Skip to main content

Disneyland Drive

By


Disneyland Drive is an approximately 1.3-mile-long north/south road within the city of Anaheim, California.  Disneyland Drive serves as the western frontage road to the Disneyland theme park.  The signage of Disneyland Drive does not conform to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control devices.  This blog will explore the history of Disneyland Drive and off-color signage.   


Part 1; the history of Disneyland Drive

Prior to the creation of the Disneyland theme park what was to become Disneyland Drive was part of West Street in the city of Anaheim.  West Street can be seen extending north of Katella Avenue to Ball Road on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Orange County.  

The original concept of Disneyland first appeared in draft documents sent by Walt Disney to production designer Dick Kelsey during August 1948.  Conceptually known as "Mickey Mouse Park" the original site desired by Walk Disney was near the Walk Disney Studios in Burbank.   The park envisioned by Walt Disney soon became too large to construct near Burbank which led to Walt Disney Studios purchasing 160-acres of land in Anaheim.  Construction of Disneyland would begin on July 16, 1954 and would open to public on July 18, 1955.  

The location of Disneyland was further driven by the connectivity it would have to the Santa Ana Freeway (then US Route 101).  The September 1955 California Highways & Public Works refenced the eventual site of Disneyland in Anaheim was suggested by the Stanford Research Institute on August 28, 1953.  The recommendation of Anaheim was made due to the close proximity to the planned Santa Ana Freeway.  Harbor Boulevard was noted to the initial primary connecting road from the Santa Ana Freeway to Disneyland parking area.  













Disneyland can be seen on the 1965 United States Geological Survey Map of Anaheim primarily served by Harbor Boulevard directing traffic from the Santa Ana Freeway (now Interstate 5) to the main parking lot.  West Street can be seen serving as the western frontage of the Disneyland park in addition to the adjacent hotel facilities.  


Construction of the California Adventure annex of Disneyland would begin on January 22, 1998 and would open on February 8, 2001.  California Adventure was constructed over the original Disneyland parking lot.  The parking areas of Disneyland were moved to the west of the park and West Street was rebuilt as Disneyland Drive.  Exit 110B from southbound Interstate 5 was constructed to connect to Disneyland Drive.  Disneyland Drive can be seen on the 2012 United State Geological Survey Map of Anaheim.  




Part 2; a drive along Disneyland Drive

Southbound Disneyland Drive can be accessed from Interstate 5 Exit 110B.  







As southbound Disneyland Drive approaches Ball Road magenta signage directs traffic towards Mickey and Friends Parking Garage.  Downtown Disney and Convention Center traffic are directed to stay right on Disneyland Drive.  The magenta signage does not conform to the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  



As Disneyland Drive passes south of Ball Road traffic can access the Mickey and Friends Parking Garage again via a second overpass.  Through traffic on Disneyland Drive is directed to stay to the right.  





Southbound Disneyland Drive crosses over the entrance to the Mickey and Friends Parking Garage towards an intersection with Magic Way.  The Pixar and Pals Parking Garage and other Disneyland parking areas can be accessed from Magic Way.  




Disneyland Drive continues south of Magic Way where it eventually terminates at Katella Avenue.  



Part 3; road stuff at Disneyland

Given Disneyland features a Cars Radiator Springs area in California Adventure it has some US Route 66 related items to offer.  


Disney's attempt at a button-copy adorned US Route 66 shield.


Another US Route 66 shield can be found next to Flo's V8 Cafe along with a painted shield emulating that of the Californian Mojave Desert.





Lighting McQueen at "Not Jack Rabbit Trade Post."


Surprisingly "Not Hackberry General Store" had several Crossroad Signs US Route 66 replicas as decoration.  These are actually very high-quality reproduction shields which are sixteen-gauge steel embossed stamping with porcelain.  I purchased numerous of these shields before Crossroad Signs went out of business.  The other replica signage is a fairly decent representation of the actual Hackberry General Store.  



Definitely not Burma Shave signs.  


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

I-40 rockslide uncovers old debates on highway

By
The Asheville Citizen-Times continues to do a great job covering all the angles of the Interstate 40 Haywood County rock slide. An article in Sunday's edition provides a strong historical perspective on how the Pigeon River routing of Interstate 40 came about. And perhaps most strikingly, in an article that ran just prior to the highway's opening in the fall of 1968, how engineers from both Tennessee and North Carolina warned "...that slides would probably be a major problem along the route for many years." On February 12, 1969, not long after the Interstate opened, the first rock slide that would close I-40 occurred. Like many other Interstates within North Carolina, Interstate 40 through the mountains has a history prior to formation of the Interstate Highway System and was also a heated political battle between local communities. The discussion for a road that would eventually become Interstate 40 dates back to the 1940's as the idea for interregional high
2 comments
Read more

Interstate 210 the Foothill Freeway

By
The combined Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor of the Foothill Freeway is approximately 85.31-miles.  The Interstate 210/California State Route 210 corridor begins at Interstate 5 at the northern outskirts of Los Angeles and travels east to Interstate 10 in Redlands of San Bernardino County.  Interstate 210 is presently signed on the 44.9-mile segment of the Foothill Freeway between Interstate 5 and California State Route 57.  California State Route 210 makes up the remaining 40.41 miles of the Foothill Freeway east to Interstate 10.  Interstate 210 is still classified by the Federal Highway Administration as existing on what is now signed as California State Route 57 from San Dimas south to Interstate 10.  The focus of this blog will mostly be on the history of Interstate 210 segment of the Foothill Freeway.   Part 1; the history of Interstate 210 and California State Route 210 Interstate 210 (I-210) was approved as a chargeable Interstate during September of
Post a Comment
Read more

Former California State Route 41 past Bates Station

By
When California State Route 41 was commissioned during August 1934 it was aligned along the then existing Fresno-Yosemite Road north of the San Joaquin River.  Within the Sierra Nevada foothills of Madera County, the original highway alignment ran past Bates Station via what is now Madera County Road 209, part of eastern Road 406 and Road 207.   Bates Station was a stage station plotted during the early 1880s at what was the intersection of the Coarsegold Road and Stockton-Los Angeles Road.   The modern alignment bypassing Bates Station to the east would be reopened to traffic during late 1939.   Part 1; the history of California State Route 41 past Bates Station Bates Station was featured as one of the many 1875-1899 Madera County era towns in the May 21, 1968, Madera Tribune .  Post Office Service at Bates Station is noted to have been established on November 23, 1883 and ran continuously until October 31, 1903.  The postal name was sourced from Bates Station owner/operator George Ba
Post a Comment
Read more