Something I never realized until today, but US 40 deviated from its precursor, the Victory Highway, within California. While the Victory Highway approached the East Bay on today's 160, via the Antioch Bridge, US 40 used the route through Davis, Fairfield and Richmond to reach the Berkeley Pier.
Since there seem to be relatively few inconsistencies between US 40 and the Victory Highway in other states, I'm curious if anyone had any thoughts on why this deviation exists. Was it just because of the decision to route it to the ferry at Berkeley instead of at Oakland (and was that lobbying on the part of the ferry company)? Or was there some concern about the levee roads in the Delta?
Also, I wasn't able to get a clear idea on the route US 40 followed pre-Bay Bridge within San Francisco. Columbus to Kearny?
US 40 probably didn't follow anything in Frisco pre-Bay Bridge. Nothing was state maintained, at least.
USends has US 40 ending in Oakland until the Bay Bridge opened:
http://www.usends.com/40.html
They even got a Bay Area page:
http://www.usends.com/bay-area.html
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 29, 2016, 09:50:20 PM
USends has US 40 ending in Oakland until the Bay Bridge opened:
http://www.usends.com/40.html
They even got a Bay Area page:
http://www.usends.com/bay-area.html
That's very different from the story on the old site, so it makes me realize that I may have to just look into this myself.
Quote
Originally the west end of US 40 was in Berkeley CA. From the Berkeley Pier drivers could board the ferry that went to San Francisco. But that wasn't the terminus for very long: in 1934 the US 40 designation was extended to US 101 in San Francisco; you can view photos from there on this page.
This from the cached version of the old site: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:txbjYFcTHu8J:www.usends.com/40-49/040/040.html+&cd=1&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
And the San Francisco page referenced there: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:4GlVdd8HwRAJ:www.usends.com/Focus/SanFran/index.html+&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us
I thought that site had been shut down and was no longer available. Is someone else writing their content now?
Very interesting. I'm fascinated with the original routes US highways 40 & 50 took through the Bay Area.
When I visited the Bay and Sacramento during the summer, we took CA 160 back from Sacramento all the way until its terminus at CA 4 in Antioch, which we took back towards the Bay. It was a beautiful road and a wonderful drive that I enjoyed thoroughly, but the highway crisscrosses the Sacramento River at least 3-4 times throughout the delta. It didn't feel much like a direct route, although we did enjoy the drive and stopping in towns along the way, like Pittsburgh.
I wonder if that's why US 40 deviated from Victory Highway - in order to take a more direct route (by some people's perceptions) to Berkeley through Davis, Fairfield, and Richmond - instead of zigzagging across the river through the delta?
By the way, I have another related question.
If US 40 followed Davis, Fairfield, and Richmond to reach Berkeley, what route did US 50 take, and how did it reach the bay? Did it hit the water further south, at Oakland? I've read that US 50 followed the current 580 alignment, but I thought 580 hits the water further north? That has always confused me. I have discovered that present I-80 follows more of what was the old US 40 alignment, but where then, did US 50 hit the water?
Quote from: Hiroshi66 on November 30, 2016, 12:29:40 PM
If US 40 followed Davis, Fairfield, and Richmond to reach Berkeley, what route did US 50 take, and how did it reach the bay? Did it hit the water further south, at Oakland? I've read that US 50 followed the current 580 alignment, but I thought 580 hits the water further north? That has always confused me. I have discovered that present I-80 follows more of what was the old US 40 alignment, but where then, did US 50 hit the water?
http://www.usends.com/50.html
US 50 was not an original route to the Bay Area. IIRC it originally ended in Sacramento ca. 1930:
http://www.usends.com/uploads/7/5/0/3/75032313/1859061_orig.jpg
According to the USEnds page, it was extended to Hayward in 1932. This consisted of...
- a concurrency with US 99 to Stockton, which would exist until the very late 1960s
- taking over what had been assigned as US 99W briefly in the early 1930s from Stockton to Tracy (today's I-5 corridor)
- taking over the former US 48 west to Hayward (today's I-205 and I-580 corridors)
US 48 originally went to San Jose according to maps but I am not sure if this was ever signed.
By the mid-1930s, US 50 continued from Hayward northwest along what would later become MacArthur Boulevard, continuing west to US 40 past Oakland, at which point both routes used a ferry crossing to the San Francisco Ferry Building. Before the Bay Bridge existed, 40 and 50 used Market Street for about a year or two to continue on to a terminus at US 101 (10th Street at the time). Once the Bay Bridge was built, 40 and 50 used it until the mid-1960s, with the pre-freeway terminus in SF being at 10th and Harrison.
In the early 1960s, US 50 and I-5W (I-580's predecessor designation) were concurrent along the MacArthur Freeway, and for a time I-580 and US 50 were signed together in Oakland.
Quote from: TheStranger on November 30, 2016, 12:50:48 PM
Quote from: Hiroshi66 on November 30, 2016, 12:29:40 PM
If US 40 followed Davis, Fairfield, and Richmond to reach Berkeley, what route did US 50 take, and how did it reach the bay? Did it hit the water further south, at Oakland? I've read that US 50 followed the current 580 alignment, but I thought 580 hits the water further north? That has always confused me. I have discovered that present I-80 follows more of what was the old US 40 alignment, but where then, did US 50 hit the water?
http://www.usends.com/50.html
US 50 was not an original route to the Bay Area. IIRC it originally ended in Sacramento ca. 1930:
http://www.usends.com/uploads/7/5/0/3/75032313/1859061_orig.jpg
According to the USEnds page, it was extended to Hayward in 1932. This consisted of...
- a concurrency with US 99 to Stockton, which would exist until the very late 1960s
- taking over what had been assigned as US 99W briefly in the early 1930s from Stockton to Tracy (today's I-5 corridor)
- taking over the former US 48 west to Hayward (today's I-205 and I-580 corridors)
US 48 originally went to San Jose according to maps but I am not sure if this was ever signed.
