🛣 Headlines About California Highways – February 2021

Another month, another bunch of headlines. February was quieter. Here in Southern California, it was mostly dry and quite windy. In Northern and Central California, it was a different story. But beyond that, it was the new new normal. So recovery from COVID-19 as the numbers stabilize and the vaccine rollout continues, and the big news from DC was that there was no real big news. Nice for a change, to have the blustery hot air to be coming from the high desert.

Here are your headlines for February. As always: Ready, set, discuss.

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls and ∅ other annoying restrictions: SDUT/San Diego Union Tribune; OCR/Orange County Register; PE/Press Enterprise; LBPT/Long Beach Press Telegram; DB/Daily Breeze; LADN/Los Angeles Daily News; LAT/LA Times; RDI/Ridgecrest Daily Independent; VSG/Visalia Sun Gazette; FB/Fresno Bee; MODBEE/Modesto Bee; MH/Monterey Herald; SONN/Sonoma News; SJMN/Mercury News; SFC/San Francisco Chronicle; EBT/East Bay Times; SACBEE/Sacramento Bee; SBJ/Sacramento Business Journal; TDT/Tahoe Daily Tribune; MIJ/Marin Independent-Journal; NVR/Napa Valley Register; PD/Press Democrat; AC/Argus Courier; RBDN/Red Bluff Daily News; AD/Yuba Sutter Colusa County Appeal Democrat; NW/Newsweek; UKT/The Telegraph (UK) ]

＄_/LAT 23 miles of Highway 1 near Big Sur close, require repairs. Caltrans officials say landslide repairs will keep Highway 1 south of Big Sur closed for months, rewriting travel plans for anyone who had been hoping to make a coastal road trip from Southern California in early spring. Beyond that, “It is too early to establish a timeline,” Caltrans spokesman Kevin Drabinski said. Though Monterey County officials partially lifted a storm-related evacuation order in the area Monday afternoon, the debris flow in some places “is still active. … And we have rain coming as soon as tonight.”
Peninsula Avenue interchange revamp returns. San Mateo city officials presented residents on Wednesday with updated information about its Highway 101/Peninsula Avenue Interchange Project, designed to improve public safety and reduce traffic while removing the Poplar ramps to the south. The project would address long-term safety and traffic operations and reduce travel times within the Peninsula Avenue interchange area for San Mateo and Burlingame residents. It would include improved bicycle and pedestrian travel options on Peninsula Avenue from just west of North Humboldt Street to North Bayshore Boulevard. City officials said the project would improve safety in the area near schools, reduce travel times and accommodate future traffic. San Mateo expects to have a significant traffic congestion reduction in the area during peak hours in the morning and early evening.
＄_/PD Work starts on final phase of 20-year $750 million Highway 101 project in Sonoma-Marin counties. Blink and you might miss the recent lane shift on northbound Highway 101, just west of the dog park at Deer Creek Village in north Petaluma. In mid-January, Caltrans redirected northbound traffic onto a pair of lanes in the median, just as the highway begins a gentle incline and crosses over the SMART railroad tracks. Most drivers probably don’t even notice that subtle shift, which allows workers from Ghilotti Construction in Santa Rosa to keep widening that section of freeway from two to three lanes. To those tracking the progress of the Marin-Sonoma Narrows Project, that lane shift was a very big deal. It marked the beginning of a final part of this 20-year undertaking which, at long last, is on the homestretch.
＄_/SJMN Storm could complicate Highway 1 slideout recovery. As crews continued working to assess the scope of the Highway 1 slideout south of Big Sur while starting clean-up and repair work, this week’s anticipated storm could make those efforts more difficult. According to Caltrans spokesman Jim Shivers, additional rain and runoff in the wake of last week’s atmospheric river storm that drenched the Big Sur coast could delay progress being made on the 150-foot section of washed-out highway at Rat Creek about 30 miles north of the San Luis Obispo County line. “Any additional runoff or rain could create a scenario of more time to clean up, (and) more slide activity,” Shivers said. “Water is pooling in areas above the highway and we need to deal with that. Dryer conditions allow for more steady progress.”
