A predecessor to this road ran through Brea Canyon by the early 20th century and was added to the state highway system.

[3][4] The freeway heads north from the junction and soon crosses to the west side of the Santa Ana River, continuing north through suburban portions of Anaheim and passing next to Anaheim Regional Transportation Intermodal Center, Angel Stadium and Honda Center.

In the north half of that interchange, SR 57 enters the San Jose Hills, climbing to its highest elevation before descending back into the connected San Gabriel and Pomona Valleys and ending at the Glendora Curve interchange with the Foothill Freeway (I-210) in Glendora.

[13] The road through Brea Canyon was oiled dirt by the late 1910s, providing a good connection across an outbranching of the Peninsular Ranges between the Los Angeles Basin and Pomona Valley.

[14] Los Angeles County paved the road in concrete in early 1923,[15] and in 1931 it was added to the state highway system as a branch of Route 19.

[24] The state legislature altered the definition of Route 19 to reflect this in 1957 by moving its south end to Santa Ana.

[31] The first portion was dedicated on May 16, 1969, and opened soon after, extending north from the Riverside Freeway (SR 91) to Nutwood Avenue in Fullerton.

[34] Finally, the Orange Freeway was extended south from SR 91 to I-5 in the mid-1970s,[2] allowing Route 250 to be turned back to local governments, though the subsequent deletion from the Streets and Highways Code did not take place until 1981.

In 1986, Orange County's plans were for a toll road elevated above the Santa Ana River rather than through existing neighborhoods, only extending south to the San Diego Freeway (I-405) in Costa Mesa with connections to the Corona del Mar Freeway (SR 73); this was largely inspired by congestion on SR 55 through the Santa Ana area.

[39] The termination was due to ATD not beginning the construction during the first ten years of the franchise, after it had been enacted by the state legislature.

[40] In April 2009, the Orange County Transportation Authority continued to study the extension of SR 57, where the freeway would travel along the Santa Ana River and terminate at I-405 in Fountain Valley.