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California HighwaysRoutes 33 through 40 |
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Click here for a key to the symbols used. "LRN" refers to the Pre-1964 Legislative Route Number. "US" refers to a US Shield signed route. "I" refers to an Eisenhower Interstate signed route. "Route" usually indicates a state shield signed route, but said route may be signed as US or I. Previous Federal Aid (pre-1992) categories: Federal Aid Interstate (FAI); Federal Aid Primary (FAP); Federal Aid Urban (FAU); and Federal Aid Secondary (FAS). Current Functional Classifications (used for aid purposes): Principal Arterial (PA); Minor Arterial (MA); Collector (Col); Rural Minor Collector/Local Road (RMC/LR). Note that ISTEA repealed the previous Federal-Aid System, effective in 1992, and established the functional classification system for all public roads.
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The signage of this route as Route 33 between Maricopa and Tracy dates back to the initial state signage of routes in 1934.
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Overall statistics for Route 33:
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The routing that become LRN 33 was first defined in the 1916 Second Bond Issue as "an extension connecting the San Joaquin valley trunk line at or near Bakersfield with the coast trunk line in San Luis Obispo county, through Cholame pass, by the most direct and practical route;". In 1933, the routing was extended "[LRN 56] near Cambria to [LRN 2] near Paso Robles" (i.e., to the coast route). It was codified in the highway code in 1935 as:
This routing remained unchanged until the 1963 renumbering. It was signed as follows:
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From Route 1 between Point Mugu and the City of Oxnard to Route 118 near Somis. The commission may relinquish to the City of Oxnard the portion of Route 34 that is located within the city limits of that city and is between Oxnard Boulevard and Rice Avenue, upon terms and conditions the commission finds to be in the best interests of the state, if the commission and the city enter into an agreement providing for that relinquishment. (1) A relinquishment under this subdivision shall become effective immediately after the county recorder records the relinquishment resolution that contains the commission's approval of the terms and conditions of the relinquishment. (2) On and after the effective date of the relinquishment, that portion of Route 34 relinquished shall cease to be a state highway and may not be considered for future adoption under Section 81. (3) For portions of Route 34 relinquished under this subdivision, the City of Oxnard shall maintain within its jurisdiction signs directing motorists to the continuation of Route 34.
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In 1963, Route 34 was defined as the route "from Port Hueneme to Route 118 near Somis.". In 1965, the portion from Port Hueneme to Route 1 was deleted. In 2008, SB 1366, Chapter 717, September 30, 2008, authorized the relinquishment of the portion of the route within the city limits of Oxnard:
A 1965 planning map show this as freeway; never upgraded. For some reason, the 1979 planning map shows this as running S from 5th Street, although the current routing is along 5th St.
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This route was LRN 153, defined in 1933. Its signage before 1964 is unclear.
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There are plans to widen this route in the city of Camarillo (August 2002 CTC Agenda).
Moorpark officials reviewed the draft EIR, and believe that it fails to take into account a plan by Ventura County to realign Donlon Road so that it joins to make a four-way intersection where the two state highways meet. They also believe that it does not provide mitigation of an expected increase in truck traffic and related air quality, noise and safety impacts on Route 118 as a result of projects planned by Caltrans. In October 2012, it was reported that Caltrans has dropped plans to revamp the Somis interchange. Caltrans will include its decision in the project's environmental impact report that will be issued by the end of November 2012. The county now wants to realign Donlon to make a four-way intersection at Route 118 and Somis Road. According to the county, Caltrans can make "easy, quick and cheap fixes" in conjunction with the county project, such as lengthening a left-turn lane from westbound Route 118 to Somis Road. The SAFETEA-LU act, enacted in August 2005 as the reauthorization of TEA-21, provided the following expenditures on or near this route:
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Evidentally, Route 34 (while still just LRN 153) was planned to be the "Calleguas Freeway", according to a 1962 California F&E map for Ventura County.