Highway 101 at 135 bridge replacement to start Feb. 1. A project to reconstruct the bridges on US Highway 101 at the Interchange with State Route 135 in Los Alamos will begin on Monday, Feb. 1. Motorists will encounter one-way reversing traffic control on State Route 135 between Main Street and San Antonio Boulevard Monday through Friday from 8 am until 4 pm and during the overnight hours from 8 pm until 6 am.
＄_/SDUT Caltrans seeks public input on widening state Route 67. Caltrans is seeking public comments to bolster its environmental studies that will be used to determine the practicality of widening state Route 67, including portions connected to Poway Road. Also under consideration for project inclusion are bike lanes plus human and animal crossings.
North Coast Corridor Program: Reflection and anticipation for 40-year vision. The North Coast Corridor (NCC) program jointly operated by SANDAG and Caltrans is a balanced set of transportation, environmental, and coastal access projects to improve the quality of life for residents, create a stronger local and regional economy for the future, and enhance the north San Diego County coastal environment. The $6 billion, 40-year vision is an implementation blueprint for developing and building projects as part of a holistic and connected system of mobility facilities. These efforts align with SANDAG’s vision for the 2021 Regional Plan, which reimagines how people and goods could move throughout the region in the 21st century, fundamentally shaped by five key strategies for mobility, collectively known as the 5 Big Moves—Complete Corridors, Transit Leap, Mobility Hubs, Flexible Fleets, and the Next OS.

New Electric Vehicle Fast Charger Stations Available. Electric vehicle (EV) drivers now have more fast-charging options along state highways in Central California — including at the popular Tejon Pass Rest Area near the Los Angeles/Kern County line — with the installation of 22 new EV fast chargers at nine locations by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). “Fast chargers are essential to continue growing EV adoption in California and meeting our state’s goals for combating climate change,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. “Expanding the availability of convenient fast-charging stations along state highways is significant for the future of California transportation.”
Why you should drive California’s scenic Highway 395. US Highway 395 is California’s backbone. Running east of the Sierra Nevada mountain range, it’s also a road of superlatives: highest, lowest, hottest, deepest, oldest – the 395 passes close by a whole host of -ests. And then there are the ghost towns, living towns, ski resorts, tufa formations, film locations and more. Yet for all its many attractions, it’s relatively unexplored, especially compared to California’s other big name draws. It takes about four days to get a good feel for the region so join us on a north-south, semi-secret, always spectacular road trip.
Ħ Ridge Route | Speed Limit Warning Sign, Castaic, 1920s. Warning sign, south end of the Ridge Route, Castaic, 1920s. Ridge Route historian Harrison Scott (2002) writes (pp. 72-74): “Due to the elevation and circuitous nature of the new highway, the speed limit was set at 15 miles per hour. The speed limit for heavier trucks with solid rubber tires was 12 miles per hour.”
Ħ Caltrans :: Interstate Turns 50. This is a page from the Caltrans website back in 2006 authored by Shirleigh Brannon, when she was the history librarian. As the accessibility update resulted in its loss from the Caltrans site, I’m going to see if I can preserve it for her on my pages, as I have done with other lost Caltrans material. This is to remind me to save it.
Crews work to repair washed-out Highway 1 near Big Sur. Crews worked Monday to determine when they can rebuild a section of scenic roadway near Big Sur after it collapsed in torrential rain last week, but the damage was not as bad as from a 2017 landslide that cut off the tourist destination along the central California coast for over a year, officials said. The intense rainstorms created a debris flow that overwhelmed water drains, flowed across Highway 1, and eroded it, washing away a 150-foot chunk of roadway, the state Department of Transportation said.
Caltrans To Demolish Overpass In Petaluma. As part of the project to widen U.S. Highway 101 through Petaluma, Caltrans on Friday will demolish the right lanes of the Petaluma Overhead, the elevated highway that travels above the SMART railroad tracks between East Washington Street and the Corona Road overcrossing. The work is scheduled from 10 p.m. Friday, Feb. 5 until 6:30 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 6 on northbound U.S. 101 about a half-mile north of the East Washington Street interchange to the Corona Road overcrossing
CALTRANS to Begin Curb Ramp Improvement Project on State Route 88/49 in Jackson. Caltrans is preparing to begin a Curb Ramp Project that will improve safety and mobility for pedestrians at various locations near the intersection of SR-88 and SR-49 in the city of Jackson in Amador County. The project includes the installation and upgrade of curb ramps, driveways, and sidewalks for accessibility compliance with the Amerricans with Disabilities Act (ADA). Work also will be conducted at the South Fork Jackson Creek Bridge, Jackson Creek Bridge and North Fork Jackson Creek Bridge.