By the mid-1930s, US 50 continued from Hayward northwest along what would later become MacArthur Boulevard, continuing west to US 40 past Oakland, at which point both routes used a ferry crossing to the San Francisco Ferry Building. Before the Bay Bridge existed, 40 and 50 used Market Street for about a year or two to continue on to a terminus at US 101 (10th Street at the time). Once the Bay Bridge was built, 40 and 50 used it until the mid-1960s, with the pre-freeway terminus in SF being at 10th and Harrison.
In the early 1960s, US 50 and I-5W (I-580's predecessor designation) were concurrent along the MacArthur Freeway, and for a time I-580 and US 50 were signed together in Oakland.
Thank you so much for the helpful information. You did answer my question, and I always wondered which of the two US highways used the Bay Bridge in the early 1960s right after it was built. I thought it was US 40, but interesting that US 50 also used it - with the two routes being cosigned on the Bay Bridge until 1964 (I presume).
I am under the impression that I-80 is the "heir" of US 40 and so it seems fitting that I-80 now uses the Bay Bridge. My presumption that US 50 (like I-580 now does) ended in San Rafael was wrong. Thanks for clearing it up!
A pic of the Hyde Street Pier:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwebbie1.sfpl.org%2Fmultimedia%2Fsfphotos%2FAAC-2256.jpg&hash=3b65ccba4d95f5f3b02f6fadf02a2e013db5fdf2)
The post-40 but pre-Bay Bridge Caltrans maps show the Berkeley to Hyde Street ferry as well.
I was just asking because those same maps show it jumping over to Van Ness, but other stuff online (mainly the old 40 page on usends.com) make it sound like it didn't join 101 there but, instead, got to Market Street some other way.
Quote from: coatimundi on November 30, 2016, 01:55:53 PM
A pic of the Hyde Street Pier:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwebbie1.sfpl.org%2Fmultimedia%2Fsfphotos%2FAAC-2256.jpg&hash=3b65ccba4d95f5f3b02f6fadf02a2e013db5fdf2)
The post-40 but pre-Bay Bridge Caltrans maps show the Berkeley to Hyde Street ferry as well.
I was just asking because those same maps show it jumping over to Van Ness, but other stuff online (mainly the old 40 page on usends.com) make it sound like it didn't join 101 there but, instead, got to Market Street some other way.
So does this mean 40 ended at US 101 in the Fisherman's Wharf area? IIRC, the Macarthur Boulevard corridor in Oakland that became US 50 was originally US 101E (which I had recalled crossed over from the East Bay to SF via Hyde Street Pier)
I still need to find the one map I saw which had 40 and 50 on Market Street from the Ferry Building southwest (which I had referenced earlier in the thread)
Quote from: Hiroshi66You did answer my question, and I always wondered which of the two US highways used the Bay Bridge in the early 1960s right after it was built. I thought it was US 40, but interesting that US 50 also used it - with the two routes being cosigned on the Bay Bridge until 1964 (I presume).
I am under the impression that I-80 is the "heir" of US 40 and so it seems fitting that I-80 now uses the Bay Bridge. My presumption that US 50 (like I-580 now does) ended in San Rafael was wrong.
The route going to San Rafael is former Route 17 (which also encompasses post-1984 I-880 in its entirety), of which only the segment from I-280 to Santa Cruz remains with that number.
I HAVE seen one photo of the San Francisco Skyway ca. 1962 somewhere where the back of a I-80/US 40/US 50 trailblazer assembly is pretty apparent. Been a while since I came across that
Quote from: TheStranger on November 30, 2016, 03:21:01 PM
So does this mean 40 ended at US 101 in the Fisherman's Wharf area? IIRC, the Macarthur Boulevard corridor in Oakland that became US 50 was originally US 101E (which I had recalled crossed over from the East Bay to SF via Hyde Street Pier)
I still need to find the one map I saw which had 40 and 50 on Market Street from the Ferry Building southwest (which I had referenced earlier in the thread)
No, I totally believe that.
From what I'm getting from what I'm finding out there: 40 initially ended in Oakland, but was then extended into SF by a ferry that went into a pier by the Ferry Building. However, just before the Bay Bridge was built, it was moved over to the Berkeley Pier. And that's partially what I was questioning: why do that? I would guess it was just some sort of political move, where the ferry company that operated the Oakland - SF route didn't give enough of a kickback, or the Berkeley - SF gave a better deal. I just don't know enough about the history of the ferries. Were those owned by the same company?
This map from 1933 is interesting in this context:
https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ca/traveler/2001-03/bay_area.html
(https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ca/traveler/2001-03/bay_area_1933.jpg)
US 50 and US 101E concurrent on an alignment a bit west of today's MacArthur route?! The future Bay Bridge and MacArthur Maze are shown as proposed on here, but what is somewhat unclear is 40 crossing the Bay and 101 through SF city limits.
Quote from: TheStranger on December 01, 2016, 01:57:40 AM
This map from 1933 is interesting in this context:
https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ca/traveler/2001-03/bay_area.html
US 50 and US 101E concurrent on an alignment a bit west of today's MacArthur route?! The future Bay Bridge and MacArthur Maze are shown as proposed on here, but what is somewhat unclear is 40 crossing the Bay and 101 through SF city limits.
If you go by the red lines within the city of San Francisco, I'd say US 101 followed Mission to Market to Van Ness to Bay to Hyde and then a ferry ride across the bay to Sausalito.
Quote from: myosh_tino on December 01, 2016, 01:32:15 PM
Quote from: TheStranger on December 01, 2016, 01:57:40 AM
This map from 1933 is interesting in this context:
https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ca/traveler/2001-03/bay_area.html
US 50 and US 101E concurrent on an alignment a bit west of today's MacArthur route?! The future Bay Bridge and MacArthur Maze are shown as proposed on here, but what is somewhat unclear is 40 crossing the Bay and 101 through SF city limits.
If you go by the red lines within the city of San Francisco, I'd say US 101 followed Mission to Market to Van Ness to Bay to Hyde and then a ferry ride across the bay to Sausalito.
It really bothers me that those Shell maps used red for a general classification of street as opposed to a highway designation. It makes following the highway path really difficult.
I found the metadata for that image I posted from the SFPL collection, and it's dated December 9, 1931.
I mean, I've always assumed that there were instances, especially in the infant days of the US highway system and within urban areas, where the routing was just unclear. This may be a case of that. I don't know why it would switch from Berkeley to Oakland, then back to Oakland for the Bay Bridge. Maybe there was no 40 within SF here, and the sign is just pointing for a way to reach 40.
Oh, and here's other cool stuff about the ferry:
Dated June 25, 1937:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwebbie1.sfpl.org%2Fmultimedia%2Fsfphotos%2FAAC-2253.jpg&hash=d032c0e7cc4552d0a19628fef2b75677fa2be128)
Dated June 2, 1938:
(https://www.aaroads.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwebbie1.sfpl.org%2Fmultimedia%2Fsfphotos%2FAAC-2255.jpg&hash=a0c3843ab9a1ad3fb08b5c272d1b576a1d3ae0e0)
The articles I've seen about the Hyde Street to Berkeley Pier Ferry indicate that it ceased "a couple of years after the Bay Bridge was built," so that gives you a timeframe of about 11 months (although I guess it could have already been shut down in that first one).
Quote from: coatimundi on December 01, 2016, 01:48:50 PM
Maybe there was no 40 within SF here, and the sign is just pointing for a way to reach 40.
That's what I think, too. It seems similar to those "TO I-5" or "TO I-80" signs we see nowadays. You're not actually on the routes themselves yet, but if you continue heading in that direction, you will reach it.
Quote from: coatimundi on November 30, 2016, 12:33:44 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on November 29, 2016, 09:50:20 PM
USends has US 40 ending in Oakland until the Bay Bridge opened:
They even got a Bay Area page:
http://www.usends.com/bay-area.html
That's very different from the story on the old site, so it makes me realize that I may have to just look into this myself.
Yes: in April I found some additional historic maps and new information, so I revised the content at that time.
Quote from: coatimundi on November 30, 2016, 12:33:44 AM
I thought that site had been shut down and was no longer available. Is someone else writing their content now?
No, it's still me. Out of curiosity, what gave you the impression the site had been shut down?
Quote from: TheStranger on November 30, 2016, 03:21:01 PM
I still need to find the one map I saw which had 40 and 50 on Market Street from the Ferry Building southwest (which I had referenced earlier in the thread)
If you can find that, I would love to see it.
Quote from: myosh_tino on December 01, 2016, 01:32:15 PM
Quote from: TheStranger on December 01, 2016, 01:57:40 AM
This map from 1933 is interesting in this context:
https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/ca/traveler/2001-03/bay_area.html
US 50 and US 101E concurrent on an alignment a bit west of today's MacArthur route?! The future Bay Bridge and MacArthur Maze are shown as proposed on here, but what is somewhat unclear is 40 crossing the Bay and 101 through SF city limits.
If you go by the red lines within the city of San Francisco, I'd say US 101 followed Mission to Market to Van Ness to Bay to Hyde and then a ferry ride across the bay to Sausalito.
Based on this 1934 state highway map, looks like US 101W actually used Valencia Street (from Mission) to get to Market, then Van Ness.
http://www.americanroads.us/citymaps/1934CaStateMapSanFrancisco.png
(Left turns from Market to Van Ness have not been possible for years now though)
Quote from: usends on December 02, 2016, 12:04:44 PM
Yes: in April I found some additional historic maps and new information, so I revised the content at that time.
Question is: is your site the source for all the other stuff online that says the ferry from Berkeley carried US 40? I haven't found any citations for that specific piece of information on any of the sites that mention it.
Quote from: usends on December 02, 2016, 12:04:44 PM
Quote from: coatimundi on November 30, 2016, 12:33:44 AM
I thought that site had been shut down and was no longer available. Is someone else writing their content now?
No, it's still me. Out of curiosity, what gave you the impression the site had been shut down?
I think I read something about another site being closed on the General forum, saw USEnds mentioned there as well, conflated the two, then self-confirmed it when I hit the broken link through Google.
Quote from: coatimundi on December 02, 2016, 06:16:32 PM
Question is: is your site the source for all the other stuff online that says the ferry from Berkeley carried US 40? I haven't found any citations for that specific piece of information on any of the sites that mention it.
It's often difficult to find reliable information about highway routings in the late-1920s/early '30s timeframe, and I've certainly found that to be the case in the Bay area. In addition to the 1931 photo in this thread, there are other online photos of the Berkeley terminal and the Hyde Park terminal that show US 40 markers. So I think those are the sources of the notion that US 40 officially used that ferry line. However, I've since come to doubt that. For one thing, Jake sent me an old newspaper article showing that Caltrans didn't have responsibility for any roads in S.F. until 1933 (as NE2 already alluded to). So any US route signs at Hyde Park prior to that were unofficial... meaning they were probably put up by the ferry company, simply to let customers know "This ferry provides a connection to US 40".
A few other things to consider:
According to the old us-highways.com site, AASHO's 1927 route log had US 40 ending in Oakland, but by 1932 it had apparently been extended to S.F. I think it was about 1929 when US 101 was split into US 101E and US 101W. Whenever that happened, US 101E traffic must have been directed across the Bay somehow... and that might have been when US 40 traffic was also directed across the Bay. My hunch is that both US 101E and US 40 used the Oakland-Market Street ferry (rather than Berkeley-Hyde Park)... but frustratingly the 1933 map posted in this thread does not show which ferry terminal US 101E traffic was directed to. The 1935 map on my page (http://www.usends.com/bay-area.html) suggests all US routes used the Oakland-Market ferry. It would be interesting to see historic photos that show what kind of signage was at the Oakland and/or Market terminals during that timeframe.
Quote from: usends on December 03, 2016, 09:46:13 AM
For one thing, Jake sent me an old newspaper article showing that Caltrans didn't have responsibility for any roads in S.F. until 1933 (as NE2 already alluded to). So any US route signs at Hyde Park prior to that were unofficial... meaning they were probably put up by the ferry company, simply to let customers know "This ferry provides a connection to US 40".
I can't locate it, but did the Nov 11, 1926 AASHO list of US Highways show US 40 serving San Francisco or just Oakland?
Most road signs in California were placed by the two major automobile clubs in the starting in the 1900s and continuing into the 1920s and 1930s, in some cases before the state even took over maintenance of the roadway. I can't see the details of that Hyde Street Pier picture too well, but it's possible the logo at the bottom is one belonging to California State Automobile Association (CSAA). Maybe CSAA placed these markers to aid with traveler information. State maintenance did not necessary correspond to route signing back in these early days. I don't know if the US Ends site should correspond to private signage pointing the way to routes or if the site should only acknowledge state-placed and maintenance signage. California relied on private route markers for some time after other states moved toward public signage of routes.
Although this is probably too much information for the topic of where US 40 ends, here is a quote from the publication "The Spirit of the Road," which commemorates 100 Years of CSAA (page 41):
Quote... It was CSAA that pioneered the art of directional signs on California highways. Indeed, CSAA and its cousin, the Automobile Club of Southern California, were for many years to the official road-signing agencies for the state, absorbing the bulk of the considerable cost themselves. (In 1932, when the suggestion was floated that the state take over all road signing, CSAA's careful bookkeepers could report that the organization had spent $549,707.26 on road signing since October 1, 1923, when such figure began to be kept.) The first CSAA road sign was erected in 1908, at the corner of 19th Avenue and Parkside Boulevard in San Francisco. ... By 1937, Motor Land [magazine] could report that the organization had placed 135,000 signs throughout northern California. ... Signage remained a principal [sic] activity of CSAA until 1947, when the state finally decided to take over the job on state-managed roadways. A number of counties and cities asked CSAA to continue providing their signs, which it did until 1969, when it ceased signing activities altogether.
I think it's poignant to bring up this, regarding AAA's precursory organization's role in signage and, thus, where routes went. I mean, it's clear in early maps that highway designations just did not have the same weight that they do today. The employment of complex pre-routing directions ("follow the railroad tracks to the red barn, turn right until you reach the cemetery...") was probably still much more common than saying, simply, "Follow Route 40" simply because signage was much less consistent.
My point being that it is, really, a bit of a goose chase regarding the exact routing of US 40 within San Francisco. I realize I started this, but I also understood that the answer may not be so clear, and it obviously is not.
I wanted to get back to my OP though, regarding the discrepancies between the US 40 and Victory Highway routings? I am genuinely curious on this one, to know why places like Locke and Rio Vista got shafted once the modern highway came in.
Quote from: coatimundi on December 04, 2016, 04:15:48 PM
I wanted to get back to my OP though, regarding the discrepancies between the US 40 and Victory Highway routings? I am genuinely curious on this one, to know why places like Locke and Rio Vista got shafted once the modern highway came in.
Yes, that's quite interesting to think about, too. Was the current routing of CA 160 through the delta (which I believe the Victory Highway followed) considered not good enough for whatever reason? I do love that road, and it feels like I'm back in time. It's always my favorite way to get back from Sacramento to the East Bay - even if it's a major detour. But, you do criss-cross the river several times and I wonder if it was just easier for them to utilize another alignment when the modern highway came in?
For those who have taken 160, could you have seen this alignment being used for the modern highway?
Quote from: Hiroshi66 on December 09, 2016, 11:04:51 AM
For those who have taken 160, could you have seen this alignment being used for the modern highway?
I've done 160 (1934-1964 Route 24) numerous times on drives between Sacramento and the Bay Area and I can see why it was never designated as part of US 40 or any other higher-level numbered route:
- the river crossings involve very narrow two-lane bridges, at somewhat arbitrary points (there are times when taking county roads between two points along Route 160 is more logical than using the state-maintained crossings)
- while not the narrowest two lane road, certainly it isn't in a spot where much of it it can be widened at all, given the proximity of the river and of the levees that the route was built upon
- Route 160 does have a surprising amount of truck traffic...but very few opportunities for passing.
In addition, the US 40/modern I-80 route between Oakland and Sacramento seems to be a bit more direct, at 81 miles compared to the 24/680/242/4/160 route which is around 94 miles long.
Quote from: TheStranger on December 13, 2016, 05:29:57 AM
Quote from: Hiroshi66 on December 09, 2016, 11:04:51 AM
For those who have taken 160, could you have seen this alignment being used for the modern highway?
I've done 160 (1934-1964 Route 24) numerous times on drives between Sacramento and the Bay Area and I can see why it was never designated as part of US 40 or any other higher-level numbered route:
- the river crossings involve very narrow two-lane bridges, at somewhat arbitrary points (there are times when taking county roads between two points along Route 160 is more logical than using the state-maintained crossings)
- while not the narrowest two lane road, certainly it isn't in a spot where much of it it can be widened at all, given the proximity of the river and of the levees that the route was built upon
- Route 160 does have a surprising amount of truck traffic...but very few opportunities for passing.
In addition, the US 40/modern I-80 route between Oakland and Sacramento seems to be a bit more direct, at 81 miles compared to the 24/680/242/4/160 route which is around 94 miles long.
The old Antioch Bridge, a through-truss affair with a lift span (although somewhat high-rise) was one of the narrowest and spindliest bridges in my recall (used it several times in the late '60's and early 70's); I certainly approached it with a bit of fear! It would have been a disaster to include it as part of a main Sacramento-Bay Area arterial; while the original (and, for quite some time, privately owned) Carquinez span was no prize either, it was far superior (for the lack of a lift span alone!) to the old Antioch crossing.
Quote from: TheStranger on December 13, 2016, 05:29:57 AM
I've done 160 (1934-1964 Route 24) numerous times on drives between Sacramento and the Bay Area and I can see why it was never designated as part of US 40 or any other higher-level numbered route:
- the river crossings involve very narrow two-lane bridges, at somewhat arbitrary points (there are times when taking county roads between two points along Route 160 is more logical than using the state-maintained crossings)
- while not the narrowest two lane road, certainly it isn't in a spot where much of it it can be widened at all, given the proximity of the river and of the levees that the route was built upon
- Route 160 does have a surprising amount of truck traffic...but very few opportunities for passing.
In addition, the US 40/modern I-80 route between Oakland and Sacramento seems to be a bit more direct, at 81 miles compared to the 24/680/242/4/160 route which is around 94 miles long.
Totally agree with these points, especially the last one. 160 is great and very scenic, but at the end of the day, it isn't as direct (or quick) as the old US 40 routing. I guess that's why there was a break between the routings of the Victory Highway and US 40.
Interestingly enough, whenever there is traffic on the 80 heading back to the Bay from Sacramento, GPS does recommend motorists to get on 160. Maybe that explains the influx of truck traffic, as well as congestion (especially at the intersection where 160 meets CA 12).
Quote from: Hiroshi66 on December 17, 2016, 02:38:23 PM
Interestingly enough, whenever there is traffic on the 80 heading back to the Bay from Sacramento, GPS does recommend motorists to get on 160. Maybe that explains the influx of truck traffic, as well as congestion (especially at the intersection where 160 meets CA 12).
160 isn't really a viable route north of 12 and it doesn't see that much traffic as a result. I think most people going through that intersection are headed to Lodi, or just over to I-5, on 12.
Last time I came back from Sacramento, I took 84 all the way and, aside from the stop for the ferry, I thought it was a good alternative. But it would not be for trucks. Neither is 160. Those little river bridges do not tolerate tight turning radii.
Quote from: coatimundi on December 17, 2016, 03:05:57 PM
160 isn't really a viable route north of 12 and it doesn't see that much traffic as a result. I think most people going through that intersection are headed to Lodi, or just over to I-5, on 12.
Last time I came back from Sacramento, I took 84 all the way and, aside from the stop for the ferry, I thought it was a good alternative. But it would not be for trucks. Neither is 160. Those little river bridges do not tolerate tight turning radii.
Yes, it is cute and scenic but it is much easier to take the I-80 route - hence why US 40 deviated from the Victory Highway for this final bit of its journey towards the Pacific.
As folks know, I'm currently working on the California Highway page updates, with a hoped-for upload by the 31st. As part of this update, I was given a pointer to the following site on old Oakland: http://teczno.com/old-oakland/ (we were resolving an issue of whether Ashby met Broadway for Route 24). Look at the 1936 overlay on that map. You'll see that US 40 ended at Oakland City Hall, basically where San Pablo meets 14th. That agrees with the earlier discussion about US 40 ending in Oakland prior to the construction of the Bay Bridge.
On my pages, this map led to updates on US 40, US 50, Route 24, and Route 17. Look for them when the upload occurs (I'll do the usual change post).
Daniel
Quote from: cahwyguy on December 29, 2016, 01:36:26 PM
...the following site on old Oakland: http://teczno.com/old-oakland/ ...Look at the 1936 overlay on that map...
Also interesting because of US 50's routing, which is different than the 1933 map shown in post #11 in this thread.
Quote from: usends on December 29, 2016, 04:57:29 PM
Quote from: cahwyguy on December 29, 2016, 01:36:26 PM
...the following site on old Oakland: http://teczno.com/old-oakland/ ...Look at the 1936 overlay on that map...
Also interesting because of US 50's routing, which is different than the 1933 map shown in post #11 in this thread.
Yes, thanks for putting tgis together. 50's routing is the first thing that caught my eye. What was going on there?
Quote from: coatimundi on December 29, 2016, 07:10:57 PM
Yes, thanks for putting tgis together. 50's routing is the first thing that caught my eye. What was going on there?
It's similar to the routing on this 1935 map: http://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~247261~5515342 As far as I can tell, all the differences are incorrect on the 1936 map, judging by a 1946 aerial. But it's possible that it was in fact a temporary alignment before the state could build the permanent road.
Was thinking about this topic in light of looking up the Gribblenation post on US 40 in the East bay...
http://www.gribblenation.org/2019/11/the-original-alignment-of-us-route-40.html
This 1930 map offers an intriguing answer to some of the questions posed in the thread:
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RzeVoJaRwOI/XdsO8FnSABI/AAAAAAAAtw4/51ts5QiKDFQTCXJe_h31OaIvaXpwvnfYgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_6610.PNG?fbclid=IwAR1mf7r6_eqnmshCJ_ARC4MzLbmKS98FGGIJWRhU3dLEonOpe87kugbZlcY)
- While there is some ambiguity over whether it was 101 that went to the Ferry Building as opposed to 40 running down Market Street, this seems to be an era where US 101W/US 101E split did not exist, so the crossing to Oakland from SF had to have been US 40 by this point.
- The bold line marked for the highway routing in Oakland is as follows:
Southbound San Pablo Avenue to Broadway (so past MacArthur Boulevard/what would then become US 50 and is now the connection from I-580 to Route 123) through what is now Frank Ogawa Plaza which is now closed to traffic
Southbound Broadway for 6 blocks
Westbound 11th Street (street is now eastbound only)
Southbound Market Street
Westbound 7th Street to what is now the Everport Container Terminal near Middle Harbor Park
Westbound on ferry
I seem to recall off the top of my head that the NPS had some solid documentation that 101 was always at Hyde Street Pier. Either way, I forgot that map also shows the original alignment of 101 on Valencia and Mission in San Francisco.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 09:00:29 AM
I seem to recall off the top of my head that the NPS had some solid documentation that 101 was always at Hyde Street Pier. Either way, I forgot that map also shows the original alignment of 101 on Valencia and Mission in San Francisco.
At Valencia and Mission, the expanded sidewalk actually makes it clear how the US 101-era through traffic setup used to be! I think there was a channelized right turn from SB Valencia to SB Mission until about 3-4 years ago, when that was removed most likely to help assist pedestrian safety in that area.
So would that 1930 map plus the NPS docs you've seen pretty much confirm that 40 originally used Market Street (and by extension, pre-1936 US 50)? Due to SF restrictions on private car traffic on Market that have been in place for about 3 years now, the only parts of former 40 (50) on Market that are now normally passable by non-taxis/non-buses are between Van Ness and 10th, and between 1st and Steuart.
Also notable that Embarcadero Plaza (originally known as Justin Herman Plaza) basically makes the final portion of US 40 along Market to Embarcadero itself and the Ferry Building entirely impassible to vehicles, but this area might have already been blocked off to vehicles as early as the 1930s - I recall seeing photos of streetcar tracks in that area in the 1940s.
Quote from: TheStranger on July 24, 2021, 11:02:11 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 09:00:29 AM
I seem to recall off the top of my head that the NPS had some solid documentation that 101 was always at Hyde Street Pier. Either way, I forgot that map also shows the original alignment of 101 on Valencia and Mission in San Francisco.
At Valencia and Mission, the expanded sidewalk actually makes it clear how the US 101-era through traffic setup used to be! I think there was a channelized right turn from SB Valencia to SB Mission until about 3-4 years ago, when that was removed most likely to help assist pedestrian safety in that area.
So would that 1930 map plus the NPS docs you've seen pretty much confirm that 40 originally used Market Street (and by extension, pre-1936 US 50)? Due to SF restrictions on private car traffic on Market that have been in place for about 3 years now, the only parts of former 40 (50) on Market that are now normally passable by non-taxis/non-buses are between Van Ness and 10th, and between 1st and Steuart.
Also notable that Embarcadero Plaza (originally known as Justin Herman Plaza) basically makes the final portion of US 40 along Market to Embarcadero itself and the Ferry Building entirely impassible to vehicles, but this area might have already been blocked off to vehicles as early as the 1930s - I recall seeing photos of streetcar tracks in that area in the 1940s.
When I scouted that alignment I noticed it could be replicated southbound but not the other direction. That seems to be a theme with a lot of old US Routes in California cities; you can only do them in one direction. I recently experienced the same thing in Santa Barbara (at least until Gutierrez Street.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 11:11:39 AM
Quote from: TheStranger on July 24, 2021, 11:02:11 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 09:00:29 AM
I seem to recall off the top of my head that the NPS had some solid documentation that 101 was always at Hyde Street Pier. Either way, I forgot that map also shows the original alignment of 101 on Valencia and Mission in San Francisco.
At Valencia and Mission, the expanded sidewalk actually makes it clear how the US 101-era through traffic setup used to be! I think there was a channelized right turn from SB Valencia to SB Mission until about 3-4 years ago, when that was removed most likely to help assist pedestrian safety in that area.
So would that 1930 map plus the NPS docs you've seen pretty much confirm that 40 originally used Market Street (and by extension, pre-1936 US 50)? Due to SF restrictions on private car traffic on Market that have been in place for about 3 years now, the only parts of former 40 (50) on Market that are now normally passable by non-taxis/non-buses are between Van Ness and 10th, and between 1st and Steuart.
Also notable that Embarcadero Plaza (originally known as Justin Herman Plaza) basically makes the final portion of US 40 along Market to Embarcadero itself and the Ferry Building entirely impassible to vehicles, but this area might have already been blocked off to vehicles as early as the 1930s - I recall seeing photos of streetcar tracks in that area in the 1940s.
When I scouted that alignment I noticed it could be replicated southbound but not the other direction. That seems to be a theme with a lot of old US Routes in California cities; you can only do them in one direction. I recently experienced the same thing in Santa Barbara (at least until Gutierrez Street.
And sometimes not even that. I could imagine a situation (without being able to think of a specific example) where an original routing turns within a city. If the original routing was let's say south on A to west on 1st, and conversely east on 1st to north on A. If A were restricted to one way south and 1st restricted to one way east, you simply cannot follow the orignial routing through town in either direction. You could have course do partial routings to the corner of A and 1st from both directions.
Quote from: TheStranger on July 24, 2021, 04:08:00 AM
Was thinking about this topic in light of looking up the Gribblenation post on US 40 in the East bay...
http://www.gribblenation.org/2019/11/the-original-alignment-of-us-route-40.html (http://www.gribblenation.org/2019/11/the-original-alignment-of-us-route-40.html)
This 1930 map offers an intriguing answer to some of the questions posed in the thread:
(https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-RzeVoJaRwOI/XdsO8FnSABI/AAAAAAAAtw4/51ts5QiKDFQTCXJe_h31OaIvaXpwvnfYgCNcBGAsYHQ/s1600/IMG_6610.PNG?fbclid=IwAR1mf7r6_eqnmshCJ_ARC4MzLbmKS98FGGIJWRhU3dLEonOpe87kugbZlcY)
- While there is some ambiguity over whether it was 101 that went to the Ferry Building as opposed to 40 running down Market Street, this seems to be an era where US 101W/US 101E split did not exist, so the crossing to Oakland from SF had to have been US 40 by this point.
- The bold line marked for the highway routing in Oakland is as follows:
Southbound San Pablo Avenue to Broadway (so past MacArthur Boulevard/what would then become US 50 and is now the connection from I-580 to Route 123) through what is now Frank Ogawa Plaza which is now closed to traffic
Southbound Broadway for 6 blocks
Westbound 11th Street (street is now eastbound only)
Southbound Market Street
Westbound 7th Street to what is now the Everport Container Terminal near Middle Harbor Park
Westbound on ferry
That is interesting that US-40 was in Benicia where that area later became CA-21 and now I-680 is at today in this map. This may be a case where US-40 was in the process of moving its alignment to Vallejo and waiting for approval at the time of the release.
Actually it took until 1932 for US 40 to move out of Benicia and Martinez. I suspect the Carquinez Bridge being a toll facility had some sort of deal struck with the Lincoln Highway Association that prevented the move earlier:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/11/the-original-alignment-of-us-route-40.html
Quote from: mrsman on July 26, 2021, 07:27:31 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 11:11:39 AM
Quote from: TheStranger on July 24, 2021, 11:02:11 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 09:00:29 AM
I seem to recall off the top of my head that the NPS had some solid documentation that 101 was always at Hyde Street Pier. Either way, I forgot that map also shows the original alignment of 101 on Valencia and Mission in San Francisco.
At Valencia and Mission, the expanded sidewalk actually makes it clear how the US 101-era through traffic setup used to be! I think there was a channelized right turn from SB Valencia to SB Mission until about 3-4 years ago, when that was removed most likely to help assist pedestrian safety in that area.
So would that 1930 map plus the NPS docs you've seen pretty much confirm that 40 originally used Market Street (and by extension, pre-1936 US 50)? Due to SF restrictions on private car traffic on Market that have been in place for about 3 years now, the only parts of former 40 (50) on Market that are now normally passable by non-taxis/non-buses are between Van Ness and 10th, and between 1st and Steuart.
Also notable that Embarcadero Plaza (originally known as Justin Herman Plaza) basically makes the final portion of US 40 along Market to Embarcadero itself and the Ferry Building entirely impassible to vehicles, but this area might have already been blocked off to vehicles as early as the 1930s - I recall seeing photos of streetcar tracks in that area in the 1940s.
When I scouted that alignment I noticed it could be replicated southbound but not the other direction. That seems to be a theme with a lot of old US Routes in California cities; you can only do them in one direction. I recently experienced the same thing in Santa Barbara (at least until Gutierrez Street.
And sometimes not even that. I could imagine a situation (without being able to think of a specific example) where an original routing turns within a city. If the original routing was let's say south on A to west on 1st, and conversely east on 1st to north on A. If A were restricted to one way south and 1st restricted to one way east, you simply cannot follow the orignial routing through town in either direction. You could have course do partial routings to the corner of A and 1st from both directions.
Sometimes the through routes are razed or have obstructions put in the say. The pedestrian mall on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland (US 40) comes to mind along with Broadway in Fresno being hacked up (US 99).
Took a driving trip up old 40 from SF to Benicia to Sacramento with a friend on Saturday. Will have photos up soon!
SM-G973U1
Raw flickr album of my SF-Sacramento Old US 40 trip:
https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/albums/72157719602728326
Photos mostly taken by my friend Emmanuel Manasievici who also helped with navigation
Something VERY interesting for this thread: US 40 shown in 1934 on the southern (Route 4!) corridor from Crockett to Martinez?! Does this mean Franklin Canyon Road is old US 40 too.
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239594~5511896:Road-Map-of-the-State-of-California
---
Selected photos of SF and Alameda County segment:
West terminus of old US 40/50 in San Francisco, 1936-1950s. Basically where Bryant and 10th meet up.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340455544_d90ef0e91f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMfL1)DSC_2503c (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMfL1) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
1960s plastic I-80 onramp sign at 5th Street - recent enough to be I-80 alone, but old enough that the backlighting has not worked in years. Prior to 1956-1958, this onramp carried 40 and 50 itself onto the Bay Bridge.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51338994957_423d229285.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDLzt)DSC_2507 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDLzt) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Westbound on 7th Street (former US 40 and possibly US 101E) in the Port of Oakland area, with a view of the SF skyline.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51338999087_545338b8f2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDMNF)DSC_2511 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDMNF) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51338998777_6311094dec.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDMHk)DSC_2513 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDMHk) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Ancient underpass with mission guardrail on eastbound 7th Street (old US 40 and possibly US 101E). The I-880 sign is at most 24 years old (as the Cypress replacement was opened that year)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339946883_3ca2ff5b78.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJDxZ)DSC_2524 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJDxZ) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339731161_21b1e75735.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHxqD)DSC_2525 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHxqD) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340465669_4a328a2513.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMiLz)DSC_2526 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMiLz) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
7th Street (old US 40 and likely US 101E) at Mandela Parkway (formerly Cypress Street) (old Route 17 and Business US 50). In 1934, the Cypress/East 14th corridor was slated to be Route 13, though not sure this was ever signed. So 40/101E and 17 never intersected here.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340735930_15068fe14b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNG7f)DSC_2530 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNG7f) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
11th Street (old US 40 and likely US 101E) eastbound crossing I-980
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340466604_020f1a673e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMj3G)DSC_2531 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMj3G) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Broadway (old US 40 and likely US 101E) northbound at Frank Ogawa Plaza (former southern extent of San Pablo Avenue), downtown Oakland
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340736800_4509dd877f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNGnf)DSC_2533 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNGnf) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
San Pablo Avenue (old US 40 and likely US 101E) northbound above the Macarthur Boulevard underpass (originally 38th Street, former US 40, US 50 and possibly US 101E). At the time 40 used San Pablo Avenue south from this point (pre-Bay Bridge), 50 still ended in Sacramento, so this likely was the 40/101E split during the ferry years.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339025107_c77f6a0b9e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDVxi)DSC_2540 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDVxi) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340738615_380056f6a3.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNGUx)DSC_2541 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNGUx) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Route 123 sign along San Pablo Avenue (old US 40 and old Business US 40), Albany
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340739025_0da8663596.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNH2B)DSC_2549c (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNH2B) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Contra Costa County segment
Eastshore Boulevard (1937-1958 US 40) at San Pablo Avenue (old US 40/Business US 40), Richmond
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339967013_787153ed82.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJKx4)DSC_2555 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJKx4) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Found this cool 2019 El Cerrito Historical Society writeup on the Eastshore Highway:
http://www.elcerritohistoricalsociety.org/forge/forgesummer2019.pdf
City of San Pablo welcome arch
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339011572_2ef6de546d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDRvW)DSC_2559 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDRvW) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Richmond Parkway (built approximately along the planned Route 93 corridor) at San Pablo Avenue, Richmond (near Hilltop Mall). Note the spelled out I-80/I-580 instead of the shields
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339953413_c3f6214dd2.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJFuz)DSC_2560c (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJFuz) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Gables Motel, Pinole. This is the first eastbound Historic US 40 shield!
