A bill filed by a state senator seeks to name a three-mile section of the 405 Freeway as Surf City Highway, a recognition of Huntington Beach’s nickname and its surfing culture.
State Sen. Janet Nguyen, whose district encompasses the city, filed the bill in June that asks to designate the 405 Freeway from Warner Avenue to Bolsa Avenue as Surf City Highway.
“I think it’s appropriate to give that recognition and name part of the 405 Freeway as Surf City USA,” Ngyuen said, “make it a permanent mark.”
The bill is a Senate concurrent resolution that needs to pass both the Senate and the Assembly. It does not require the governor’s signature. Once passed, the state transportation department would determine the cost to put up signs that would be paid for by non-state sources.
The 405 Freeway last year finished a nearly six-year-long construction, adding new lanes and rebuilding overpasses that cross the freeway. The new overpasses feature designs special to each city, with Huntington Beach showing ocean-related icons such as waves and seagulls.
Parts of the 405 Freeway that goes through Westminster and Fountain Valley would be a part of the designated area.
Huntington Beach adopted the Surf City nickname in 1991 to help market the city. It led to a widely publicized feud between it and Santa Cruz, with Huntington Beach eventually winning the trademark in a court battle.
The city hosts the US Open of Surfing and is home to the Huntington Beach International Surfing Museum, the Surfers’ Hall of Fame and the Surfing Walk of Fame.