State Invests $571 Million in Expanded Transit, Bicycle and Pedestrian Routes. The California Transportation Commission (CTC) allocated more than $571 million at their January meeting to address transportation needs throughout the state, an investment that will help repair highways and bridges and enhance California’s growing network of mass transit, bicycle and pedestrian routes. “Expanding access to safe walkways, bicycle routes and convenient transit options, in addition to maintaining our highways, advances the state’s efforts to address climate change and improve the quality of life for all Californians,” said Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin. Projects approved in District 10 include:
US Highway 101/State Route 135 Bridge Replacement Project Begins in February. A project to reconstruct the bridges on US Highway 101 at the Interchange with State Route 135 in Los Alamos will begin on Monday, Feb. 1. Motorists will encounter lane closures on US 101 at State Route 135 in both directions Monday through Friday during the overnight hours from 7 p.m. until 6 a.m. and ramp closures in both directions between 8 p.m. and 6 a.m.
San Mateo County planners seek input on $77M coastal transportation plan. San Mateo County planners are seeking input on Connect the Coastside, a plan to expand transportation options and improve mobility along the coast. The project team will present the plan at a San Mateo County Planning Commission meeting on Feb. 10. The virtual meeting begins at 9 a.m. and can be accessed via Zoom. The commission will also accept written comment. Connect the Coastside, a plan which has been in the works for seven years, aims to “uncork notorious bottlenecks” by increasing transportation choices, making travel safer for pedestrians and bicyclists, improving traffic flow and increasing use of public transit.
＄_/SFC Highway 1 through Big Sur will be repaired. How long that takes is unclear. Ryan Turner stood high on the ocean bluff, his hard hat and construction vest firmly fastened, and eyed a 150-foot gap in Highway 1 where the road had tumbled into the sea. As a geotechnical engineer with the California Department of Transportation, Turner, 38, must help devise a fix for the latest Big Sur washout. The road collapse, which occurred during last month’s powerful storm, has shut down a segment of the famously rugged highway about 50 miles south of Monterey. It not only severed the local community’s only thoroughfare but left Big Sur fans everywhere awed by photos of the wreckage and wondering how — and how soon — they might see a repair.
Proposal replaces vehicle lane with bike lane on Bay Bridge. The Bay Bridge, like most of our bridges and highways, has been operating with far fewer motorists during the coronavirus pandemic. Given lighter vehicle load on Bay Area roads, there’s a plan to turn one lane of the bridge from San Francisco to Oakland over to bicyclists. The idea, explained Ben Kaufman with Rails-To-Trails Conservancy, could take just one year and $10 million. The proposal designates one westbound lane of the bridge for bicycles from Yerba Buena Island into San Francisco, and potentially the full length of the bridge.
Real McCoy Ferry II Out Of Service: Caltrans. The State Route 84 Real McCoy Ferry II went out of service Thursday and is expected to remain closed for two weeks for an inspection required every five years by the U.S. Coast Guard. The Real McCoy II usually provides service to Ryer Island residents, visitors and their cars by crossing the Cache Slough to Rio Vista but it cannot operate until Feb. 25 when the inspection is complete, Caltrans said.
Crews Working to Repair Washed-Out Scenic Highway. Construction crews are working to determine when they can rebuild a section of scenic roadway near Big Sur after it collapsed in torrential rain during the last week in January, but the damage was not as bad as from a 2017 landslide that cut off the tourist destination along the central California coast for over a year, officials said. The intense rainstorms created a debris flow that overwhelmed water drains, flowed across Highway 1 and eroded it, washing away a 150-ft. (46 m) chunk of roadway, the state Department of Transportation said.
＄_/EBT East Bay residents fed up with sound from highway. When the monotony of all-day distance learning gets to be too much, Sukumar Dash’s children would like to take their breaks by opening the windows for a breath of fresh air, but they don’t because of the constant noise from cars buzzing by on a nearby freeway. “We cannot even have a cup of tea in our garden, it’s so bad,” Dash told the Brentwood City Council on Tuesday. Dash and many other residents in the Siena Village subdivision and beyond have been railing against the deafening sounds ever since the Balfour Road Interchange of the State Route 4 Bypass opened in 2018.