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[SHC 253.1] Entire route (never upgraded). This was added to the Freeway and Expressway system in 1959.
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Overall statistics for Route 34:
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The route that was to become LRN 34 was first defined in the 1909 First Bond Issue as running from [LRN 4] near Arno to Jackson. In 1911, the definition of the Alpine State Highway extended LRN 34 with the segments from Route 99 to Route 88 SE of Ione and from Route 104 to Route 89:
This led to its 1935 definition as:
This was primary state highway from Arno to Jackson. This definition remained intact until the 1963 renumbering. It was signed as Route 104 between cosigned US 50/US 99 (present-day Route 99) to 2 mi SE of Ione, and as Route 88 (originally Route 8) between 2 mi SE of Ione and Route 89 (LRN 23) near Pickett's. |
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Overall statistics for Route 35:
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[SHC 263.1] Entire route.
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The route that would become LRN 35 was initially defined in 1907 by Chapter 117, by an act that authorized "...locating, surveying, and constructing a state highway connecting the present county road systems of any one or all of the counties of Trinity, Tehama, and Shasta with the road system of Humboldt County..." This provided the segment of the route between Peanut and Kuntz. In 1933, it was extended on both ends: "[LRN 1] near Alton to [LRN 35] near Kuntz" and "[LRN 35] near Peanut to [LRN 20] near Douglas City". Thus, by 1935, it was codified into the highway code as:
In 1957, a paragraph was added that gave priority to the funding of improving this route for any funding received. This language was adjusted further in 1959. This routing was signed as Route 36 between Alton (US 101; LRN 1) and 4 mi SW of Peanut, where it met signed Route 3. At that point, it continued along the present-day Route 3 to Douglas City, where it terminated at US 299 (LRN 20). |
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Route 101 near Alton to Route 395 near Johnsonville passing near Forest Glen via Red Bluff and Mineral, via the vicinity of Morgan Summit, and via Susanville.
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In 1963, Route 36 was defined as "(a) Route 101 near Alton to Route 5 near Red Bluff passing near Kuntz and Peanut. (b) Route 5 at Red Bluff to Route 395 via Mineral, via the vicinity of Morgan, and via Susanville. (c) Route 139 north of Susanville to Route 395 near Ravendale." Later that year, Chapter 1698 changed Kuntz to Mad River and Ravendale to Termo. In 1968, Chapter 282 changed the wording again, this time adjusting "Mad River" to "Forest Glen". Then, in 1984, Chapter 409 changed "Morgan" to "Morgan Summit". In 1988, the first two segments were combined into a new segment (a): "Route 101 near Alton to Route 395 near Johnsonville passing near Forest Glen and Peanut via Red Bluff and Mineral, via the vicinity of Morgan Summit, and via Susanville." In 1990, the reference to "Peanut" was deleted. Lastly, in 1998, the remaining segment (b) "from Route 139 north of Susanville to Route 395 near Termo" was deleted by AB 2132, Chapter 877, signed September 26, 1998. That segment was LRN 20 to US 395 (LRN 73), and was defined in 1959. That section was never constructed. The route between Route 36 near Deer Creek Pass and Route 36 near Morgan Summit is cosigned as Route 36/Route 89, although it is legislatively Route 36.
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The route had the following legislative routes:
The route was signed as part of the initial signage of routes in 1934.
