boulevard) | Northern terminus of SR 39; to SR 72 | |
| Los Angeles | Rowland Heights | 23.4 | 37.7 | Fullerton Road / Pathfinder Road | Continuation north; to SR 60 |
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
Points of interest
editIn popular culture
editAnaheim native Gwen Stefani mentions Harbor Boulevard in the song "Cool".
References
edit- 1 2 "Harbor Boulevard" (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved January 9, 2020.
- ↑ "City of Fullerton: The Story of the Fire Department". Archived from the original on November 6, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- 1 2 Christopher Hawthorne, "On Harbor Boulevard, a pretense of business as usual", Los Angeles Times, November 24, 2012.
- 1 2 3 Kwong, Jessica (February 24, 2016). "OCTA to discuss ways to improve travel on Harbor Boulevard". The Orange County Register. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
- ↑ "LA HABRA : Residents Sound Off About Street's Noise". Los Angeles Times. September 4, 1992. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ↑ "California @ AARoads - California 39". www.aaroads.com. Retrieved May 14, 2019.
- ↑ Bharath, Deepa (October 1, 2014). "The gay/LGBT history of Orange County? It can be found at UC Irvine". OC LGBT history – A timeline. The Orange County Register. Retrieved June 29, 2016.
June 1976: There were six gay bars in Garden Grove. The Orange County District Attorney declared the stretch of Harbor Boulevard a "red light area" and pressed formal charges to close the bars. The charges were dismissed a year later with no convictions.
- 1 2 3 "Central Harbor Boulevard Transit Corridor Study". Orange County Transportation Authority. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
- ↑ Fortin, Kristopher (June 19, 2018). "OCTA Transit Committee Revokes BRT/Streetcar Study for Central Harbor Boulevard". Streetsblog California. Retrieved May 27, 2026.
- ↑ "Construction Nearing Completion for OC Streetcar, Opening Expected Summer 2025". Streetsblog California. June 17, 2024. Retrieved May 27, 2026.