Caltrans Hwy 78 project in Esc. to include extensive upgrade. It’s been 15 years since Caltrans has been back to repave the five miles of Hwy 78 that run through the city of Escondido. The newest improvement, which has already begun, is expected to last for 20 years. The goal is a better, smoother drive. When the project is complete, drivers with “smart” cars like Teslas will be able to “talk” to the road to, among other things, determine the correct speed to get the most green lights. This week Caltrans Project Manager Kareem Scarlett talked about the $19 million project, which residents will be living with for the next few months—although most work will occur at late at night.
SR-67 Improvements Project. Caltrans is studying potential improvements along 16 miles of State Route 67 (SR-67) between Mapleview Street and Highland Valley/Dye Road in the City of Poway and unincorporated communities of Lakeside and Ramona in San Diego County, California. The SR-67 Improvements Project will prioritize the safe and efficient movement of people and goods along this critical corridor. People travel SR-67 for different reasons that include commuting, reaching recreational destinations, for emergency vehicle access, and evacuating during emergencies like wildfires. Caltrans will also consider pedestrian, bicycle and transit movement as well as current barriers to wildlife movement along the corridor.
February 2021 Update – Ridge Route Preservation Organization. On Saturday, February 6, We had the opportunity to travel over the Ridge Route and survey the roadway for damage from the storms, trucks, and car chase that have happened all since January 21. The storms that hit were pretty strong, closing I-5 multiple times for extended periods. As the Ridge Route itself is higher in elevation, it looks like a lot of the precipitation that hit the area fell as snow instead of rain. This may well have saved the road this time but future storms may no be so “kind”. We still have a lot of work ahead of us but at least now we have a better idea of what to focus on for now. If you’d like to help us with these tasks, join us, donate, or both. Your donation may be tax-deductible and you’ll help save this historic roadway.
The I-405 Project Moves Forward. Now 50 percent complete, the I-405 Improvement Project continues its momentum with progress on bridges and well-attended virtual neighborhood meetings. Weather permitting, crews are scheduled to complete the demolition of the second half of the Westminster Boulevard bridge by February 7. It is one of more than o be built, widened or replaced as part of the project, which aims to reduce travel times on I-405 between Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles County line. The following bridges are expected to be completed in 2021: Magnolia, Goldenwest, Talbert, Heil pedestrian bridge, Bolsa Chica, and Edwards.
New push underway to build a bike lane across the entire Bay Bridge. Cyclists in New York City were recently overjoyed to hear that both the Brooklyn and Queensboro bridges will be getting dedicated, two-way bike lanes. Now, cycling advocates in the Bay Area are pushing for a similar goal — a bike lane crossing the entire 4.5 miles of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge. “The path can be built for less than two days’ worth of BART’s annual budget and will take only two to three months to build with available funding,” reads a new petition launched by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy. The cycling and pedestrian advocacy group believe the project could could take just one year and $10 million to complete, KCBS reported.
23-mile stretch of California coastal highway will be closed for months. Caltrans officials say landslide repairs will keep Highway 1 south of Big Sur closed for months, rewriting travel plans for anyone who had been hoping to make a coastal road trip from Southern California in early spring. Beyond that, “It is too early to establish a timeline,” Caltrans spokesman Kevin Drabinski said. Though Monterey County officials partially lifted a storm-related evacuation order in the area last week, the debris flow in some places “is still active.”
Highway 1 Big Sur closure to narrow as workers repair road. As Caltrans crews work to fix a deep, runoff-caused crevasse in Highway 1 near Big Sur, the agency is looking to shorten the length of the road closure at Rat Creek. On Monday, Feb. 22, Caltrans plans to move the stopping point for traffic going north toward Big Sur, according to details released by Caltrans on Feb. 12. That means drivers coming from both directions will be able to travel to within about five miles of each other. Businesses on both sides of the slide remain open.