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In February 2006, the CTC considered relinquishment of right of way in the County of Tehama, at Kinney Avenue, consisting of reconstructed and relocated county roads. In September 2006, the CTC considered relinquishment of right of way at PM 25.1 in the City of Susanville, at Foss Street, consisting of a road connection. In August 2008, the CTC vacated right of way along Route 36 in the county of Tehama, between 0.1 and 0.3 miles northwest of the intersection with Route 32, consisting of highway right of way no longer needed for State highway purposes. In December 2008, the CTC vacated right of way in the county of Tehama along Route 36 east of Cannon Road near Red Bluff, and west of Kinney Avenue near Red Bluff, consisting of highway right of way no longer needed for State highway purposes. In September 2009, the CTC relinquished right of way in the county of Humboldt along Route 36 near Bridgeville at Kneeland Road, consisting of superseded highway right of way. In August 2011, the CTC approved $9.5 million in SHOPP funding for repairs near Carlotta, from 1.7 miles east of Route 36/US 101 Junction to Van Duzen River Bridge; also near Bridgeville, from Van Duzen River Bridge to 1.7 miles east of Little Larabee Creek Bridge. This project will rehabilitate 37.2 lane miles of roadway to improve the ride quality, prevent further deterioration of the traveling surface, minimize costly roadway repairs and extend the pavement service life. They also approved $1,365,000 for a project that will repair slipouts and slope failures at four locations damaged by heavy rainfall on Route 36 near Bridgeville. The project limits are from 0.7 mile west of Bridgeville Post Office to 0.3 mile east of Little Larabe Creek Bridge. In January 2013, the CTC approved SHOPP funding for reports on the Mill Creek Bridge in Tehama County near Mineral. Work there will replace rock slope protection at the abutment and pier to prevent further scouring and maintain structural integrity.
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A small portion of this segment in Red Bluff is designated as part of "Historic US Highway 99" by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 19, Chapter 73, in 1993.
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The bridge over the Van Duzen River in Humboldt county is named the "Bernard A. Hemenway Bridge". It was constructed in 1984, and was named by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 102, Chapter 53, in 1986. Bernard A. "Bernie" Hemenway (b. 1907) was a 40 year Caltrans employee and founder of the original CSEA Crabfeed. Bridge 04-089 over Yager Creek in Humboldt county is named the "Robert F. Fisher Memorial Bridge". It was built in 1968, and named by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 151, Chapter 282, in 1969. Robert F. Fisher, elected to the California Assembly by the people of Humboldt County in 1926, 1928 and 1930, was the last remaining Spanish-American War veteran in Humboldt County. Bridge 04-093 over the Van Duzen River in Humboldt county is named the "Dwight O'Dell Bridge". It was built in 1965, and was named by Senate Concurrent Resolution 16, Chapter 49, in 1981. Dwight ODell was the publisher and editor of the Humboldt Beacon & Fortuna Advance. He was instrumental in the formation of the Highway 36 Association in 1951. Bridge 04-129, over the Van Duzen River in Humboldt county, is named the "William J. C. Dinsmore Bridge". It was built in 1981, and was named by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 10, Chapter 49, in 1987. William J.C. "Will" Dinsmore, (1933-1994), a lifetime resident and rancher in Sonoma county, worked as a foreman on the construction of Route 36 from Dinsmore to Forest Glen. Bridge 04-294, over the Van Duzen River in Humboldt county, is named the "Silvio 'Botchie' Santi Memorial Bridge". It was built in 1985, and was named by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 103, Chapter 54 in 1986. Silvio "Botchie" Santi, who immigrated to the United States at the age of 19, started "Botchie's Crab Stand" in Field's Landing, Humboldt County, in 1928. Bridge 08-021, at the south fork of the Cottonwood Creek in Tehama county, is named the "John R. Trainer Memorial Bridge". It was built in 1969, and named by Senate Concurrent Resolution 80, Chapter 355, the same year. John R. Trainor served as the Mayor of the City of Red Bluff and Chairman of the Highway 36 Association until his death in 1968. This route also has the following Safety Roadside Rest Areas:
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[SHC 263.3] From Route 101 near Alton to Route 3 near Peanut; and from Route 89 near Morgan Summit to Route 89 near Deer Creek Pass.
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[SHC 253.3] Route 36 from Route 5 at Red Bluff to Route 395. Added to the Freeway and Expressway system in 1959. Note that this includes the portion that ran from Route 139 north of Susanville to Route 395 near Termo that was deleted by AB 2132, Chapter 877, signed September 26, 1998.
