Everyone in L.A. has an intersection that haunts their dreams. I’m Terry Castleman, data reporter for The Times, and my nightmares generally take place at Glendale Boulevard and North Alvarado Street in Echo Park.
But how bad is it compared with other intersections? I set out to empirically answer the question: Which intersections in L.A. are truly the worst? I crunched the numbers, spoke to experts and visited some ghastly traffic jams in person.
The very worst intersection was Highland Avenue and Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. Like many others on our list, this junction sits near a freeway. Hollywood traffic is interwoven with 101 on- and off-ramp gridlock. The result? Chaos.
Sepulveda and Sunset boulevards in Westchester had the second-worst intersection on our list. The roadways have long been thought of as shortcuts to LAX, despite decades of evidence that proves otherwise.
(Jim Cooke / Los Angeles Times; source photo via Getty Images)
On the bright side, that intersection is considered one of the world’s best plane-watching spots. If you’re stuck at this crossing, look up.
Our rankings are primarily based on the number of cars passing through a given intersection and the number of accidents that occur there. James Moore, a USC traffic engineering expert, explained that a high volume of cars using an intersection probably means it’s been optimized for car movement — often to the detriment of buses, pedestrians and cyclists. And indeed, almost none of our 14 worst intersections have bus or bike lanes. Most are, at best, ambivalent about pedestrians.
There are many ways to rank intersections, and ours is just one approach. In fact, the Americana at Brand Memes Instagram account is currently running a March Madness-style bracket of the city’s worst junctures. We await its results with bated breath.
Many readers have already chimed in on suggested tweaks to our methodology; some wish to see pedestrian fatalities taken into account; others want a specific metric for gridlock instead of the sheer volume of cars moving through an intersection.
Ultimately, the best way to decide might be to sit at each intersection during rush hour and time how long it takes to get through. If there are any volunteers to ride shotgun with me and take this on, I’ll be more than happy to oblige.
For what it’s worth, Moore told me that Los Angeles is actually quite good at managing traffic flow. He asserted that the centralized system, which operates out of a bunker under the Civic Center downtown, may be the best of any large city. Intersections create bottlenecks, he argues, but the sheer volume of cars using L.A. roads speaks to the success of the city’s system.
Plus, many of these intersections contain “protected” right turn lanes, which Moore says improve flow and reduce conflict among drivers.
By the way, Glendale Boulevard and North Alvarado Street didn’t make the ranking of worst L.A. intersections, but it still holds a special place in my heart.
If you love stories that rank places, we’ve previously looked at the worst freeways in L.A. and the best places to retire in California, and we plan to keep the research coming! Please read and feel free to chime in with your opinions.
ASAP Rocky and Rihanna.
(Joel C. Ryan / Invision / AP)
- Authorities say a Florida woman opened fire on the home of pop star Rihanna on Sunday.
- Authorities allege that Ivanna Ortiz, firing from a Tesla, hit the front gate and a nearby RV at the music legend’s mansion.
- She was arrested Sunday on suspicion of attempted murder and was booked Monday, with her bail set at $10.2 million, according to the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department’s inmate information center.
- The high-stakes feud between Paramount Skydance President Jeff Shell and Las Vegas gambler and self-professed “fixer” Robert James “R.J.” Cipriani spilled into court on Monday.
- Cipriani filed a lawsuit against Shell on claims of fraud and eight other counts, alleging that he reneged on an oral agreement to develop an English-language version of a Spanish music show that streams on Roku TV.
- He is seeking $150 million in damages.
- In less than two weeks, the Trump administration has instigated a global conflict with no clear path to resolution.
- With U.S. and Israeli forces continuing offensive strikes on Iran, federal counterterrorism authorities are warning that Iran could launch retaliatory strikes on American soil using sleeper cells, affiliated Iranian terrorist groups, lone wolf sympathizers or targeted cyberattacks.
- L.A. police warn that lone wolves inspired by Iranian rhetoric pose a threat, given the region’s 700,000 Iranian Americans, the largest population outside Iran.
- For the first time in a decade, L.A. County homeless deaths declined, with a 10% drop in mortality rate driven by fewer overdoses.
- Still, 2,208 deaths occurred in 2024 — more than six per day — and the homeless mortality rate remains more than four times higher than the general population.
- Health officials warn that steep cuts to federal and state homeless services threaten to reverse the progress achieved over the last two years.
(Illustration by Diana Ramirez/Los Angeles Times)
- Dating show: L.A. Affairs, The Times’ popular dating and romance column, will bring our dating column to a Hollywood stage. Get your tickets now.
- Roller coasters: Universal Studios Hollywood has begun peeling back the curtain on its new “Fast & Furious”-inspired coaster coming to the park this summer.
- Restaurants: Altadena is still recovering, but signs of hope are apparent. Here are 13 restaurants to support as the neighborhood rebuilds.
- Concerts: Kanye West announces a concert at SoFi Stadium on April 3.
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Michael Phelps, left, and Seven Foster of Riverside take the chairlift up to Mt. Baldy Resort.
(Christina House / Los Angeles Times)
Today’s great photo is from Times photographer Christina House at Mt. Baldy, a California ski resort fighting to survive amid a warming world and fierce competition.
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