Newhall Pass Interchange, Clarence Wayne Dean Memorial Interchange

USA / California / Santa Clarita /
 invisible, highway interchange / exit
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In the 1994 Northridge earthquake, sections of the I-5/SR 14 interchange here collapsed, forcing residents to seek out distant alternate routes for months. Officer Clarence Wayne Dean, unaware that the interchange had collapsed shortly after the earthquake, was killed attempting to use one of the interchange's collapsed overpasses on his motorcycle. The interchange was renamed after him upon its (much lower-to-earth, more stocky look) reopening. This interchange also suffered damage in the 1971 Sylmar quake.
This was the first Los Angeles area interchange to be named. Most that are named, are for peace officers that have died in the line of duty.
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Coordinates:   34°20'5"N   118°30'30"W

Comments

  • If by 'also suffered damage' you mean the same sections crashed to the ground then yes, it also suffered damage. The 71 quake also happened in the morning, before rush hour traffic. (It was about an hour or two of rush hour twice a day back then, not the round the clock congestion common now.) Because of the early hour, the freeway was almost deserted - almost. One unfortunate soul in a pickup truck was going just fast enough (or failed to stop fast enough) to be crushed under the overpass. The concrete ramp missed the truck bed, but from there forward the rest of the truck was only a half an inch high! Even the big V-8 motor was pressed flat as a pancake! Took quite a while before they could get all that mass of concrete off of the wreck.
  • Whoever wrote this article should check their facts before writing something that is absolutely insulting and COMPLETELY incorrect!! "This was the first Los Angeles Interchanged to be named. Most that are named, are for peace officers that have died in the line of duty." First, if an officer is in uniform, riding his LAPD issued motorcycle, and on his way to work, at the Valley Division Police Department, and falls to his death, that is an officer who dies IN THE LINE OF DUTY!!! Actually, the early morning quake woke him up! He decided to leave EARLY for work, figuring many individuals would likely need assistance! For this reason, he left home before complete daylight and clearly he did not see the overpass down!! Shame on you for writing something incorrect!! It is insulting to those of us who lost a beloved father and family member to see such ignorance written! If individuals read what you wrote and are not informed of the actual facts, the Clarence Wayne Dean Memorial Interchange may not be given the same respect and gratitude as a freeway named after an officer killed in the line of duty! For anyone unaware, the Clarence Wayne Dean Memorial Interchange was in fact named after an officer killed in the line of duty! Obviously, the aurthor did not come to Officer Deans' funeral and show respect for an officer that spent 26-years of his 46-years on this earth servicing the citizens of Los Angeles! Clearly, it was not you who didn't have a father on many special occasions or woke on Christmas morning and waited all day for their father to come home from work to open packages!! The next time you feel the urge to write about something where someone has given their life to help others, you should think twice and be absolutely sure you have your facts correct! My advise to you: measure twice (or more) and cut once!!
  • He went past barricades and people telling him the bridge was out. He died needlessly and could have been more helpful had he heeded the warnings given to him.
This article was last modified 12 years ago