🛣 Headlines About California Highways – March 2022

April 1^st.  April Fools Day. So what could I tell you that you would plausibly believe, but would be completely false?

• How about: I’ve decided that the numbering naysayers are right, and I-238 is truly an abomination and they should complete the I-710 no matter what it takes. No, you would see right through that as well. I’m too neutral to take positions like that.
• How about: I’ve decided that the vaccy naysayers are right, and I’m not going to get that 4th shot. Nah, you’d see right through that.
• How about: I’m getting close enough to retirement. I’ve decided to chuck it all and go out for one gigantic roadtrip, traveling every road in California. Nah, I think I enjoy my real job too much, plus gas is far too expensive for anyone to believe that.
• How about: After all this time, I’ve decided that music streamers are right, and I’m going to chuck my iPod Classics and stream away. Me? Never. They are my Precioussssssss.
• How about: I’ve heard a lot about the growth of podcasting. Maybe now is the time for me to do that podcast I’ve always dreamed about doing detailed Theatre Reviews. I could make 10s and 10s of dollars towards my retirement. Now that’s worth quitting my job for. Plausible, but… would folks really fall for it.

Maybe the right answer is just to put a fake headline somewhere in the headline list, and see if anyone falls for the rickroll. That sounds good. So with that, let’s get to the roads.

Key

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls, ＄＄ really obnoxious paywalls, and ∅ other annoying restrictions. I’m no longer going to list the paper names, as I’m including them in the headlines now. Note: For ＄ paywalls, sometimes the only way is incognito mode, grabbing the text before the paywall shows, and pasting into an editor. ]

Highway Headlines

• ＄ Who decides what roads and freeways get fixed next? (Daily Bulletin). Q: Rosie Shaw asked about road construction. Shaw, who lives in Riverside County, asked how it’s determined which roads and/or freeways are tabbed for construction work or repairs, including roads in small cities, and where the funding comes from.
• State Route 26/Fremont Street Bridge Replacement Project (FB/District 10). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is preparing to begin a project that will improve vertical clearance for freight vehicles by replacing the State Route 26 (SR-26)/Fremont Street Overcrossing of State Route 99 in Stockton. Beginning February 28, 2022, crews will work during day and night shifts for approximately 200 days – Sundays through Fridays – with completion expected in late 2022. Roadside message signs will be placed on SR-26/Fremont Street and on SR-99 to alert motorists of scheduled highway and ramp closures.
• State Route 99 Rehabilitation Project Through the City of Merced (FB/District 10). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is preparing to begin a project that will rehabilitate approximately 20 lane miles of State Route 99 (SR-99) between Franklin Road and Childs Avenue through the city of Merced. Construction will be done in phases and is scheduled to start on Sunday, March 6, 2022, with completion expected in August 2023.
• ＄ The Ghost of Harry Bergman’s Roadside Museum on Highway 371 (Esotouric’s Secret Los Angeles). Greetings from your friendly historic Los Angeles sightseeing tour company, now offering digital programming until we can again organize groups to gather and explore the city we love. For our latest post that’s hidden from the rest of the internet, we want to take you on a very short road trip along State Highway 371, the rural road between Aguanga (pronounced Ah-WAHN-ga, from the Luiseño word awáanga, meaning “dog place”) and Anza—or between Temecula and Palm Desert, to use more familiar destinations.
• Opinion: Alien circles in downtown? (Madera Tribune). Some years from now, passengers in a low-flying airplane may report seeing “alien circles” right in downtown Madera. However, unlike the “crop circles” that are sometimes reported to exist in mid-West farmlands, the local phenomenon has a logical explanation. After years of prompting and procrastination, Caltrans (California Department of Transportation) is finally going to do something to improve State Route 145 through the City of Madera. After multiple meetings with city officials and stakeholders, the state has produced “State Route 145 Pavement Project and Complete Streets,” under the direction of John Liu, Deputy Director, Caltrans District 6 Maintenance and Operations. The plan consists of a “South Segment” along 3,020 feet of South Madera Avenue, from Avenue 13 to the East Madera Underpass Bridge; a “Downtown Segment,” including major modifications from E Street to Lake Street; and a “North Segment” from Lake Street to an area a bit short of the High-Speed Rail (HSR) underpass.
