I-405 Sepulveda Pass to I-10 Collector-Distributor Weave (Tier 3)

Complexity Index

71 / 100

Tier 3: High-Speed Merge & Technical Canyon

Corridor distance

9.6 mi

I-405 & US-101 Interchange to I-405 & I-10 Interchange

Peak vertical slope

4.5%

148 to 1,152 ft elevation

Cumulative climb

1,015 ft

Crux: I-405 Southbound to I-10 collector-distributor split

Why this corridor sits in Tier 3

Crossing the Santa Monica Mountains from the US-101 junction in Sherman Oaks to the I-10 interchange in West Los Angeles, I-405 combines a sustained 4.5% summit grade with abrupt shockwave braking. Sudden speed compression from 65 mph to stop-and-go queues makes rear-end chain collisions and lane-change sideswipes the dominant CCRS crash mechanisms.

Key roadway traits

4.5% Sepulveda Pass grade
Short auxiliary merge zones
Concentrated lane-change crash records

Crux sightline checkpoint: I-405 Southbound to I-10 collector-distributor split (34.0342, -118.4368, heading 160 deg). Open Google Street View panorama ↗

Four-factor geometric & crash decomposition

0 to 100 scale

Curve & turn deflection48 / 100

68 deg/mi freeway curvature through Skirball and Getty crest

Vertical slope & hill grade62 / 100

4.5% sustained summit climb and Westside descent

Speed envelope & merge pacing84 / 100

High-speed multi-branch freeway splits and HOV ingress weaves

Historical crash record concentration92 / 100

Heavy rear-end queue-compression record volume across pass

Corridor alignment & sightline inspection

Reference corridor geometry loads on OpenStreetMap + MapLibre by default. Load live buffered CHP CCRS collision counts or launch interactive Street View when needed.

Corridor pathFatal crashInjury crashPDO crash(Reference California corridor geometry; click any point for Street View)

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Inspect full statewide highway tables, city crash profiles, or generate a custom origin-to-destination brief along this corridor.

I-405 corridor profile →I-10 corridor profile →US-101 corridor profile →Los Angeles crash map →All 24 California courses →

Other Tier 3 California corridors

I-80 Eastshore Corridor to MacArthur Maze Approach

San Francisco Bay Area · 7.4 mi

Index 73 →

Mulholland Drive Crest Corridor

Santa Monica Mountains · 9.6 mi

Index 72 →

SR-17 Los Gatos to Patchen Pass Summit

Santa Cruz Mountains · 8.7 mi

Index 75 →

I-15 Cajon Pass Freight & Crosswind Climb

Inland Empire · 12.2 mi

Index 74 →

Methodology & interpretation limits

Complexity Index combines horizontal curvature, sustained elevation grade, speed-transition demand, and 12-month historical reported crash concentration per corridor mile. Counts describe observational public records unadjusted for daily traffic volume and do not represent driving safety advice. Missing-coordinate collision records in surrounding cities are reported separately in live buffered queries and are never plotted at synthetic coordinates.

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Cite or reuse this profile

This is independent analysis of public records. Keep the reporting window, source, and methodology attached when reusing a figure.

Evidence for Zero. "I-405 Sepulveda Pass to I-10 Collector-Distributor Weave (Tier 3: High-Speed Merge & Technical Canyon)." Updated November 11, 2026. https://crashes.meruai.co/courses/west-la-405-10-interchange-weave. Analysis of California Crash Reporting System public records.

Read the methodology