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Overall statistics for Route 36:
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This route was designated as a "Blue Star Memorial Highway" by Senate Concurrent Resolution 36, Ch. 104 in 1983.
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The routing that became LRN 36 was first defined in 1907 by Chapter 116, which authorized ""...location, survey, and construction of a state highway from a point known as the Mt. Pleasant Ranch on the road between Quincy and Marysville thence in a SE-ly direction by a place called Eureka to Downieville, Sierra Cty..." This is roughly a routing from Oroville to Downieville, which appears to go near Collins Lake. This was codified in the 1935 highway code as the following:
In 1963, this was changed to read "From [LRN 25] near Downieville to Eureka Mine Road near Saddleback Mountain", however this definition was repealed when Chapter 385 became operative that year. However, that definition was used for Route 194. |
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[SHC 253.1] Entire route. Added to the Freeway and Expressway system in 1959.
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Overall statistics for Route 37:
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[SHC 164.12] Between the east urban limits of San Francisco-Oakland near Novato and the west urban limits of San Francisco-Oakland near Vallejo.
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The route that was to become LRN 37 was originally defined in the 1909 statutes (not the bond act) via Chapter 224, which authorized the ...location, survey, and construction of a state highway from Emigrant Gap, Placer County in an E-ly direction through what is known as the Truckee Pass to the W end of Donner Lake in Nevada County... and it shall be the duty of the department to locate, survey, and construct said road along the line of the wagon road known as the Dutch Flat and Donner Lake wagon road..." Its route was changed in 1916 by Chapter 619 (later repealed) which was "for making a change in the location of the Emigrant Gap state road so as to eliminate the grade crossing of said road over the railroad track near Summit Station provided that the Southern Pacific company shall contribute not less than $3,500 for the same purpose." In 1915, Chapter 203 extended the route as part of "...the wagon road extending along the W side of Lake Tahoe, from McKinney's in El Dorado Cty to Tahoe City, thence along the Truckee River to Truckee, and thence in a W-ly direction to Donner Lake in Nevada Cty, connecting with the present state highway from Emigrant Gap" It was also extended by Chapter 678 that same year (1915), which called for "...the county road extending from Auburn in an E-ly direction and connecting with the Emigrant Gap state road at a point near Emigrant Gap." It was extended from Emigrant Gap to Verdi in the 1919 Third Bond Act. By 1935, it had been codified into the highway code as:
This was primary state highway from Auburn to Truckee. In 1957, Chapter 1911, relaxed the definition to be "Auburn to [LRN 38] via Emigrant Gap." Chapter 1698 would have changed this to "[LRN 17] near Auburn", but that was overridden by the 1963 renumbering. |
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[SHC 263.1] Entire route.
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[SHC 164.12] Between the east urban limits of San Bernardino-Riverside and Route 18 west of Big Bear Lake.
