California State Route 72 - Route Description

Route Description

Route 72 begins at the corner of Whittier Boulevard and SR-39 (Beach Boulevard) in La Habra. The route follows Whittier Boulevard for its entire length, heading northwest through Whittier as a multi-lane arterial street, ending at I-605. Whittier Boulevard is a major commercial corridor in Whittier, though it does not go through the city center.

The route formerly continued west under a railroad bridge near Pio Pico State Historic Park and then over the San Gabriel River as it entered Pico Rivera and met State Route 19 at Rosemead Boulevard. After a mile, the route crossed a narrow steel bridge over the Rio Hondo into Montebello. There, it continued towards Atlantic Boulevard. From there, it continued further to its end at Downey Road. Whittier Boulevard itself continues past Downey Road towards downtown Los Angeles.

Despite the fact that routes in California are defined from west to east and from south to north, Route 72 is actually defined in the opposite direction, from east to west. This reflects the fact that Route 72, having been derived from the longitudinal U.S. Route 101, was actually a south–north highway, pivoting at Whittier and Harbor Boulevards and continuing west before ending at a point northwest of its beginning.

Bus service is provided by Metro Local line 18, Metro Rapid Line 720, and Montebello Transit Line 10. Metro Lines 18 and 720 run on Whittier Boulevard between Downtown and East Los Angeles, and Montebello Line 10 runs east of East Los Angeles.