County Route S18 (California)

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County Road S18 marker

County Road S18

Route information
Length29.05 mi[1] (46.75 km)
Existed1970[1]–present
Major junctions
South end SR 133 near Laguna Beach
Major intersections I-5 in Laguna Hills
North end SR 55 in Orange
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountyOrange
Highway system
← CR S17→ CR S19

County Route S18 (CR S18) is a county highway in the U.S. state of California in Orange County. The route follows in a boomerang-like pattern[2] from State Route 133 in Laguna Beach to State Route 55 near Orange. CR S18 traverses as a loop around the urban areas of Orange County and cuts through the Santa Ana Mountains. The road is one of four county routes in Orange County that are signed in areas nearby the route, such as southbound Interstate 5[3] and southbound State Route 133.[4] It is also noted to be the longest county route in Orange County and is the only major route that allows motorists to drive through, in, and out of the Santa Ana Mountains.[5]

The Santiago Canyon Road portion of CR S18 in the Santa Ana Mountains is planned to become designated as an official scenic highway as part of the State Scenic Highway System. This makes it the second highway to become designated as a scenic road in Orange County, California, despite the impact from the Santiago Fire as part of the wildfires in October 2007.[6]

Route description

El Toro Road

El Toro Road
CR S18 reassurance shield near the Saddleback Church

County Route S18 begins at Laguna Canyon Road (SR 133) and follows El Toro Road in a northeast direction as the route immediately leaves the Laguna Canyon. The southernmost segment of El Toro Road between SR 133 and SR 73 is a two-way traffic and two-lane alignment with a broken yellow-line median.[7] After the interchange with the San Joaquin Hills Toll Road (SR 73), El Toro Road welcomes motorists into the city limits of Aliso Viejo as the road widens into a six-lane street with a divided median until reaching Aliso Creek Road. There, El Toro Road narrows to a four-lane alignment and enters into residential Laguna Woods.[8] The road then navigates to a more east direction as it leaves the residential city and immediately enters one of the oldest incorporated cities in Orange County – Laguna Hills – with restaurants and other public services.[9] El Toro Road also serves some point of interest destinations, such as the Laguna Hills Mall[10] for shopping and the Laguna Hills Golf Club[11] for recreation.

After interchanging with Interstate 5, El Toro Road enters the city of Lake Forest. The segment between I-5 and Muirlands Boulevard widens to four lanes since its renovation in 2006.[12][13] The road continues in this manner until its intersection with Trabuco Road, where El Toro Road starts to curve while maintaining its general northeast-southwest alignment until reaching the underpass of the Foothill Toll Road (SR 241) near the Saddleback Church.[14] North of SR 241, El Toro Road decreases its number of lanes into a two-lane highway,[15] and curves its direction to the north before its intersection with Live Oak Canyon Road (CR S19), which marks the northern terminus of El Toro Road.[16]

Santiago Canyon Road

CR S18 then follows Santiago Canyon Road, a potential scenic highway.[6] The majority of Santiago Canyon Road for 15.4 miles (25 km) traverses through the scenic Santa Ana Mountains, with the Santiago Canyons on the west side of the road and the Modjeska Canyons on the east side.[17] Two major intersections along this route are Silverado Canyon Road and Modjeska Canyon Road, which serves the Silverado and Modjeska Canyons, respectively.[18] To the north of the Santiago Mountains and west of Irvine Lake, Santiago Canyon Road interchanges with the Eastern Toll Roads – State Route 241 and the northern terminus of State Route 261.[19] After this point, Santiago Canyon Road continues northwest until it returns to the urban areas of Central Orange County.

There are also attractions and points of interest along Santiago Canyon Road. Notable examples include Irvine Lake, Santiago Canyon College, and Santiago Oaks Regional Park.[20] Santiago Canyon Road is also popular for its tourism with the scenic views of the Santa Ana Mountains and the road itself, as well as the access to the Santiago Truck Trail – one of the scenic bike trails in Orange County.[21]

Villa Park Road and Katella Avenue

Upon entering Villa Park, CR S18 turns west and widens into a regular city street and follows Villa Park Road, immediately before the road also follows the most eastern segment of Katella Avenue.[22] There, CR S18 interchanges with State Route 55, which marks the northern terminus of CR S18 as Katella Avenue continues to the west, serving populous cities such as Anaheim in the central region of Orange County.[23]

History

El Toro Road landscape renovation

After the formation of CR S18 in 1970,[1] the Orange County Board of Supervisors officially declared the El Toro Road segment in 1988 and named it after the unincorporated community El Toro (present day Lake Forest). During the 1970s and 1980s, El Toro progressed a period of commercial growth and development of land areas near the road over time. The county board left the road alone for traffic use, thus leading to the congestion and the need for landscape improvement. During the late 1990s, the call to "fix El Toro Road" resulted in renovating El Toro Road and eliminate the traffic congestion.[24]

Prior to the year 2005, the El Toro Road segment between Interstate 5 and Muirlands Boulevard initially caused traffic congestion due to its narrow alignment. On September 14, 2004, the USD $33 million project was planned to renovate and beautify its landscape, while hoping to alleviate traffic congestion.[25][13] The El Toro Road project consisted of adding additional lanes, decorating the median, and widening the intersections.[26] The artistic structures along the sides of the road helped to give it the name "The Arbor".[27] The entire project was completed in the winter of 2006, with its intended goal of to create better access to retail shops and other services along the stretch of the road.[13]