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Overall statistics for Route 38:
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The route that would become LRN 38 was first defined in 1911 by Chapter 158 which called for "...a state highway from a point on the Lake Tahoe state wagon road, at or near Myers Station... thence past Tallac, Emerald Bay, to McKinney's in Placer County....". In 1915, Chapter 203 effectively extended the route by calling for a state highway along "...the wagon road extending along the W side of Lake Tahoe, from McKinney's in El Dorado Cty to Tahoe City, thence along the Truckee River to Truckee, and thence in a W-ly direction to Donner Lake in Nevada Cty, connecting with the present state highway from Emigrant Gap". In 1919, Chapter 66 called for the state highway system to include A certain highway in Nevada and Sierra counties, running as follows: From a point in the town of Truckee where the present state highway branches at the subway under the Southern Pacific tracks going toward Lake Tahoe, continuing through the town of Truckee, crossing Prosser Creek and over what is known as the "Dog Valley Grade" as far as the state line about 1 mi NW of Verdi, Nevada... The 1919 Third Highway Bonds also provided funding for the extension from Tahoe City to Truckee. In 1923, Chapter 100 amended the 1919 definition as follows: A
certain highway in Nevada and Sierra counties, By 1935, the route was codified into the highway code as:
This was primary state highway from Truckee to the Nevada State Line. In 1939, Chapter 473 changed "Meyer's Station" to "May's Junction". No further changes in the route were made until the 1963 renumbering. This route was signed as follows: |
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Pre-1978, this was a continuous route from Route 1 to Route 2. A 1965 planning map shows this as freeway from Route 1 to Route 210; never constructed/upgraded. Route/location studies were conducted in 1958, with public hearings in 1964. If one hikes over the planned route, one will discover two "tunnels to nowhere" and one "bridge to nowhere". These are along the E fork of the San Gabriel River. One tunnel was built in 1961; the other was built in 1964. They were to be a part of Route 39 up the East Fork of the San Gabriel River to Vincent Gap (at Route 2). The road is called present-day Shoemaker Canyon Road and is only partially paved. The Bridge to Nowhere was part of a road up the East Fork of the San Gabriel River built in 1929 to 1938, when most of the road was destroyed by a rainstorm, leaving the bridge stranded. The Road to Nowhere was another attempt made from 1954 to 1969, stopped this time by budget-cutters and environmentalists
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This route was signed as part of the original signage of routes in 1934.
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Overall statistics for Route 39:
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[SHC 253.3] From Route 5 to Route 210. Not upgraded. The portion between Route 1 and Route 210 was added to the Freeway and Expressway system in 1959; in 1988, the Freeway and Expressway designation was redefined to Route 5 to Route 210.
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[SHC 263.4] From Route 210 near Azusa to Route 2.
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The route that would become LRN 39 was first defined by Chapter 680 in 1915, which called for "a state highway from Tahoe City, Placer County, along the N boundary of Lake Tahoe to the W boundary of Nevada at Crystal Bay". This was captured substantially intact in the 1935 highway code as:
This definition remained unchanged until the 1963 renumbering. It was signed as Route 28, and started at Route 89. |
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From Route 15 at Barstow to the Arizona state line near Topock, Arizona via Needles.
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In 1963, this routing was defined as "Route 15 at Barstow to the Arizona state line near Topock, Arizona via Needles, together with an extension from a point on such Route 40 near Needles easterly by the most direct and practicable route to the Arizona-California line at the Colorado River, including a bridge over and across said river, to be constructed, owned, operated, and maintained jointly with the State of Arizona." In 1981, Chapter 292 shortened the definition to eliminate the mention of the extension and the bridge.
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There is a sign at the western end of the route that indicates the distance to Wilmington NC. The sign was once stolen, but has since been replaced. In September 2011, it was reported that San Bernardino County received $35,912,000 to rehabilitate 93 roadway lane miles and extend pavement service life and improve ride quality near Newberry Springs on I-40. The scope of work is between the Desert Oasis Safety Roadside Rest Area and Crucero Road. The project will grind and overlay mainline, shoulders and ramps. It will also upgrade metal beam guardrail and minor drainage. In June 2012, the CTC approved for future consideration of funding a project that will replace Van Winkle Wash Bridge Left and Right (Bridge Numbers 54-0903L and 54-0903R) on I-40 near Essex to correct extensive deck and girder cracking. The project is programmed in the 2010 State Highway Operation and Protection Program (SHOPP). The total estimated project cost is $21,697,000 for capital and support. Construction is estimated to begin in Fiscal Year 2012-13. The scope, as described for the preferred alternative, is consistent with the project scope programmed in the 2010 SHOPP. In August 2012, the CTC approved SHOPP funding of $11,615,000 on I-40 PM R85.2 near Essex, at Van Winkle Wash Bridges (Bridge # 54-0903L/R). Outcome/Output: Replace both eastbound and westbound bridges to address extensive cracking and ensure long-term operational capability.
