L.A. to Seattle drive (San Francisco: live, cost, dangerous)

[nja2016]

Has anyone else driven from L.A. to Seattle? I drove to Seattle and back a few months ago, taking the 5 the whole way. It would have been just fine if it wasn't for all of the enormous semis (especially in CA) suddenly drifting in my lane to overtake another huge truck (scary especially near that super long grade near the CA-OR border). There was no way to get away from them for over 1100 miles-- once I passed a bunch, there was always another group to deal with a couple of minutes later.

I may have to do this drive again soon and I'm thinking about taking the 101 through CA and until just north of Roseburg, then taking the 5 through the northern half of OR and also WA. Has anyone taken the 101 before all the way through CA? Is it a much longer drive, are there a lot of enormous trucks, and is is super curvy (my dog gets carsick sometimes)?

[BayAreaHillbilly]

There are still semis on the 101 albeit few than the 5. Also, like, the 5, there are long stretches within CA where it is only a 4 lane, so the trucks passing trucks still happens a bit. There are also stretches between Hopland and Seattle where it is a mere two lane road. Even where it is 4 lanes, there are substantial stretches that are not at interstate highway standards and even a few that have cross roads (e.g. no overpass). Generally speaking it's a more hazardous road in terms of design, but with a lower number of semis. Through the Bay Area, it is an extremely high volume freeway, on par with ones in LA. By Bay Area I mean the entire 9 - 10 county area. If you hit the Bay Area during a commute, it may take you 3 - 4 hours to get across it.

[ryanms3030]

There are huge semis all over my daily commute on the 5. get over it

[nja2016]

Originally Posted by BayAreaHillbilly

There are still semis on the 101 albeit few than the 5. Also, like, the 5, there are long stretches within CA where it is only a 4 lane, so the trucks passing trucks still happens a bit. There are also stretches between Hopland and Seattle where it is a mere two lane road. Even where it is 4 lanes, there are substantial stretches that are not at interstate highway standards and even a few that have cross roads (e.g. no overpass). Generally speaking it's a more hazardous road in terms of design, but with a lower number of semis. Through the Bay Area, it is an extremely high volume freeway, on par with ones in LA. By Bay Area I mean the entire 9 - 10 county area. If you hit the Bay Area during a commute, it may take you 3 - 4 hours to get across it.

Thanks for the info. I'm surprised there's a good amount of truck drivers are on the 101 too because it's not as flat as the 5 (excluding the part from Mt Shasta to Roseburg). Even if I hit Bay Area traffic, that would be preferable to constantly dodging semis and speeding to get away from them and their dangerous drivers. There's only 2 lanes in each direction for most of the drive and semis drift into the fast lane (where everyone's going 75mph) of a sudden and drive 55mph to pass the other semi that's driving 53mph. The 5 is better for the most part through WA (more lanes) and the northern half of OR so I might cut over from the 101 sometime after Roseburg. Or else leave my car here and ship it there if I really need it...still have to get my dog there too though.

[Winston Smith]

You just have to expect trucks on Interstate and US Highways. For one, consider that everything we own was delivered on a truck (to repeat a common cliché). Second, there are many routes trucks cannot take due to weight restrictions, low-overhead restrictions, etc. Trucks, particularly long-haul transport trucks, are big, heavy and cumbersome. My best advice to you on your long drives is: 1) expect trucks; 2) give them space and time to do their thing (the meme "share the road" can save your life here); 3) be a patient car driver around trucks, specially in mountainous areas. Trucks are not there to make your life hard; they're there to do a job and provide a service.

Remember that we don't always know what the truck is carrying. The most benign looking tractor trailer can be carrying caustic, flammable and hazardous materials. Think of common, every-day items at your local department store -- car batteries, charcoal, bleach -- all loaded together in one trailer. We don't want those things exposed and mixed up in the chaos of a jack-knife or accident. So, that's my lecture.

Regarding I-5 vs. 101 north of San Francisco: The 101 is in many ways a more civilized drive, but it takes much longer than I-5.

[MJD503]

Here's hoping our next president takes advantage of low interest rates to start fixing up our infrastructure. A long drive anywhere on US highways confirms this is a problem everywhere. Better commercial rail from the Port of LA would help with this issue. Also, I-5 needs major investment improvements in the Portland-Vancouver area with a delapidated bridge serving a vital lifeline over the river expected to cost $500/billion!!! Not to mention where it goes to two freaking lanes around the arena in inner Portland.

This could also be worsened by the PDX port issues with several companies pulling out of the port due to union strikes and such.