I am cleared to deliver this anecdote from the deep wells of history. It is 100% anecdotal, so it will not withstand modern scrutiny. It is what it is, a story about a simpler time.

I have a family member whose father back in the 1960s was a chief engineer on the project to build I-5. Yep, you can blame him for this entire mess. But wait it gets better. According to family lore, as the I-5 project was being run, funding on it was being cut. This angered the engineer enough that they cut the fat out of the project - no cloverleafs, just minimal on-off ramps. No thought given to lane traffic patterns, just cut a lane in whereever you need it.

This story is of course 60 years ago now, it's being relayed to me by people who heard it from their father, who themselves now are in their 60s. But the story is believed as gospel truth in my inlaws family.

A pissed off DOT engineer caused I-5 to suck to get even with the State who was cutting his budget, and he was nearing retirement.

Believe if you want.