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This route is named the "Needles" Freeway. It was named by Senate Concurrent Resolution 1 in 1968. It was named because it traverses the City of Needles. Needles was named after a railroad station, established in February 1883, on the Arizona side of the Colorado River and named after the near-by pinnacles. The name was transferred to the California side in October 1883. The portion of I-40 between West Park Road (milepost marker 139.18) and the Needles Overcrossing (milepost marker 142) in the County of San Bernardino is named the "CHP Officer John “Jack” Armatoski Memorial Highway". It was named in memory of Officer John “Jack” Walter Armatoski, who was born on May 1, 1917, to August and Sophie, in Ironwood, Michigan. Upon graduation from the CHP Academy in 1948, Officer Armatoski was assigned to the Needles area. Officer Armatoski was killed in the line of duty on May 1, 1953, during a routine traffic stop. After he completed the traffic citation, Officer Armatoski was approaching the violator’s car on the left side when an intoxicated motorist, driving a stolen station wagon, sideswiped the parked vehicle and struck Officer Armatoski, killing him instantly. Officer Armatoski was a devoted officer, a loyal husband, and an amazing father. He was known for his integrity and his adoration of his wife and children.Named by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 100, Resolution Chapter 109, on September 4, 2012. This route is part of "Historic Highway Route 66", designated by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 6, Chapter 52, in 1991.
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This route also has the following Safety Roadside Rest Areas:
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Approved as chargeable Interstate on 7/7/1947. In August 1957, this was tentatively approved as I-40; however, in November 1957 the California Department of Highways suggested that it be designated as I-30 to eliminate confusion with the existing US 40 in California. This was rejected by AASHTO, as was probably one of the factors leading to the "great renumbering".
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[SHC 253.1] Entire route. Added to the Freeway and Expressway system in 1959.
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The following segments are designated as Classified Landscaped Freeway:
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[SHC 263.4] From Barstow to Needles.
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This route (I-40) was designated as a "Blue Star Memorial Highway" by Assembly Concurrent Resolution 112, Ch. 143 in 1984.
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[SHC 164.12] Entire route
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Overall statistics for I-40:
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According to "California Highways" by Ben Blow (1920), the Auburn-Emigrant Gap State Road and the Emigrant Gap-Donner Lake State Road were both taken into the State Highway System under the first highway Bond Act of 1909. The section from Truckee to Verdi, the road was added under the third Bond Act of 1919. There is some additional information in the following articles:
In Sacramento, some of the original street portion has been signed as Historic US 40. The first sign went up in 2001 on West Capitol Avenue in West Sacramento. In Fairfield, the stretch of former US 40 back to 1915, when only a few thousand people lived in Fairfield and Suisun City. According to an article in the Fairfield Daily Republic, one local contractor working on the original road drove his mule so hard that he ran afoul of the local humane society. The original highway route used old Cordelia Road and went through Suisun City to the courthouse. It later bypassed Suisun City and went down West Texas Street and through downtown Fairfield. The highway department straightened out turns in Cherry Glen in 1936, and built the Vacaville bypass in 1937. About 14,600 cars a day passed through Fairfield on US 40 in 1948. In the mid-1960s, workers enlarged the four-lane US 40 to the eight-lane I-80. Note that, in the vicinity of Donner Lake, Caltrans is required to remove snow. Specifically, the law requires that from and after November 8, 1967, the department shall remove snow from that portion of former US Route 40 that has been superseded by the relocation and construction of I-80, commencing at its intersection with I-80 near Donner Memorial Park westerly approximately four miles to the vicinity of Donner Lake. So, why did US 40 get the interstate nod over US 50? James Lin reported, on misc.transport.road, "a Caltrans employee told me that back in the late 1950s, there was fierce competition between the US 40 and US 50 corridors over which alignment would become Interstate. What eventually tipped the battle in favor of the US 40 corridor was Squaw Valley hosting the 1960 Winter Olympics." A listing of all the former routings of US 40 may be found at http://www.route40.net/page.asp?n=1058. For those trying to follow old US 40, John David Galt noted (in a misc.transport.road posting) that near Suisun the old route jogged north on Suisun Valley Rd. to Rockville Rd., back to the present freeway route in Suisun, where Rockville Rd. becomes Air Base Pkwy. Between there and West Sacramento, there's very little of the old route left other than the freeway. There are bits of frontage road near the Nut Tree and the Hick'ry Pit that may have been part of US 40, but they don't go through. In West Sacramento, the old route leaves the freeway as West Capitol Ave., which is signed only as the "Downtown Sacramento" exit. From there, US 40 followed the Capitol Mall across to 16th St., then picked up the present Route 160 freeway route, ending up on what is now Auburn Blvd. Auburn is now signed as "Historic US 40" for most of its length, all the way into Roseville. At one point, Route 160 and US 40 were cosigned.