Highway 1 Closures to Shorten as Intensive Assessment Efforts at Rat Creek. The Department of Transportation (DOT) reported on Friday, Feb. 5, that steady progress by the Caltrans crews on both sides of Rat Creek to clear plugged culverts, remove standing water and debris, clear rockfall, and repair roads, the northern and southern limits of the closure on Highway 1 on the Big Sur coast are scheduled to change. As of 6 pm Friday, the northern end of the Highway 1 closure on the Big Sur coast will move south from Post Mile 34.1 to PM 32.6 just south of Esalen Institute. This will permit full access to the last businesses on the coast before reaching Rat Creek.
Local Control Of State Highways At Risk After Navy Makes Legislative Changes. There are two state highways that run through Coronado that are not under the jurisdiction of the city; State Route 75 (which includes Orange Avenue and Silver Strand from the bridge to Imperial Beach, and SR282 (Third and Fourth streets from the bridge to the Naval Air Station). Removing all or part of a state highway system [known as Relinquishment] from state control is a standard, if not common, occurrence when a local government can better respond to the community needs. Relinquishment of Coronado’s two State Routes was debated locally for many years.
Planning for freeway connector in Marin begins. Outreach continues as the Transportation Authority of Marin (TAM) starts the planning and environmental phase of a proposed project to construct a direct highway connection from northbound US-101 to eastbound I-580 in Marin County(link is external), according to the agency. Currently, drivers who wish to access the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (I-580) via northbound US-101 have to exit the freeway and travel on East Sir Francis Drake Boulevard or across Bellam Boulevard to the bridge entrance. Having to drive on local streets causes congestion and traffic delays on northbound US 101 and on local streets, including Sir Francis Drake Boulevard and Bellam Boulevard.
Ortega Highway Expansion From Lake Elsinore To OC Begins Feb. 22. A $49 million project to expand the Ortega (74) Highway between Lake Elsinore and the Orange County line is scheduled to begin Feb. 22 and motorists were advised to expect delays as the work progresses. The State Route 74 Widening Project will consist of Watsonville-based Granite Construction Inc. making a series of modifications intended to enhance safety along the two-lane corridor, according to Caltrans District 8 public information officer Kim Cherry.
＄_/UKT The endless battle to save America’s greatest road from its own demons. Highway 1 is one of America’s most beautiful – and most troublesome – roads. One of the problems with beauty is that it can appear effortless. It can look as if it were conjured with a singular flick of a magic wand, or in a lone moment of divine inspiration – when, in fact, perfection tends to be the fruit of a process that is long-winded, torturous and deeply impractical. And those epic end results? Welcome to years of maintenance, painstaking restoration, and fears that the glory of it all cannot be preserved in perpetuity. Witness, as perhaps the classic example, Michelangelo’s labours in the Sistine Chapel. The frescoes he painted on the ceiling of this holy space between 1508 and 1512 are often held aloft as the pinnacle of Renaissance art – the distillation of the genius of a figure who redefined beauty with the tip of his paint-brush. But the creation of these masterpieces was anything but beautiful. It was shaped by regular arguments between the Florentine superstar and the religious princeling who had commissioned them, Pope Julius II – two men very alike in quickness of temper, but of contrasting opinions on the overall project. Julius would live to see it finished, but only just – dying months later, in February 1513.
＄_/RBDN Caltrans details upcoming highway projects. Those commuting on State Route 99 between Chico and Red Bluff have likely seen Caltrans crews with their tripods doing some work outside of Los Molinos. Workers will eventually be doing a larger scale road repair project in the area, though it remains a ways out. Caltrans District 2 Public Information Officer Christ Woodward said it’s possible the crews are surveying for a project slated for the summer of 2024. The project is expected to bring in some guard rails and fix pavement spots from the Butte County and Tehama County border to around 12 miles north.
Caltrans eyes March completion for first phase of Highway 84 safety project. One phase of a safety improvement project on state Highway 84 in Alameda County is nearing completion. The removal of trees that began in November is expected to wrap up in March to make room for road improvements, according to Caltrans. The project runs from Mission Boulevard in Fremont to Interstate 680 in Niles Canyon.
＄_/BLOOMBERG OpenStreetMap Charts a Controversial New Direction. What do Lyft, Facebook, the International Red Cross, the U.N., the government of Nepal and Pokémon Go have in common? They all use the same source of geospatial data: OpenStreetMap, a free, open-source online mapping service akin to Google Maps or Apple Maps. But unlike those corporate-owned mapping platforms, OSM is built on a network of mostly volunteer contributors. Researchers have described it as the “Wikipedia for maps.”
