California Highways: 
[Click here for a key to the symbols used. Some county routes were constructed with federal funds. These routes are indicated as FAP (Federal Aid Primary), FAU (Federal Aid Urban), or FAS (Federal Aid Secondary). If no funding source is shown, no federal funds were used. Note that while some segments seem to have the same attributes, they may differ in the county-local road number assigned to the segment, or in the Caltrans Map Sheet number.]
Routing
Panoche Road from Route 25 and to Little Panoche Road (FAS,
28.94 mi) [San Benito County]
Little Panoche Road from Panoche Road to the Fresno county line (FAS, 6.36 mi) [San Benito County]
Little Panoche Road from the San Benito county line to W. Shields Avenue at I-5 (FAS, 14.21 mi) [Fresno County]
W, Shields Avenue from Little Panoche Road at I-5 to Fairfax Avenue (FAS, 8.96 mi) [Fresno County]
Fairfax Avenue from W. Shields Avenue to Belmont Avenue (FAS, 2.00 mi) [Fresno County]
Belmont Avenue from Fairfax Avenue to the Mendota city limits (FAS, 9.90 mi) [Fresno County]
Belmont Avenue in Mendota from the Mendota city limits to Route 33 (FAS, 0.11 mi) [Fresno County]
Other WWW Links
History and Signage InformationThis route was defined in 1958.
StatusTotal mileage: 70.48 mi.
According to Max Rockatansky on AAroads in December 2016, Route J1 is deceptive. This route looks pretty good from Fresno County west from I-5 for a couple miles and east
from Route 25 in San Benito County but really isn't. This is the second
longest signed county route in California at 70 miles only behind County Sign Route J16.
County Sign Route J1 basically is falling apart and is in terrible shape, you're in for a
hell of a drive if you come this way. County Sign Route J1 gets pretty nasty eastwards
after the first one-lane bridge about a half dozen miles from Route 25.
Panoche Pass Summit is only 2,250 feet above sea level but the road is in
terrible shape getting there. The advertised limit is 55 MPH but 35-45 MPH
is really all you ought to be going for in the straights. The pavement is
bad enough shape that 20-25 MPH is often necessary in sharp turns. If
you're a one-lane bridge fan this is your road.
(Source: Tom Fearer (Max Rockatansky) on AARoads, 12/14/2016)
He also noted: J1 is closely signed to the original proposed alignment of
Route 180 west of Mendotta to Route 25. Back in 1938 several maps show
Route 180 actually on an alignment to Route 25 via Panoche Road. It would
seem that many routes like US 101 in San Francisco, CA 33 in Fresno
County, and even parts of Route 49 were actually signed on County/City
maintained roadways.
(Source: Gribblenation Blog: County Route J1 11/2017)
© 1996-2020 Daniel P. Faigin.
Maintained by: Daniel P. Faigin
<webmaster@cahighways.org>.
CR G21
CR J2