Sep. 12, 1929: Groundbreaking ceremonies for the construction of Sepulveda Boulevard. The four-lane precursor to the 405 opened in 1935 and was hailed in the Los Angeles Times as a "new and wondrous highway" over the mountains, vastly superior to the overcrowded Cahuenga Pass and Laurel Canyon.
PHOTOGRAPH BY: Los Angeles Public Library Photo
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Feb. 29, 1960: The northern portion of the construction zone of the 405 Freeway through the Santa Monica Mountains. Published reports at the time highlighted the size of the project: 18 million cubic yards of earth were removed.
PHOTOGRAPH BY: California Division of Highways
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April 2, 1961: An aerial view of the San Diego Freeway construction project at the Mulholland Drive bridge. Dirt from beneath bridge was hauled to the San Fernando Valley for freeway fill.
PHOTOGRAPH BY: Bob Lindbeck / Los Angeles Times
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Sept. 21, 1962: The San Diego Freeway through the Santa Monica Mountains is nearly complete. Cars traverse Sepulveda Boulevard next to the freeway in the foreground.
PHOTOGRAPH BY: Gil Cooper / Los Angeles Times
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Dec. 14, 1962: The "Mulholland cut" section of the San Diego Freeway through the Santa Monica Mountains replaces the winding Sepulveda Boulevard.
PHOTOGRAPH BY: Associated Press
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Dec. 27, 1962: Six days after the Sepulveda Pass portion of the 405 Freeway opened, there's hardly a car in sight from the Sunset Boulevard bridge into the San Fernando Valley.
PHOTOGRAPH BY: Pacific Air Industries
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June 21, 1976: Diamond lanes, or carpool lanes, on the 405 Freeway become a source of controversy in the 1970s.
PHOTOGRAPH BY: George R. Fry / Los Angeles Times
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Jan. 31, 1977: After a controversy, the diamond lane on the northbound 405 opened to all traffic. An L.A. city car ferried officials on the route that day. The name on the sign refers to Adriana Gianturco, then the director of Caltrans.
PHOTOGRAPH BY: George R. Fry / Los Angeles Times
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