Exclusive LA28 Olympic roadway network coming to Southern California

The California Department of Transportation is crafting a permit-only network of freeway lanes and streets for athletes, coaches and officials during the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028. 

While Caltrans is still ironing out the details, the "Games Route Network" will allow official LA28 vehicles to use freeway carpool lanes and some local streets exclusively. 

"That was part of the bid package," said Juan Matute, a researcher for UCLA Transportation. "In order to get the Olympic Games, Los Angeles and other cities have to offer an exclusive network."

The network will consist of 369 miles of roadways, 236 on freeways and 134 on local streets, all of which lead from the Olympic Village to the competition sites scattered around LA County, according to a map published by the Southern California Association of Governments.

It includes major roads including Sunset Boulevard near UCLA, where the Olympic athletes will be staying for multiple weeks during the games. MoveLA community advocate Eli Lipman said the network would help create consistency for athletes on a strict Olympic schedule. 

"If they're late, or if they're not getting the nutrients that they need to perform at the highest level, that's the difference between winning gold and maybe not even qualifying," he said. 

Experts said the permit-only roadways are meant to keep Olympic traffic away from regular cars and could work, especially if most fans take Metro buses and shuttles, which will also get their own dedicated lanes. 

"Having a network that kind of operates like the Games Route Network is going to be, I think, the antidote for the gridlock," Matute said. 

Blue "LA28" labels on freeway and street signs will designate the permit-only lanes and exits to Olympic venues. Experts are hopeful that the plan may not be needed at all after seeing a dip in traffic during the 2026 World Cup. 

"The transit worked. Everything worked," said Joshua Schank, a transportation expert with InfraStrategies. "I think that gave a boost to the idea that maybe transit could play a bigger role in the future of Los Angeles."

Drivers without a permit caught in the exclusive lanes could face fines of nearly $300.