Ever Wondered About the Occasional “Kinks” in Orange County Roadways?
The Orange County Register recently answered a question that might be of interest to Orange County motorists and riders: What is up with the weird swerve in some of the roadways that intersect with Garden Grove Boulevard in Garden Grove? In an area where roadways generally are composed of neat lines and rectangles, some streets (such as Brookhurst Street, Harbor Boulevard, Beach Boulevard, Magnolia Street, and Euclid Street) feature a strange westward kink just before intersecting with Garden Grove Boulevard—and it has confused at least a few residents.
So, what is the source of this weird roadway anomaly? According to the city’s senior civil engineer Mark Uphus, it all has to do with the simple fact that the world is round, but our maps are not. Uphus explains that although our streets appear straight and orderly, these seemingly straight roadways have to include a few folds and kinks to fit the curvature of the Earth. If it weren’t for a few small kinks in the road, the neat road grid you are used to would be impossible to achieve. As to why these westward jogs in the road seem to appear at the intersections with Garden Grove Boulevard, Uphus wasn’t entirely sure, but he said that most likely it’s just because some former transportation planners chose that area as a good place to make the needed corrections.
These kinds of corrections are necessary and common, and Uphus says there is a similar jog in the roadway just north of Chapman Avenue on Main Street in Orange. The Orange County motorcycle accident lawyers with Russell & Lazarus would like to remind both riders and drivers that intersections are one of the most common places for serious motorcycle wrecks. Intersections can be especially dangerous if there is an unusual variation in the roadway or lanes approaching the intersection, as in these cases. If you have been injured in a motorcycle accident in OC and need help, please reach out to us today at (949) 851-0222 to learn more about protecting your rights.
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