Potential scenic highway

In April 2008, Orange County Supervisor Bill Campbell called a meeting with representatives from the Intercanyon League, the Saddleback Canyon Conservancy, and the Silverado Modjeska Park District. Their intended goal was to designate the Santiago Canyon Road segment of CR S18 as a scenic highway,[6][28] as the road lies within the scenic corridor in the valley between the Santiago Canyons and the Modjeska Canyons.[29] Despite the area being burned in the Santiago Fire from the October 2007 wildfires,[30][31][32] much of the canyons have recovered with the growth of flowers and green plants blossoming along the roadway. This was thought to possibly increase the chances of a portion of CR S18 to become a scenic roadway, but no decision has been forthcoming.[33] An Adopt-a-Highway program has also been considered along the route to maintain both its beauty and safety.[6]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Orange County.

Location Mile
[1][34] 		Destinations Notes
Laguna Beach 0.00 Laguna Canyon Road (SR 133) – Laguna Beach, Irvine
Aliso Viejo 0.80 SR 73 (San Joaquin Hills Toll Road) – Long Beach, San Diego Interchange
1.45 Aliso Creek Road
Laguna Woods 3.03 Moulton Parkway
Laguna Hills 4.14 I-5 (San Diego Freeway) – Los Angeles, San Diego Interchange; former US 101
Lake Forest 6.35 Trabuco Road
8.75 Santa Margarita Parkway, Portola Parkway
11.53 CR S19 (Live Oak Canyon Road) – O'Neill Regional Park, Trabuco Oaks, Coto de Caza
Silverado Canyon Road – Silverado Canyon, Black Star Canyon
22.82
SR 241 / SR 261 south (Eastern Toll Road) – Riverside, Irvine, South County 		Interchange
Villa Park 23.83 Jamboree Road
Orange 29.05 SR 55 (Costa Mesa Freeway) – Newport Beach, Riverside Interchange
29.05 Katella Avenue Continuation beyond SR 55
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b c d Faigin, Daniel P. "County Routes "S" – County Route S18". www.cahighways.org. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  2. ^ The Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 2006. p. 29.
  3. ^ "Photo of CR S18 from I-5 Southbound". www.aaroads.com. Archived from the original on November 06, 2005. Retrieved 2008-05-17. {{cite web}}: Check date values in: |archivedate= (help); Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  4. ^ "Photo of CR S18 from SR 133 Southbound". www.aaroads.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2006. Retrieved 2008-05-17. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  5. ^ Bushnell, Bill (1993-04-11). "Orange County". Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  6. ^ a b c d Eades, Mark (2008-04-23). "Canyon residents seek to preserve scenic roadway". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  7. ^ State Route 133 to State Route 73 (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  8. ^ State Route 73 to Aliso Creek Road (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  9. ^ Aliso Creek Road to Interstate 5 (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  10. ^ Aerial image of the Laguna Hills Mall (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  11. ^ Aerial image of the Laguna Hills Golf Field (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  12. ^ Interstate 5 to Muirlands Boulevard (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  13. ^ a b c "The Arbor on El Toro Road..." TheArbor.info. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  14. ^ Trabuco Road to State Route 241 (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  15. ^ Aerial image of El Toro Road at Glenn Ranch Road (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  16. ^ State Route 241 to County Route S19 (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  17. ^ Map of Santiago Canyon Road (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  18. ^ CR S18 at Silverado Canyon Road (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  19. ^ CR S18 at SR 241 and SR 261 (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  20. ^ "Attractions, Entertainment, and Points of Interests". www.onlineguide.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved 2008-05-18. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
  21. ^ "Orange County California Bike Trails – Santiago Truck Trail". www.search-ochomes.com. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  22. ^ "Santiago Time Trial" (PDF). UC Irvine cycling. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
  23. ^ Villa Park Road and Katella Avenue (Map). Google Maps. Retrieved 2008-05-16.
  24. ^ Rombouts, Christine (2008-01-01). "Clearing the Road". Public Works Online. Retrieved 2007-05-30.
  25. ^ Ritchie, Erika I (2006-07-16). "El Toro Road ready to roll". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2008-05-15.
  26. ^ Freeman, Rita (2005-06-24). "El Toro Road revamp" (PDF). Saddleback Valley news. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  27. ^ Freeman, Rita (2006-12-08). "A gateway into El Toro". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2005-05-18.
  28. ^ "SILVERADO-MODJESKA CANYONS INTRODUCTION AND HISTORY". Retrieved 2008-05-31. [dead link]
  29. ^ "Drive to Oakley – via Santiago canyon road." Flickr. Retrieved 2008-05-30.
  30. ^ "Santiago Incident". Orange County Fire Authority. 2007-10-27. Retrieved 2007-05-17.
  31. ^ Anton, Mike and Barboza, Tony (2007-10-26). "In Silverado Canyon, a new cliffhanger". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-06-25.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  32. ^ Wilson, Janet (2007-11-02). "Modjeska Canyon is on the mend". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2008-06-25.
  33. ^ Sudock, Joshua (2008-03-06). "Canyons are alive with color, activity". Orange County Register. Retrieved 2008-05-17.
  34. ^ Yahoo Maps street maps. Accessed December 2007 via ACME Mapper
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