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A stairway to nowhere? Caltrans say it provides a purpose

April 10, 2026

Q: I frequently drive the north 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass to my home in the San Fernando Valley. As I pass the crest and go downhill heading toward the Ventura Boulevard off-ramp and the 101 Freeway interchange, there is a large, well-constructed stairway to the right on the east side. It goes up the dirt hillside, beginning almost from the freeway itself. It leads up to … nothing. Nada. I call it the “Stairway to Nowhere.” It just stops on the hillside. Why is it there? Why was it built? It’s one of life’s ongoing mysteries.

– Steve Miller, Encino

A: Honk reached out to Caltrans about the stairs, which have been out there for more than a half-dozen years. Maybe much more.

“They were constructed to provide access for Caltrans Division of Maintenance workers, including access to drainage,” said Marc Bischoff, a Caltrans spokesman.

They do seem like the kind of fancy stairs that you might find in front of a dandy building — why are they so wide?

Bischoff didn’t have an answer, so Honk rang up LA Metro, which apparently built the staircase for Caltrans — but that answer and other info seem lost to time.

Perhaps the wide stairway is to give workers and their equipment some elbow room.

You have probably wondered about the doors in sound walls you see along freeways, too, Steve.

Well, they are for maintenance crews as well.

They make it easier for workers to access drainage channels, the large poles that hold signs that lean out over the lanes, the cabinets holding hardware for utilities such as electricity, and to do landscaping and inspect the backs of the sound walls.

Q: Dear Honk: I have a personalized plate first issued in 1993. It is looking faded and pretty sad after 30-plus years. Can I get a reissued plate, perhaps in one of the now-available special formats, such as the yellow-on-black ones?

– Mark F. Sullivan, Westlake Village

A: Yes.

“Customers may keep their personalized configuration and change to a different type of specialty license plate,” Katarina Snow, a Department of Motor Vehicles spokesperson, told Honk.

You would fill out the Special Interest License Plate Application, Mark, also called a REG 17. Google the name and the form will pop up.

Check the “exchange” box, Snow said.

The fee for the new plate will vary, depending on your selection.

There are many to choose from, including the Whale Tail, that California 1960s Legacy one you mention, and the Snoopy version.

HONKIN’ FACT: In the year ending on Nov. 30, 2025, vehicles without a driver logged 4,192,984 test miles on public roads in California, according to the Department of Motor Vehicles.

To ask Honk questions, reach him at honk@ocregister.com. He only answers those that are published. To see Honk online: ocregister.com/tag/honk. Twitter: @OCRegisterHonk

Orange County Register

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A stairway to nowhere? Caltrans say it provides a purpose

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