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[TheStranger]

I'm doing a roadtrip to SoCal in a few days and am planning to really give it a bit of a roadgeek angle, and am wondering...

Here's what I know so far as the surface street route of 101 going southwards to Anaheim (as there will be a Disneyland visit within the weekend).  Are there any spots I've missed here?  

Starting in SF...

- Van Ness Avenue south to the Civic Center area

- Original routing until mid-1930s: Market Street, Valencia Street, then Mission Street south to Daly City

- 1930-1964 routing: One-way pair of Fell Street/10th Street and Hayes Street/9th Street southeast to Potrero Avenue, Potrero Avenue south to Army (Cesar Chavez) Street, Bayshore Boulevard from there south to Alemany Boulevard, Alemany Boulevard southwest to San Jose Avenue, San Jose Avenue (including current Route 82) south to Daly City

- In Daly City south to San Jose, Route 82, with two exceptions:
1. Mission Road in Colma/South San Francisco as the route before the mid-1930s
2. In San Jose, instead of the right turn to Montgomery Street at San Jose Arena, US 101 southbound continued northeast along West Santa Clara Street, then picked up Market Street southbound there

- Past the end of Route 82, Monterey Road/Business US 101 south through Coyote, Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy back to US 101.  Not sure if Monterey Street between that US 101 interchange and Bolsa Road (old Route 25?) is part of the old alignment, or new frontage road.

- Short segment of Old Monterey Road south of Gilroy (as shown on Google Maps)

- According to a recent update on CAHighways, http://cahighways.org/097-104.html#101 - San Juan Grade Road in San Juan Bautista may be part of the very earliest alignment of 101

- US 101 between south of Gilroy, through Prunedale, to Espinosa Road in north Salinas probably is still the original alignment

- Main Street from Russell Road/Espinosa Road south through Salinas to downtown, then the one-way pair of Salinas and Monterey Streets to Route 68

- Route 68 in Salinas from Monterey Street east to Abbott Street

- Abbott Street (Business US 101) south out of town back to US 101

- Alta Street in Gonzales (a business route?) from US 101 Exit 312 to US 101 Exit 310

- Front Street (Business US 101) in Soledad from US 101 Exit 303 to US 101 Exit 302

- El Camino Real in Greenfield from US 101 Exit 295 south back to US 101

- Broadway northeast from US 101 Exit 282A and 1st Street southeast in King City to US 101 Exit 281

- Cattlemen Road southeast from US 101 Exit 278 through San Lucas to US 101 at Exit 263 (old alignment still visible at the exit)

- Bradley Road between US 101 Exit 251 and Exit 245

- Mission Street in San Miguel between US 101 Exit 241A and Exit 239B

- Spring Street (Business US 101) in Paso Robles from US 101 Exit 232 south back to US 101/Route 46 south of town

- Main Street in Templeton from US 101 Exit 226 south to Exit 224 (Main Street south of Vineyard Road deadends)

- El Camino Real from San Ramon Road exit southeast through Atascadero, to Route 58 in Santa Margarita

- Route 58 in Santa Margarita west back to US 101 Exit 211

- two old alignments of US 101, according to Google Maps, in the Los Padres National Forest

- Monterey Street southwest from US 101 Exit 204 in San Luis Obispo, into town

- One-way pair of Marsh and Higuera Streets to Archer Street through San Luis Obispo

- Higuera Street south of Archer Street to US 101 Exit 198

- Shell Beach Road from Avila Beach exit south to Price Street

- Price Street through Pismo Beach back to US 101

- El Camino Real from US 101 Exit 189 to Route 227/Grand Avenue in Arroyo Grande

- Grand Avenue and Traffic Way back to US 101 in Arroyo Grande

- Thompson Avenue from US 101 Exit 182 southeast through Nipomo to Route 166 (note that Hulton Road southwest of Route 166 leads to the foundations of the abandoned US 101 bridge)

- Route 135 through Santa Maria and Los Alamos  (1940s/1950s alignment returned to current US 101 via Santa Maria Way/Business US 101) - is original alignment Orcutt Road and Graciosa Road through Orcutt?

- Avenue of The Flags in Buellton from north of town at the US 101 exit, to US 101 Exit 139 south of town

- Old Coast Highway/La Lata Place south of Buellton

- Hollister Avenue from US 101/Route 1 Exit 110 east through Goleta to State Street and Route 154

- State Street east into Santa Barbara, not clear what the routing is through central SB

- Old Coast Highway east of Salinas Street to Hot Springs Road

- Carpenteria Avenue from US 101 Exit 87B to Exit 84

- Old Pacific Coast Highway at the Richfield Pier

- Old Rincon Highway northwest of US 101 Exit 78

- Route 1 from US 101 Exit 78 south back to US 101

- Main Street through Ventura from US 101/Route 1 east to Telephone Road (near Route 126)

- Ventura Boulevard in the San Fernando Valley from Mulholland Drive east to Lankershim Boulevard

- Cahuenga Boulevard southeast towards Hollywood.

The historic routing through LA to Whittier Boulevard seems ambiguous in 1933, but somewhat clearer in 1942:
http://members.cox.net/mkpl2/hist/droz-laca33n.jpg
http://members.cox.net/mkpl2/hist/droz-laca42.jpg

so based on the 1942 map...

- Sunset Boulevard from Cahuenga Boulevard east to Figueroa Street

- Cesar Chavez Avenue (formerly Sunset Boulevard and Macy Avenue) east from Figueroa Street to the Los Angeles River

- Boyle Avenue through Boyle Heights to Whittier Boulevard.