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In the late 1930s, there was a temporary routing of Alternate US 40 that took a more southern alignment than the current Route 70 routing, running through Berry Creek and Bucks Lake to Quincy along Orville-Quincy Highway, Spanish Ranch, and Bucks Lake Road. Much of that route is no longer part of the state highway system, although the portion from Oroville to Brush Creek is part of Route 162. Note that the routings in Davis had been changed to the Route 113 routing by 1953.
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Assembly Concurrent Resolution 180, 1998, designated those portions of US 40 that are still publically maintained and not already designated as part of Historic US 40 as "Historic US 40". Senate Concurrent Resolution 66, Chaptered May 18, 2006 (Resolution Chapter 51), designated, upon application by an appropriate local governmental agency, any section of former Alternate U.S. Highway Route 40 that is still a publicly maintained highway and that is of interest to the applicant, as Historic Alternate U.S. Highway Route 40. This recognizes the role that Former Alternate U.S. Highway Route 40 played in the development of the transportation routes into California over what is now known as the Davis "Y". Alternate U.S. Highway Route 40 is currently Route 113 from Davis to Woodland and Yuba City, and Route 70 through Marysville, Oroville, and the Feather River Canyon to Hallelujah Junction on Route 395, a route that today serves 27 towns and the six counties of Yolo, Sutter, Yuba, Butte, Plumas, and Lassen. The Feather River Scenic Byway is a 130 mile segment of Route 70, which was part of Alternate U.S. Highway Route 40.
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The route that would become LRN 40 was first defined in 1899 by Chapter 26, which called for "...locating and constructing a free wagon road from the Mono Lake Basin to and connecting with a wagon road called the "Tioga Road" and near the "Tioga Mine"..." In 1915, Chapter 306 and Chapter 396 extended the route further. Chapter 306 added "that portion of the Great Sierra Wagon Road, better known as the Tioga Road, lying without the boundary of Yosemite National Park, providing that the portion within the park is taken over by the federal government." Chapter 396 added "that certain toll road in Tuolumne and Mariposa counties known as the Big Oak Flat and Yosemite Toll Road beginning at a point near the former location of Jack Bell Sawmill in Tuolumne Cty and extending thence in an E-ly direction through a portion of Mariposa Cty at Hamilton Station, thence again into Tuolumne Cty, past the Hearden Ranch, Crocker Station, Crane Flat, and Gin Flat to the boundary line of the original Yosemite Grant near Cascade Creek" In 1917, Chapter 704 extended the route through an act "...to extend the Mono Lake Basin state road E-ly to a junction with the county road from Mono Lake Post Office to Mono Mills" In 1933, it was extended further, from [LRN 23] near Mono Lake to [LRN 76] near Benton Station. This led to the following 1935 codification:
In 1937, Chapter 841 removed the reference to "Tioga Mine". In 1953, Chapter 1786 added a third segment, "LRN 23 N of Mono Lake to the Nevada line, in the vicinity of the Pole Line Road." Signage on LRN 40 was as follows:
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![]() Highways 25-32 |
![]() Return to State Highway Routes |
![]() Highways 41-48 |