• The US highway that helped break segregation (BBC Travel). Along US Route 40, African diplomats were routinely denied service at local establishments. But their treatment set off a civil rights struggle that led to outlawing segregation. Adam Malick Sow had a headache. He was several hours into his trip from New York to Washington DC, and after his limousine crossed into the state of Maryland, he asked his driver to find a place to stop. A few miles later, the newly appointed ambassador to the United States from the African nation of Chad stepped into a diner along US Route 40 and asked for a cup of coffee. The answer on a summer day in 1961 would change history.

• Project to tame Highway 4 officially kicks off with tree removal, groundbreaking ceremony (Calaveras Enterprise). The State Route 4 (SR 4) Wagon Trail Realignment Project is finally underway as members of the local government, Caltrans, and other stakeholders met for a groundbreaking ceremony at Jordan Oaks Vineyard on Mar. 3. Drivers might also notice a stretch of downed trees on either side of the highway as crews work to clear the path. The project has been in development since 2001 with preliminary studies starting in 2008. As many longtime Calaveras County residents know, SR 4 is built on the original wagon trail that connected Copperopolis and Angels Camp, which explains its extreme twists and turns.
• Caltrans to host meeting Thursday for South Avenue roundabout (Red Bluff Daily News). Caltrans District 2 is scheduled to host a virtual public meeting Thursday to gather comments and public input on the South Avenue safety project. The meeting is scheduled 6-7 p.m. and those interested in attending can register by visiting shorturl.at/hzU18. The South Avenue safety project is scheduled for 2024 and would construct a roundabout at the intersection of State Route 99E and South Avenue south of Vina and east of Corning, according to Caltrans.
• Glenn, Colusa counties to to benefit from Caltrans investment (Colusa Sun Herald / Appeal Democrat). As part of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s Clean California initiative, the California Department of Transportation announced that local projects, including improvements in Colusa and Glenn counties, were set to benefit from $296 million in Clean California grants given to help communities throughout the state. These funds, which are intended to improve underserved communities, will go toward six projects in the Sacramento region and one project in each in Colusa and Glenn counties, Caltrans said.
• Bridge Project to Shut Down U.S. 101 at S.R. 135 in Los Alamos (Noozhawk). A project to reconstruct the bridges on U.S. Highway 101 at the interchange with State Route 135 in Los Alamos will continue with demolition of the southbound bridge beginning Tuesday, March 15. The roadwork will result in a 24-hour closure between Bell and Main streets to San Antonio Boulevard, 7 a.m. March 15 to 7 a.m. March 16. A temporary shuttle service will transport passengers near Los Alamos Rancho Mobile Home Park and Los Alamos Senior Center. Access to the U.S. 101 southbound on- and off-ramps will remain open, and the northbound on- and off-ramps at State Route 135 will remain open for travelers to the Skyview Hotel and Peppertree Lane.
• Granite Awarded $32 Million Highway Realignment in California (Business Wire). Granite (NYSE:GVA) has been selected for the State Route 20 Omega Curve Realignment project in Nevada County, California. The project is awarded by Caltrans and funded by State and Federal aid. The $32 million contract is anticipated to be included in Granite’s first quarter CAP. This project realigns two existing curves along State Route 20, a high-traffic area with many accidents, and will create a safer passage for the traveling public in Nevada County.
• ＄ Transportation planners share ideas for improving SR-67 with Planning Group (Ramona Sentinel / San Diego UT). The Ramona Community Planning Group heard a presentation March 3 by Caltrans and the San Diego Association of Governments (SANDAG) on a wish list for state Route 67 improvement projects. The proposals, which include bike lanes, wildlife crossings and more traffic signs, were part of a San Vicente Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan (CMCP), which the agencies said is a starting point to attract state funding for road improvements.
• Brosamer & Wall Inc. Rebuilds Six Bridges Along I-80 (Construction Eqpt. Guide). The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is spending $30 million via the I-80 Six Bridges Project to increase the vertical clearance to the design standard of 16 ft. 6 in. on six bridges that cross over Interstate 80 (I-80) in the city of Vallejo just north of the Carquinez Bridge. The work, which started in August 2020, is being executed by Brosamer & Wall Inc., based in Walnut Creek, Calif., and is expected to be completed in August 2022. The bridges go in a northerly direction over I-80, which is officially designated as westbound/eastbound route, but travels north and south within Vallejo: Magazine Street, Benicia Road, Georgia Street, Springs Road, Tennessee Street and Redwood Street.
