LA/Pasadena road/freeway with a sharp embankment?

old pasadena freeway from the 110 going north toward pasadena

I know the Pasadena streets and freeways very well, and those leading to Pasadena, like from downtown LA (high density low income neighborhoods), and I can't think of anything that fits. While there are some scary Pasadena Freeway off ramps where a car could flip, because you basically have to break to 5 miles per hour (posted speed) to get off on the almost 360' off ramp (the freeway was built to be driven on at much slower speeds, so some of the off ramps are meant for much slower speeds), I can't think of any place where you'd fall into an embankment and not be noticed. There are walls or fencing, or both, on the sides of some of the freeways that have embankments, or bridges above the arroyo, so it would be very obvious if a car went over the side.

The Pasadena Freeway (from downtown LA) is often level with the surrounding area, and there are houses right there along much of it, or parks. Where it is raised or there is a storm drain along the side of it, there is fencing or walls, or both, and you can see into the drain easily from the freeway and surrounding area. In some places the surrounding area is higher than the freeway. There just aren't areas from LA to Pasadena where there aren't homes or buildings or something along the freeway, houses have been there since early 1900 or before, before the freeways. Newer freeways that are raised have walls. Even driving in the hills of Pasadena, it would be tough for a car going off the side not to be seen, lots of homes.

As Obvman stated, Angeles Crest Highway has lots of places where a car (or body) could disappear. Mostly one would go over the side heading north, rather than south to Pasadena, so that wouldn't fit unless the driver crossed the middle. I think Angeles Crest is still closed due to the Station Fire / slides.

Even driving from hilly Altadena and Highland Park (both have some high density lower middle income neighborhoods), there really aren't any areas where a car might go unnoticed even for a short time. Houses everywhere.

If you don't know an area, you really shouldn't write about it, writing is all about the nuances, the details and feeling, bringing the reader to the location. That is why many books are written with made up towns, because a writer does have to pay attention to the reality of a location, which might not work with the plot, etc.

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By knowing an area, I do mean a specific area. I grew up in LA, but wouldn't write about nearby Torrance because all I know about Torrance is the mall, even though I've been there many times. If I had to include anything about Torrance in a book or script, I'd do a lot of research, especially in person.

Sorry, not meant to offend, but to give you some good advice.

Good luck!

Once again, my advice to writers is to avoid writing what you haven't experienced.

However, there are many sections of Angeles Crest Highway like that. Highway 2 runs north from Pasadena, right at the 210, into the mountains.

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What you are writing about requires some sort of rural area, and there are none like that between "high density, urban areas" and Pasadena, a medium-dense, semi-urban area. Any crash off the Pasadena Freeway would IMMMEDIATELY be known, and a crowed of over 100 people would gather within minutes.