Ħ Bowman crossing and a newly found alignment of the Lincoln Highway. The photo above, taken in the 1900s, shows the Bowman Crossing of the Southern Pacific Railroad. If you look closely, there is a person on a horse and another standing nearby. What caught my attention was the way the road makes a bend towards the photographer. If we head the other way, we will pass Machado’s Orchard on our way to Auburn once we cross the tracks. It was this photo that caused us to stop and check out this famous crossing again. We wanted to make sure our official Lincoln Highway map had the routes across the tracks marked correctly. We’ve checked out this area before but were unable to spot the old road. Recently someone has cleared out the area making it more open and visible.
＄_/LAT Forget monorail. L.A. needs real transit through Sepulveda Pass. The 405 Freeway through the Sepulveda Pass is one of the nation’s most traffic-clogged corridors. For workers, students and anyone else trying to go between the San Fernando Valley and the Westside during rush hour, the route is a slog, with cars inching over the Santa Monica Mountains. Unlike most congested routes in urban L.A., there’s no public transit alternative to sitting in traffic. Yet. After years of discussion and plans, the Los Angeles County Metropolitan Transportation Authority is expected to hire contractors next month to develop plans for either a subway or a monorail line through the pass.
Partial Bridge Openings Mark Major Milestones for I-405 Improvement Project. The I-405 Improvement Project reached its first milestone of 2021 with the opening of the first halves of the Westminster Boulevard and Fairview Road bridges. The first half of the new Westminster Boulevard bridge opened to traffic in Westminster on January 28, and the first half of the Fairview Road bridge in Costa Friday opened on February 12. The two bridges are among 18 to be built, widened or replaced as part of the project, which aims to speed up travel times on I-405 between Costa Mesa and the Los Angeles County line.
＄_/MH Highway 1 in Big Sur: Washout, repair, repeat. On Jan. 29, a chunk of Highway 1 washed away into the ocean. The event, while dramatic enough to make national news, is hardly new or surprising to locals who are familiar with the history of the stretch of road from Carmel to Cambria. Over the course of the decades since the section of the highway that stretches from Monterey to San Luis Obispo County opened in 1937, the scenic coastal highway has been subject to landslide after landslide.
＄_/LAT Caltrans says Highway 1 near Big Sur will reopen by summer. Caltrans is estimating it can reopen Highway 1 — and reconnect Southern California with Big Sur and points beyond — by early summer. The highway closed Jan. 28 after a 150-foot section at Rat Creek was washed out by heavy rains that caused debris flow at the creek in Monterey County. In a release Thursday, Caltrans Director Toks Omishakin said, “We’re focused on restoring travel on this section by early summer.” The repair cost is estimated at $11.5 million, involving “the manipulation of tens of thousands of cubic yards of material.”
Crews to begin work to replace collapsed stretch of Highway 1 near Big Sur. Work to replace a section of roadway along Big Sur that crumbled during a recent storm is set to begin on Monday and is expected to continue until summer, officials said. Torrential rain over a wildfire-scarred landscape triggered a debris flow that overwhelmed water drains and carried a large chunk of Highway 1 into the sea on Jan. 28. The washout left a 150-foot (46-meter) gap along the popular driving route renowned for its ocean views.
Corridor Cities Debate Metro’s Planned 605/5 Freeway Widening. Metro is proceeding to finalize plans to widen freeways in southeast L.A. County. Details remain elusive on a new slightly-less-harmful alternative for Metro and Caltrans’ 605 Freeway Corridor Improvement Project, though Metro presented the project at last night’s Gateway Cities Council of Governments’ 91/605/405 Freeways Corridor Cities Committee meeting. There wasn’t a lot of new information in yesterday’s presentation, but the discussion was instructive.

Gribblenation Blog (Tom Fearer, Doug)

California State Route 13 and the Warren Freeway. I made some significant updates to the existing California State Route 13/Warren Freeway blog. The blog now contains information drawn from the California Highways & Public Works showing the details of the cooperative construction of Legislative Route Number 227/Warren Boulevard Freeway through the 1950s and 1960s. Given the Warren Boulevard Freeway was a cooperative effort between the Division of Highways, Alameda County and the City of Oakland the amount of information found in the California Highways & Public Works is surprisingly sparse compared to other freeways from the era. The blog also now has the full route photo log with California State Route 13 beyond the Warren Freeway on Tunnel Road and Ashby Avenue.