• Caltrans Completes $3.5-Million Murphys Project (Mother Lode News). Work has now wrapped up on a significant turn lane project designed to reduce backups on Highway 4 in Murphys. Caltrans hired the company Dirt Dynasty out of Valley Springs to construct a center turn lane on Highway 4 between Main Street and Pennsylvania Gulch Road. Construction on the 3.5-million project commenced this past June. The project was launched because traffic would occasionally get backed up near Murphys during peak weekend hours and special events and concerts in the community. Some travelers would also sometimes try to illegally pass vehicles on the shoulder. Diverting left-turning vehicles to the center lane will allow straight traffic to continue to flow.
• Roads to Everywhere (LA Review of Books). GET ON THE Hollywood Freeway from Downtown and drive northwest past the Vermont Avenue exit when the lanes split to create a long oval, seemingly without function. That’s the ghost of a project that didn’t happen: the planned interchange with the never-built Beverly Hills Freeway. Take the exit at Highland Avenue and wonder — not for the first time — why the on-ramp and medians outside the Hollywood Bowl are broader than a prairie and create a white-knuckle merging experience for the northbound. Ambitious Caltrans officials, flush with eminent domain money and world-saving intentions, had intended it to be the southern terminus of the Whitnall Freeway, which would have tunneled under Mount Lee, just as the Arroyo Seco Parkway had been carved out in 1936 to create a dazzling portrait of the landscape for those motoring up to Pasadena.
• ∅ From cattle drives to rock and snowslides, Echo Summit has long history (Tahoe Daily Tribune). Echo Summit has been in the news a lot lately due to a massive rockslide that forced the closure of U.S. Highway 50. The highway has a long history of snow and rockslides since the highway was completed in 1939, but its history goes back even further. “​​The history of Echo Summit is quite extensive dating back to the Gold Rush and wagon trails,” said Steve Nelson, public information officer for Caltrans District 3.
• Officials provide details on Wagon Trail project, traffic delays on Highway 4 (Calaveras Enterprise). Now that construction has begun on the State Route 4 (SR 4) Wagon Trail Realignment Project, many have wondered how it will be affecting the drive between Copperopolis and Angels Camp. Calaveras County Public Works said that there will be times when the road will be completely closed, but the goal will be to keep one lane open. These downtimes are being planned around major events for the county such as the Frog Jump in May.
• ＄ Highway 12 Association reaches end of road (Solano Daily Republic). The organization formed to help improve the safety of Highway 12 has disbanded. Jan Vick, the longtime heartbeat of the Highway 12 Association, announced Monday she has dissolved the group and what funds remained in the checking account will go to charities. “After a difficult two years, lack of a president, and decreasing notifications from some Caltrans districts, I have made the difficult decision to dissolve the Highway 12 Association,” Vick wrote in an email. “I appreciate the support you all have given me over the several years I have been the secretary/treasurer. It has just gotten too difficult to maintain it by myself.”
• I-15 Freeway Getting Temporary Lane To Relieve RivCo Traffic (Temecula, CA Patch). Work will begin this spring to add a temporary freeway lane on southbound Interstate 15 in Corona and Temescal Valley, the Riverside County Transportation Commission has announced. The non-tolled lane will stretch from the Cajalco Road on-ramp to the Weirick Road off-ramp, next to the freeway’s outer shoulder, and is part of the I-15 Interim Corridor Operations Project, according to a recent RCTC news release. The lane is designed to help relieve traffic congestion in the area (see map below).
• California approves money to widen Highway 41 near Fresno CA (Fresno Bee). A notorious six-mile stretch of Highway 41 that’s been dubbed a “death trap” in southern Fresno County will be widened in coming years after state transportation leaders approved $33 million for the effort on Wednesday evening. At its meeting in San Diego, the California Transportation Commission gave a green light to almost 40 transportation and highway projects in its Statewide Transportation Improvement Program, including money for the “Excelsior Expressway,” a segment of Highway 41 north between Elkhorn and Excelsior avenues with one lane for northbound traffic and one lane for southbound traffic, until recently separated by a painted line at the center of the pavement.
