Northbound California 99 approaches Riego Road (signalized intersection). Photo taken 09/04/10.
Meeting Riego Road, northbound California 99 continues north as an at-grade expressway with traffic signals. Photo taken 09/04/10.
A California 99 north reassurance shield is posted after Riego Road. Photo taken 09/04/10.
The next intersection along northbound California 99 is with Sankey Road. Photo taken 09/04/10.
Resuming a freeway configuration, northbound California 99 next approaches Exit 316, Howsley Road (one mile). Photo taken 09/04/10.
Use Howsley Road east to Pleasant Grove. Photo taken 09/04/10.
Northbound California 99 meets Exit 316, Howsley Road. Photo taken 01/15/06.
Another at-grade intersection is located between Exits 316 and 319. This intersection connects California 99 with Catlett Road. Photo taken 01/15/06.
The next exit along California 99 north is Exit 319, Junction California 70 north to Marysville and Oroville. At one time, California 70 and California 99 were cosigned between Interstate 5 and the upcoming split at Exit 319, but the California 70 signs were removed or covered in the late 1990s. Photo taken 01/15/06.
A Pacific Gas & Electric power line passes over California 99 just before the California 70 split. Photos taken 09/04/10.
Northbound California 99 meets Exit 319, Junction Northbound California 70. California 70 roughly parallels California 99 to the east of the Feather River, while California 99 remains west of the Feather River. The Feather River is a major tributary of the Sacramento River. California 70 follows the north branch of the Feather River into the Sierra Nevada, following former Alternate U.S. 40 through the Feather River Canyon and ultimately to a junction with U.S. 395 just northwest of Reno, Nevada. Photos taken 09/04/10 and 01/15/06.
An Exit 319 gore point sign is posted at the separation between California 99 and California 70. Photo taken 09/04/10.
Continuing north, this view shows California 99 after Exit 319, the northbound California 70 split. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Two-lane California 99 continues as a busy highway after splitting off California 70. The next major intersection is with California 113, coming from Davis and Woodland and Interstate 5. California 113 carries a good amount of traffic itself, since it is a freeway between Davis and Woodland. A new four-lane expressway segment was built between Laurel Avenue and California 113, including a realignment of California 99 off of Garden Highway and Tudor Road that shortened the overall trip. This improvement was completed in 2010.1 Photo taken 01/20/03.
California 99 north and Former Alternate U.S. 40 east
Heading into the metropolitan Yuba City-Marysville area, California 99 widens into four lanes as it passes through a commercial area. This photo shows northbound California 99 approaching Junction California 20. Note the lack of a California 20 shield on the advance signs. Between 1954 and 1964, this section of California 99 was signed as Alternate U.S. 40. The alternate route then turns east via California 20 between Yuba City and Marysville. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Northbound California 99 meets California 20 at this signalized intersection. California 20 leads east into downtown Yuba City and Marysville, then continues into the foothills via Grass Valley/Nevada City. Turn right here for the continuation of former Alternate U.S. 40 east. Westbound California 20 crosses the Central Valley, passing south of the Sutter Buttes, then crossing the Sacramento River near Colusa. California 20 meets Interstate 5 at Williams, then enters the Coast Range, skirting the north shore of Clear Lake en route to Ukiah and Fort Bragg on the coast. Photo taken 01/20/03.
California 99 north
After passing California 20, northbound California 99 widens into a freeway. The first exit is Exit 342, Queens Avenue, in Yuba City. There are provisions to construct an interchange between California 99 and California 20 to the west of the current intersection, but no such construction has occurred. It is very clear as to how the road would connect to such an interchange as seen from southbound. According to Warren Jensen (12/19/03), "To my knowledge, there is no plan to create an interchange with California 20 in Yuba City. You mention the switch-back on the north side of the intersection, but to my knowledge, this was done because the freeway was aligned on the west side of Onstott Road north of California 20, whereas the highway south of California 20 had already been built on the east side of Onstott. The original California 99 followed Colusa Ave (California 20) into Yuba City at this point to Live Oak Boulevard about a mile into town, then turned northward. The present California 99 connects with old California 99 where it crosses the railroad track between Yuba City and Live Oak. When this was all U.S. 99E, the highway followed Live Oak Boulevard south to Yuba City, then turned toward Marysville, instead of toward the current California 99. I don't know when the current California 99 south of California 20 was constructed." Photo taken 01/20/03.
Northbound California 99 meets Exit 342, Queens Avenue, in Yuba City. Photo taken 01/20/03.
The next exit along California 99 north is Exit 344, Eager Road, one-half mile. Photo taken 01/20/03.
This section of freeway ends a few miles north of Yuba City, as northbound California 99 reverts to a busy, two-lane highway at the point where it merges with Old U.S. 99E/Live Oak Boulevard. Photo taken 01/20/03.
After the intersection with Old U.S. 99E/Live Oak Boulevard, California 99 continues north as a two-lane highway. The next signed intersection is with Kent Avenue, which travels north while California 99 aims northwest. Photo taken 05/24/08.
California 99 enters the city of Live Oak, which had a population of 8,392 as of the 2010 Census and was incorporated on January 22, 1947. Photo taken 01/20/03.
California 99 passes through orchards before reaching the urbanized areas of the city of Live Oak. Photo taken 05/24/08.
Northbound California 99 approaches Ash Street (right turn), followed by Birch Street (second right turn) and a connector road that links California 99 to southbound Larkin Road (left turn) in Live Oak. This connector road merely carries traffic across the railroad tracks that parallel California 99 just west of here. Photo taken 05/24/08.
The next right turn connects to Archer Avenue east and Larkin Road north. Photo taken 05/24/08.
Northbound California 99 (old U.S. 99E) meets Pennington Road in downtown Live Oak. On the southeast corner of this intersection is the Live Oak city hall. Turn left for Pennington Road west to the Gray Lodge Wildlife Area in Butte County. Turn right for Pennington Road east to the Live Oak Recreation Area for camping and boating. Photo taken 05/24/08.
Leaving Live Oak, this mileage sign along California 99 north provides the distance to Gridley (five miles), Chico (34 miles), and Red Bluff (75 miles). Photo taken 05/24/08.
Northbound California 99 approaches Riviera Road and will soon leave Sutter County and enter Butte County. Photo taken 05/24/08.
Footnotes:
Caltrans Journal 2010-2011 Annual Report: Caltrans Extends a Thank You
to Those Who Served (Issue 2) - Excerpt of note: "The $54.8 million Tudor Bypass, a new four-lane expressway that serves some 17,000 commuters, opened on SR-99 south of Yuba City. Even as the bypass was being completed, construction engineers from Caltrans District 3's north region thought about recycling the old highway for other projects. Instead of hauling away excess base material to the landfill, engineers stockpiled it for use on a future interchange on Highway 99 at SR-113. Such 'out of the box' thinking could save taxpayers substantial future costs."