Former US Route 101 and California State Route 152 in Gilroy. Gilroy is a City located in Santa Clara County in the extent of southern Santa Clara Valley. Former US Route 101 before the present freeway was constructed was aligned on Monterey Street. California State Route 152 originally multiplexed US Route 101 in downtown Gilroy on Monterey Street.
California State Route 152. Our feature on California State Route 152 was originally published in late 2017. That being the case the blog was due for a being updated with California Highways & Public Works materials. In addition to the CHPWs I took the opportunity to expound upon the history of Pacheco Pass and update the photo log of CA 152.
California State Route 1 the Shoreline Highway Part 1; the history of the Shoreline Highway and drive through Marin County. The Shoreline segment of California State Route 1 forms a 210 mile loop of US Route 101 from Mill Creek to Leggett. As the name implies the Shoreline Highway segment of California State Route 1 largely follows the coastline and other bodies of water. The Shoreline Highway segment of California State Route 1 traverses; Marin County, Sonoma County and Mendocino County.
California State Route 1 the Shoreline Highway Part 2; a drive through Sonoma County. This blog is Part 2 of a three part series on of the Shoreline Highway segment of California State Route 1 and features a drive through Sonoma County. Part 1 found below discusses the development of the Shoreline Highway and features a drive through Marin County.
California State Route 1 the Shoreline Highway Part 3; a drive through Mendocino County. This blog is Part 3 of a three part series on of the Shoreline Highway segment of California State Route 1 and features a drive through Mendocino County. Part 2 found below features a drive through Marin County.
San Francisco’s Lombard Street. One of the most famous streets in the United States is Lombard Street in the Russian Hill District of San Francisco, California, and particularly the short section between Hyde and Leavenworth Streets that has been deemed as “The Crookedest Street in the World”. Truth be told, Lombard Street is not even the most crooked street in San Francisco. That title technically belongs to the section of San Francisco’s Vermont Street between 20th and 22nd streets on Potrero Hill. But nonetheless, Lombard Street has become a popular tourist attraction in this city by the bay. Every year, millions of visitors walk or drive down Lombard Street’s eight sharp hairpin turns, complete with perfectly manicured landscaping. It has also been a filming location for a number of movies and television shows over the years. Yet, the name Lombard actually has no link to history in San Francisco. Lombard Street is named after a street of the same name in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The original alignment of California State Route 1 in San Francisco. In 2019 the Gribblenation Blog Series covered the history of the Hyde Street Pier and the original surface alignment of US Route 101 in San Francisco. Given the Golden Gate Bridge opened to traffic in May of 1937 coupled with the fact that the Sign State Routes had been announced in August of 1934 there were still some open questions regarding the original highway alignments in San Francisco. Namely the question of this blog is; where was California State Route 1 prior to the completion of the Golden Gate Bridge? Thanks the to the discovery of a 1936 Shell Highway Map of San Francisco and the California Highways & Public Works the answer can be conveyed clearly.
Santa Clara County Route G8 and the New Almaden Quicksilver Mine. Santa Clara County Route G8 is a 29.38 mile County Sign Route which is part of the San Francisco Bay Area transportation corridor. Santa Clara County Route G8 begins at California State Route 152 near the outskirts of Gilroy and terminates at former US Route 101 at 1st Street/Monterey Road near downtown San Jose. Santa Clara County Route G8 incorporates the notable Almaden Expressway and is historically tied to the New Almaden Quicksilver Mine.
Interstate 580. I made some substantial updates to the Interstate 580 blog on Gribblenation. The blog now features articles from the California Highways & Public Works and when the Division of Highways petitioned the AASHO to truncate US Route 50 from San Francisco to Sacramento. Unfortunately I didn’t find anything regarding when Interstate 5 West was nixed in the AASHTO Database but I did manage to grab the photo of the I-5W shield in a California Highways & Public Works. The blog also now features the entire route of Interstate 580 in addition to the pedestrian lane on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge.