The entirety of I-605 is defined in the state highway system as Route 605. It is defined as such in the California Streets and Highways Code's section 619:1
Route 605 is from: (a) Route 1 near Seal Beach to Route 405. (b) Route 405 to Route 210 near Duarte. Route 605 shall be known and designated as the “San Gabriel River Freeway.”
Route 605 is from: (a) Route 1 near Seal Beach to Route 405. (b) Route 405 to Route 210 near Duarte.
Route 605 shall be known and designated as the “San Gabriel River Freeway.”
The interchange with I-405 and SR 22 was built to accommodate an unconstructed future extension south to SR 1 as outlined in subdivision (a). The distance is traversable via nearby Seal Beach Boulevard, but Caltrans has no intention to adopt the road as part of Route 605.
The southern terminus of I-605 is at the San Diego (I-405) and Garden Grove (SR 22) Freeways in Seal Beach. From there, it runs roughly north through the Gateway Cities of the Los Angeles Basin. It then shifts north-northeast, crossing the Whittier Narrows and across the San Gabriel Valley. I-605 then ends at its junction with the Foothill Freeway, (I-210) just south of the Irwindale–Duarte border. Ramps from I-605 then extend north to Huntington Drive in Duarte.
I-605 follows most of the length of the San Gabriel River from the San Diego Freeway in Seal Beach to the Santa Fe Dam. Typically dry riverbed and flood basins are visible from many portions of the route, especially near the northern terminus.
In the mid-2000s, a HOV lane was added for motorists with two or more people to use between I-405 and I-10. The HOV lane ends at I-10 and there are no plans to extend it to I-210 at this time. With the addition of the HOV lane, the left shoulder was eliminated to avoid massive costs to widen the freeway. The highway also suffers from traffic jams regularly, especially the junction with I-5 (the Santa Ana Freeway). Newer signs with exit numbers replaced the older signs between the Orange County line and I-10 in 2016, with the completion of the I-605 and I-10 junction improvement. I-605 is one of the only Southern California freeways without destinations (control cities) such as "Seal Beach" or "Irwindale" since its opening. Rather, cardinal directions ("NORTH" or "SOUTH"), and a simple "THRU TRAFFIC" designation in place of control cities, are used on signs along I-605 itself.
I-605 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,2 and is part of the National Highway System,3 a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.4 I-605 from I-405 to I-10 is known as the San Gabriel River Freeway, as named by Senate Bill 99, Chapter 1101 in 1967.5
In 1957, the number for this route was proposed as I-13, as it is positioned approximately midway between I-5 and I-15 (although it intersects the former). That number was rejected, as was the second proposed number, I-102. Finally, the designation I-605 was accepted in 1958.6[unreliable source?]
I-605 began construction in 1963 and the first section was opened in 1964 from I-405 to SR 60. The newest section (extension to I-210) was opened in 1971 was originally signed as SR 243. There are plans to extend it to SR 1 further south in Orange County as SR 605, but strong community opposition means that it is unlikely that the alignment will ever be built.7
In 2020, there was a proposal to widen I-605, which would have added four new lanes to 12 mi (19 km) of I-605 between Norwalk and El Monte, California. This proposal was rejected due to strong community opposition, in particular due to the fact that it would have led to the destruction of houses in Downey, California.8
California Code, SHC 619. https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=SHC§ionNum=619. ↩
"Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019. http://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displayText.xhtml?lawCode=SHC&division=1.&title=&part=&chapter=2.&article=2. ↩
Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: Los Angeles–Long Beach–Anaheim, CA (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 29, 2017. https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/nhs_maps/california/los_angeles-long_beach-anaheim_ca.pdf ↩
Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012. http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/planning/national_highway_system/ ↩
California Department of Transportation; California State Transportation Agency (January 2021). 2020 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California (PDF). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. p. 96. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20221010125421/https://dot.ca.gov/-/media/dot-media/programs/research-innovation-system-information/documents/place-names/web-2020-named-freeways-final-a11y.pdf ↩
Faigin, Daniel. "Interstate 605". California Highways. Retrieved September 23, 2016. http://www.cahighways.org/466-740.html#605 ↩
"Metro Board Unanimously Approves Motion to Delay 605/5 Freeway Widening and Instead Study Alternatives". Streetsblog Los Angeles. October 22, 2020. Retrieved December 8, 2020. https://la.streetsblog.org/2020/10/22/metro-board-unanimously-approves-motion-to-delay-605-5-freeway-widening-and-instead-study-alternatives/ ↩
Warring, KS (April 18, 2008). "Interstate 605 Freeway Interchanges" (PDF). California Numbered Exit Uniform System. California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 1, 2014. http://www.dot.ca.gov/trafficops/exit/docs/605.pdf ↩
"California Log of Bridges on State Highways: District 12" (PDF). Caltrans. California Department of Transportation. October 2006. Archived from the original (PDF) on February 20, 2007. Retrieved September 19, 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20070220074533/http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/structur/strmaint/brlog/logpdf/logd12.pdf ↩