• An ode to US Route 395, arguably California’s best highway (SF Gate). The car was packed full of ski gear, duffels and enough snacks to keep us satiated for a 7-hour drive through a lonely stretch of land. Our dog slept in the back seat. My husband steered the wheel and I rode shotgun. Will Smith narrated his audiobook on the car stereo, and we settled into the rhythms of the road trip as we came to the junction in La Pine, Oregon. After a weekend in Bend, Oregon, we were on our way home to Reno. The more direct path home was straight ahead, through Klamath Falls. The scenic route, though, was a left turn onto Highway 31, which would take us to Highway 395, my favorite road in the universe.
• ＄Op-Ed: Why the California ‘mission bell’ road markers must come down (Los Angeles Times). Few symbols in California are as ubiquitous as the roadside markers shaped like mission bells that flank state highways and the streets of coastal cities from San Diego to Sonoma along the so-called El Camino Real. They celebrate the Spanish mission system, which seized Indigenous lands and sought the elimination of tribal cultures, spiritual practices and ways of life. The bells must come down — and there are about 585 of them.
• CTC Allocates Funds for Road Repair on Central Coast (Santa Barbara Edhat). The California Transportation Commission (CTC) this week allocated $578 million for projects to repair and improve transportation infrastructure throughout the state. Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017, accounts for $317 million – more than half of the funding. “The CTC’s welcome decision to green light more than half a billion dollars to maintain and repair California’s aging transportation infrastructure is not only in keeping with our time-tested ‘fix-it-first’ strategy but also represents another big step to build and maintain a transportation system that serves all who travel in California, whether by foot, bicycle, bus, train or automobile,” said Caltrans Acting Director Steven Keck. Projects approved this week [along the Central Coast] include: …
• Numerous Traffic Projects Will Delay Tuolumne County Travelers (Mother Lode News). Following the arrival of Spring on Sunday, Caltrans will be doing numerous road projects that will cause delays next week in Tuolumne County. Work is planned on Highway 108 and 49. Below is a rundown of planned construction: Highway 108 will have one-way traffic control in one lane from the Hess Avenue under-crossing to Peaceful Oak Drive from Thursday, March 24 to Friday, March 25 from 6:00 AM to 6:00 PM for bridgework. Travelers should expect up to ten-minute delays and take alternate routes whenever possible.
• Funding approved to widen deadly stretch of Highway 41 between Fresno and Kings Counties (ABC30 Fresno). The California Transportation Commission has voted to approve funding that will widen a dangerous stretch of Highway 41 in Fresno County. In Fresno County, Highway 41 narrows down to one lane in each direction for a six-mile stretch between Elkhorn Avenue and Excelsior Avenue. Data shows that fatal crashes in that small section accounted for 35 percent of all deadly crashes on the highway in Fresno County from December 2011 to January 2020.
• Final design plans for Indianola undercrossing expected in May (Eureka Times-Standard). The final designs for proposed safety improvements at the Indianola Cutoff are expected in May. Jeff Pimentel, project manager for the Eureka-Arcata Corridor Improvement Project, told the Humboldt County Association of Governments at a Thursday meeting that the final plans for constructing an undercrossing at the exit off Highway 101 could be in as early as May 11. Caltrans expects to have a contractor hired by the end of the year if everything goes smoothly, he said. “We’re really trying to ensure that we get a full 2023 construction season,” Pimentel said.
• Caltrans announces temporary changes for Highway 99 (bakersfield.com). The California Department of Transportation announced a ramp closure Monday on Highway 178 and Highway 99, which is scheduled to start Tuesday night in Bakersfield, as part of ongoing construction on the Bakersfield 99 Rehab project. The southbound Highway 99 loop on-ramp from the westbound lanes of Highway 178 will be closed starting at 10 p.m. Tuesday through 5 a.m. Sunday. A posted detour will be available utilizing Buck Owens Boulevard and Airport Drive to enter the southbound lanes of Highway 99. Caltrans also announced a “traffic switch” for the northbound lanes of Highway 99 in Kern County for roadway construction operations.
• ＄ Tulare, Porterville benefit from millions in CalTrans road projects (Sun-Gazette). Last week the California Transportation Commission distributed over $500 million dollars for infrastructure projects throughout the state. About $40 million will be spent on projects in the Valley. The California Transportation Commission announced on March 18 that they’ll spend $587 million on roads. Most of the funding will come from Senate Bill 1, the Road repair and Accountability Act of 2017. In Tulare County, Sacramento plans to spend $29.8 million on a three mile roadway rehab project between Paige Avenue and the Prosperity Avenue overcrossing on Highway 99 in Tulare. This project will rehabilitate the roadway and drainage systems, upgrade lighting, replace signage, and improve the Transportation Management System. It will also allow for the enhancement of highway worker safety.
• I-5 Carpool/HOV Lanes (FB/District 11). Caltrans and SANDAG – San Diego Association of Governments Build NCC are proud to announce the opening of 9 new miles of Carpool/HOV Lanes on southbound I-5 from Palomar Airport Road in the @cityofCarlsbad to Lomas Santa Fe Drive in the @cityofsolanabeach on March 23.
• I-5 icon Harris Ranch changes to meet changing tastes (SF Gate). I live in a meatless home. There wasn’t any one thing that caused this to happen; I suppose it was a combination of one too many of everything. One too many Netflix documentaries. One too many New York Times infographics. One too many think pieces about how just that one hamburger is bringing an end to this whole human experiment faster and more effectively than just about any other little harmful move we’ve made.
• ＄ Pedestrian-friendly upgrades are set to start in Downtown Ramona –  (Ramona Sentinel / San Diego UT). Crosswalk and lighting upgrades are scheduled for Downtown Ramona this year through the Clean California project. The project will feature stamped asphalt crosswalks at Seventh and 10th streets that will look like reddish-brown brick paving stones outlined with a crosswalk delineation. The signal posts at the new crosswalks will be painted brown to adhere to the Ramona Village Center Form-Based Code guidelines. Caltrans designers worked closely with the Ramona Community Planning Group on the project’s details to ensure that the color and texture of the improvements complement the character of Downtown Ramona, said Caltrans Public Information Officer Cathryne Bruce-Johnson.
• ＄ Caltrans plans closure of EB I-80 exit, I-680 connecter in Fairfield (Solano Daily Republic). Caltrans has scheduled weekend closure of the eastbound Interstate 80 Green Valley Road exit and the connector ramp to Interstate 680. The ramps will be shut down from 9 p.m. Friday until 4 a.m. Monday as the Interstate 80/Interstate 680/Highway 12 Interchange Project continues. The closures will allow Caltrans to construct transition lanes and shoulders at the interchange. Caltrans said detours will be clearly marked. All work is weather-permitting.
• Nine miles of HOV lanes open on I-5 south in North County (KPBS Public Media). There are new HOV lanes on a nine-mile stretch of southbound Interstate 5, running from Palomar Airport Road in Carlsbad to Lomas Santa Fe Drive in Solana Beach. These new lanes aim to reduce congestion and greenhouse gas emissions on the highway, while providing more travel options, according to Caltrans North Coast Corridor Director Allan Kosup. “Everyone gets a benefit. Even folks in the general purpose lanes see faster times,” he said.
• Hwy 1: temporary closure of Bixby Bridge for maintenance (Sacramento Bee). Heading north on Highway 1 soon? You’ll need to plan around some overnight closures of the landmark Bixby Bridge in Big Sur. Full shut-downs of traffic across the bridge start Monday, and will allow crews to continue some maintenance work on the concrete structure that was begun in July. The overnight closures will last through March 31.
• California groundbreaking set for largest wildlife crossing (ABC News). Groundbreaking is set for next month on what’s billed as the world’s largest wildlife crossing — a bridge over a major Southern California highway that will provide more room to roam for mountain lions and other animals hemmed in by urban sprawl. A ceremony marking the start of construction for the span over U.S. 101 near Los Angeles will take place on Earth Day, April 22, the National Wildlife Federation announced Thursday.
• Review: CalTrans and the Institute of Transportation Studies at UC Davis (ITS-Davis) Report That More Roads Mean More Traffic (Davis Vanguard). Empirical research shows that expanded roadway capacity attracts more vehicles. However, environmental impact assessments of roadway expansion projects often ignore, underestimate, or mis-estimate this induced travel effect and overestimate potential congestion relief benefits. A very recent ITS-Davis presentation on September 29, 2021 covered an online tool developed by UC Davis to facilitate estimation of induced vehicle travel impacts of roadway capacity expansion projects. For more information email kevin.k.chen@dot.ca.gov.
• Caltrans replaces Butte County bridge with SB 1 funds (Lake County News). Caltrans announced Monday it has completed construction of the new Cottonwood Creek Bridge in Butte County. The $15.3 million project includes $3.2 million in funding from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. The new bridge, located on State Route 99 north of the Thermalito Afterbay reservoir, replaces an aging structure damaged by erosion. Over the years, swiftly moving water from Cottonwood Creek removed sediment around the bridge piers, compromising the integrity of the structure.
• Roundabout to be added west of Porterville (Porterville Recorder). The California Transportation Commission recently green lighted the addition of a roundabout on Highway 190 west of Porterville. The roundabout will be added at the intersection of Road 208, the Rockford Road, and Highway 190. The commission allocated $4.4 million for the roundabout to be constructed about four miles west of Porterville. The $4.4 million was allocated as part of nearly $600 million that was allocated by the commission last week for road projects across the state. The funding comes from Senate Bill 1, which sets aside funding from such sources as the gas tax for road projects.
• ∅ Bruce Rayner: Highway 20, a scenic byway forgotten (The Union). Have many of you driven up Highway 20 recently? This used to be one of my looked forward to trips in the morning to ski or to shop in Reno. Not any more. Most is now a barren waste. It seems Caltrans in their wisdom reacted to the big Christmas storm where the road was blocked by snow and trees to clearing the sides of the road. This I was told by Caltrans. Apparently this program expanded to cutting down the forest in a swath of several hundred feet. It’s hard to believe any trees in that swath could be a threat to travel on the road, even during a snow storm. Apparently it was funded by an emergency grant for millions from the state.
• Caltrans Improves State Route 49 in Auburn (Caltrans). Caltrans announced today completion of a State Route (SR) 49 roadway rehabilitation and complete streets project in Auburn. The $47.4 million project included $4.7 million in funding from Senate Bill (SB) 1, the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017. An aerial drone photo showing a newly repaved and improved State Route 49 in Auburn “This important SB 1 project will improve the road for the more than 42,000 motorists who travel this corridor daily between Auburn and Grass Valley,” said Caltrans District 3 Director Amarjeet S. Benipal. “This road rehabilitation and complete streets project provides a smoother ride for motorists and establishes a foundation for further upcoming pedestrian improvements from our local agency partners.” Caltrans began construction on the rehabilitation project in August 2019 and improved a 4.4-mile segment of SR 49 between the Interstate 80/SR 49 separation and Dry Creek Road. Crews rehabilitated pavement and drainage, installed new traffic signals at Shale Ridge Road and Locksley Lane, and upgraded pedestrian and Class II bicycle facilities. Sidewalks and curbs along the project route were also upgraded to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
• Caltrans-Owned Homes Tenants Victorious in Court Decision That Has Statewide Implications (Pasadena Now). Three women tenants who sued Caltrans over the sale price of their homes have won their appeal. Angela Flores, Marysia Wojick, and Priscela Izquierdo claimed that Caltrans’ imposed an “inflation-adjusted price” on low-income tenants seeking to purchase their homes in the defunk 710 Freeway corridor. The state seized homes in Pasadena, South Pasadena and El Sereno more than 50 years ago for a now-defunct freeway extension.
• Work resuming on Highway 32 intersection improvements near Chico State (Lake County News). Caltrans is alerting motorists and residents that construction is scheduled to resume Monday, April 4, on an intersection and roadway project on State Route 32/Nord Avenue near California State University, Chico. Construction crews will be working during weekday daytime and nighttime hours and on occasional Saturdays between West Sacramento Avenue east and West Sacramento Avenue west through mid-July. Traffic-interfering work will be restricted to the overnight hours. Residents in the area may hear loud construction noise, including OSHA-required vehicle backup warning alarms, during nighttime roadwork.

Gribblenation Blog (Tom Fearer)

• The 1935-1963 Los Angeles-Redlands Corridor of former US Route 99 (GN). US Route 99 in the Los Angeles-Redlands corridors was originally aligned on a multiplex of US Route 66 from Pasadena east to San Bernardino via Legislative Route Number 9. During September of 1934 the American Association of State Highway Officials approved a request from the California Highway Commission to move US Route 99 onto a new alignment in the Los Angeles-Redlands corridor following the recently extended Legislative Route Number 26. This blog explores the alignment of US Route 99 in the Los Angeles-Redlands corridor from 1935 to 1963 when the highway was truncated to the end of the Golden State Freeway. Featured as the blog cover is the Arroyo Seco Parkway as seen in the January/February 1944 California Highways & Public Works shortly after it had been extended from Avenue 22 to downtown Los Angeles during December 1943.
• The Arroyo Seco Parkway and early terminus points of US Route 66 in Los Angeles (Update) (FB/GN). We recently updated the Gribblenation blog pertaining to the Arroyo Seco Parkway and early terminus history of US Route 66. The idea with this update was to streamline the chain of events pertaining to the history of the western terminus of US Route 66 (US 66) in Los Angeles and the development of the Arroyo Seco Parkway. That being said, I’d like to put the timeline of the movements of western terminus of US 66 in Los Angeles to the road community to help fill in the gap between late 1931 and 1934. Any information anyone has pertaining to 1931-1934 era of US 66 in Los Angeles would highly desirable. The events below are a summary of what is contained in the blog sourced from; the AASHO Minutes, California State Highway Engineer communications, the California Highways & Public Works and Los Angeles City Council minutes:
• Former US Route 40 in Auburn (GN). Auburn is the Placer County Seat and is located in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains near the North Fork American River. Auburn has been home to numerous historic highway designations such as the North Lincoln Highway, Victory Highway and US Route 40. The focus of this blog is on the evolution of US Route 40 in Auburn from a surface highway into the freeway which would become Interstate 80. The blog photo above was featured as the cover of the January/February 1948 California Highways & Public Works which shows the US Route 40 bypass of Auburn at Lincoln Way. Below 1944 United States Geological Survey shows US 40 westbound aligned through Auburn following: Lincoln Way, Elm Avenue, High Street, Lincoln Way and Ophir Road.
• The Terminal Island Freeway (California State Route 103 and California State Route 47) (GN). The Terminal Island Freeway is a 3.1-mile freeway extending from Seaside Boulevard on Terminal Island north to Willow Street in the city of Long Beach. The Terminal Island Freeway was constructed by the California Division of Highways at the behest of United States Navy for access to the numerous Naval facilities once present on Terminal Island. The Terminal Island Freeway is carried by California State Route 47 north from Seaside Avenue to Henry Ford Avenue, California State Route 103 north to California State Route 1 at Pacific Coast Highway and under local maintenance north to Willow Street in Long Beach. Despite being maintained locally north of California State Route 1 the Terminal Island Freeway is signed as California State Route 103 north to Willow Street. Featured as the blog cover is the Terminal Island Freeway approaching the Cerritos Channel Lift Bridge as seen in the September/October 1948 California Highways & Public Works.
• When did people begin to refer to the “Ridge Route” as “The Grapevine?” (former US Route 99 and Interstate 5) (GN). The segment of US Route 99 from Los Angeles north to Bakersfield was traditionally known in State Highway documents as the “Ridge Route.” Even as the Ridge Route was transitioning from curvy mountain grade to the facility now occupied by Interstate 5nthe name largely persisted in California Highways & Public Works documents. During modern times the name “Ridge Route” has be usurped in popular lexicon in favor to the nickname known as “The Grapevine.” This blog will attempt to decipher the origins of “The Grapevine” and how it came into popular use today. Featured as the blog cover photo is a view of Interstate 5 in Grapevine Canyon and former US Route 99 at Deadman’s Curve of the Ridge Route.
• Former US Route 60-70 on Jack Rabbit Trail (GN). When US Route 60 was extended into California during the early 1930s it was aligned towards a terminus in Los Angeles. From Beaumont US Route 60 followed the original Jack Rabbit Trail west through the Moreno Valley Badlands via Legislative Route Number 19 towards Riverside. The original Jack Rabbit Trail was a narrow and inadequate roadway which was replaced by a modernized grade during mid-1930s which is still in use as part of California State Route 60. For a brief time, US Route 70 multiplexed US Route 60 via Jack Rabbit Trail in its first route description upon being extended to California. Above as the blog cover is a view on Jack Rabbit Trail facing eastward into the Moreno Valley Badlands. Below is a snipped image from the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Riverside County which depicted US Route 60 and US Route 70 in the Moreno Valley Badlands on Jackrabbit Trail.