- Whittier Boulevard southeast (Route 72) to La Habra

- Harbor Boulevard south to La Palma Park (near Route 91 Exit 28)

- La Palma Parkway to Anaheim Boulevard

- Anaheim Boulevard to the one-way pair of Anaheim Way/Manchester Avenue

- Orangewood Avenue east across the Santa Ana River to Main Street in Orange (or is this Chapman Avenue?)

- Main Street south to I-5 Exit 105B

Past Anaheim, the routing gets a bit muddy....

- Main Street south past I-5 into Santa Ana, to 1st Street

- 1st Street east to El Camino Real in Tustin

- El Camino Real southeast from Tustin towards Route 261 in Irvine...where the route from there to about Mission Viejo (at Camino Capistrano) is probably subsumed by I-5 at that point.

[mapman]

- Past the end of Route 82, Monterey Road/Business US 101 south through Coyote, Morgan Hill, San Martin, and Gilroy back to US 101.  Not sure if Monterey Street between that US 101 interchange and Bolsa Road (old Route 25?) is part of the old alignment, or new frontage road.

I'm thinking not, because of the sharp 90-degree turn Bolsa Road makes when it approaches Carnadero Creek.  It also seems to line up rather well with Mesa Road, and existing at-grade intersection with US 101 south of Gilroy.

A couple of other roadways between Gilroy and San Juan Bautista that I've suspected were old sections of US 101 include these (but I've never done any formal research):

- Betabel Road and Y Road -- Both are frontage roads to US 101 in northern San Benito County.  Betabel Road lines up with Old Monterey Road at the Pajaro River, and Y Road lines up with San Juan Highway near the San Benito River.  Both older bridges over the two rivers are now gone, but you can drive up to either riverbank via these roads.  Betabel and Y Roads have their own exit off of US 101 just south of the Santa Clara/San Benito County Line.

- San Juan Road -- this is the back way into San Juan Bautista.  You can access it via the CA 129 exit (just after crossing the San Benito River).  You can also access a stub of Y Road from this exit.

- The Alameda -- this roadway in southern San Juan Bautista would have been the connection to San Juan Grade Road.

- Main Street from Russell Road/Espinosa Road south through Salinas to downtown, then the one-way pair of Salinas and Monterey Streets to Route 68

Note that if you want to access the northern end of Main Street from US 101 south, you'll have to use the Boronda Road exit -- left turns are banned from southbound US 101 to Russell Road.  Also note that the Main Street exit from US 101 south will only take you southward on Main Street, towards downtown Salinas. 

[TheStranger]

Mapman, thanks for the pointers  I was actually down in Salinas about four months ago so I did go through a significant portion of Main Street (as well as John Street/Route 68), but didn't know that you couldn't make a left onto Russell to get to that first part of Main.  I assume the business route begins at the Boronda exit...

I think it was on Faigin's site, not sure, but I DID see someone use old topographical maps to suggest that indeed, San Juan Road et al. was the original 101 in San Juan Bautista.

Also, here's a fascinating little document of the historic Los Angeles/Orange routing, on AARoads itself:
http://www.aaroads.com/california/us-101hd_ca.html

And a really good site documenting a lot of the bypassed Salinas Valley segments (i.e. Cattlemen Road) - http://www.historic101.com/

[mapman]

You're welcome.  As part of my job, I visit the various communities in San Benito, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties on a semi-regular basis.  I also live in Gilroy, so I'm aware of the South Bay, too.

The two web sites you mention do discuss some interesting history of US 101.   I'm glad that the Historical 101 page has pictures of the First Street bridge over San Lorenzo Creek in King City. That bridge was replaced in 2009, as the old bridge was in danger of failing.

[TheStranger]

You're welcome.  As part of my job, I visit the various communities in San Benito, Monterey, and San Luis Obispo Counties on a semi-regular basis.  I also live in Gilroy, so I'm aware of the South Bay, too.

I grew up in South San Francisco about a mile from El Camino Real so I've spent countless times on the arterial.  I don't think I've ever done the entirety of Route 82 in one trip, though I've come close several times.

The two web sites you mention do discuss some interesting history of US 101.   I'm glad that the Historical 101 page has pictures of the First Street bridge over San Lorenzo Creek in King City. That bridge was replaced in 2009, as the old bridge was in danger of failing.

Does the new bridge resemble the old one in design?

[TheStranger]

Here's something new: a 1944 map of Santa Barbara, showing the routing was not straight down on Hollister like I had assumed!

http://www.americanroads.us/citymaps/1944CaStateMapSantaBarbara.png

[agentsteel53]

huh.  I wonder if it was down Hollister, at the very beginning?  Seems like the 1944 route would have started as a truck bypass of downtown and then the main road was routed down it once traffic started getting busy.

[Bickendan]

Here's something new: a 1944 map of Santa Barbara, showing the routing was not straight down on Hollister like I had assumed!

http://www.americanroads.us/citymaps/1944CaStateMapSantaBarbara.png

Is that a Thomas Bros. map? Kinda looks like it...

[TheStranger]

Here's something new: a 1944 map of Santa Barbara, showing the routing was not straight down on Hollister like I had assumed!

http://www.americanroads.us/citymaps/1944CaStateMapSantaBarbara.png

Is that a Thomas Bros. map? Kinda looks like it...

Actually, no, that's an official California state map from that era.  Some more examples can be found at...

http://www.americanroads.us/citymaps/California.html