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339011662_be15b21765.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDRxu)DSC_2567c (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDRxu) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
San Pablo Avenue at Pinole Valley Road, with old-town lighted street blade.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339023222_46486d2c5e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDUYN)DSC_2570 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDUYN) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
More mission guardrail
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339964983_c079e42afd.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJJW4)DSC_2571e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJJW4) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Historic 40 signs in Hercules
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340482999_f7d64b5b1c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMoVn)DSC_2574 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMoVn) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340482269_d5501a6d11.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMoGM)DSC_2576 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMoGM) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
This was likely the old terminus of Route 4 from the 1930s until I-80 was built in the area (could even argue, based on signage, that it is still the terminus in a way)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339021262_7c032fb525.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDUp1)DSC_2579e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdDUp1) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Overpass in Crockett
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340764055_7639b021c8.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNQta)DSC_2589 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNQta) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Carquinez Bridge view
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340494254_a161ca465a.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMsgq)DSC_2591 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMsgq) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Old town Crockett
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340493784_afcd726e6b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMs8j)DSC_2593 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMs8j) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
George Miller Trail terminus. The trail is former Carquinez Scenic Drive and thus pre-1936 US 40
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339977088_e9bd3903e3.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJNwL)DSC_2604 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJNwL) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Westbound Carquinez Scenic Drive past the trailhead
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339980508_63e98907dc.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJPxJ)DSC_2605 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJPxJ) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Ferry Street, Martinez
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339977268_d64cfee96a.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJNzS)DSC_2619e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJNzS) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Solano County
Goodyear Road, former Victory Highway and US 40 (and likely later Route 21), Benicia
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340506389_cb2d99f88c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMvSD)DSC_2677 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMvSD) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Panorama view west of Lopes Road
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339987728_3fd83f096b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJRGd)DSC_2679c (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJRGd) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Lopes Road approaching Cordelia Road
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339990813_5d5465b1a9.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJSBp)DSC_2681c (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJSBp) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Historic 40 sign on Cordelia Road
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340775395_e858c2768b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNTQF)DSC_2683 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdNTQF) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
The first of MANY Historic 40 signs on Texas Street east of Pennsylvania, Fairfield
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339775516_8e4e72e330.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHLBo)DSC_2705 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHLBo) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Lyon Road, northern Fairfield
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339054372_64197519a8.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdE5eS)DSC_2764 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdE5eS) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Cherry Glen Road
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339998278_7e9276b840.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJUQ7)DSC_2767 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJUQ7) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Old I-80 Sacramento sign with a blank space for a US 40 shield, in Vacaville
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340813590_3ddfab5e56.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdP6cd)DSC_2773c (https://flic.kr/p/2mdP6cd) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
First historic 40 sign entering Vacaville
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340027308_7004ce5d19.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdK4sC)DSC_2775 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdK4sC) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Old town Vacaville
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339803941_cb8a4d0ced.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHV4t)DSC_2784 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHV4t) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Monte Vista Avenue, passing by an ancient liquor store
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339798761_4692c95d3c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHTwa)DSC_2792 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHTwa) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Historic 40 sign at Nut Tree, with no guidance as to how to continue east
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340022818_0d064591b7.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdK38d)DSC_2808 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdK38d) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Weirdly formatted I-505 sign along Orange Drive
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339805096_438c51bf82.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHVpo)DSC_2809 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHVpo) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Midway Road
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340844140_e049a2ca41.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPfgW)DSC_2819 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPfgW) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Curve from Midway Road to Porter Road
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340842780_65abc2fc2d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPeSu)DSC_2820 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPeSu) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Historic 40 signs on Porter Road in Dixon
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340574254_ab1904a116.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMS3J)DSC_2824 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMS3J) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339810896_2c545ecb08.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHX8o)DSC_2825 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHX8o) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Channelization from Porter Road to "Old State Highway" leading towards A Street, Dixon
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340029158_9d655d6359.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdK51w)DSC_2829 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdK51w) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Route 113 and Lincoln Highway signs along 1st Street northbound, Dixon
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340053778_c3dc8dab0b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKck1)DSC_2843c (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKck1) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
One of several Historic 40 signs on 1st Street
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339108782_1acc743345.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEmpY)DSC_2851 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEmpY) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Milk Farm Road, 1950s pre-freeway routing of US 40
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339833151_1a4972de42.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJ4K6)DSC_2863 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJ4K6) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Pedrick Road
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339091332_029519cacb.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEge7)DSC_2872 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEge7) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Currey Road northbound
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339091332_029519cacb.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEge7)DSC_2872 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEge7) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Sievers Road eastbound
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340562634_b4bab3c6af.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMNAo)DSC_2876 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMNAo) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Pedrick Road northbound. From about 1954-1959 this was Alternate US 40 while 40 used the Milk Farm/I-80 corridor to bypass Davis.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339820236_6770c9626b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHZUq)DSC_2882 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdHZUq) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Yolo County
Road 98 at Russell Boulevard, "Catcus Corner". Note the channelization for traffic that would be using the US 40 eastbound through directoin
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340871395_5ec4ea5536.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPonR)DSC_2884 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPonR) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
First Historic US 40 sign on Russell Boulevard in Davis
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339863986_e4d4e7bcb7.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJdUJ)DSC_2890e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJdUJ) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Historic 40 sign at the 113 junction. Prior to the 1950s (Milk Farm Road/etc.) bypass of Davis, this was the US 40/US 99W west junction. From about 1954-1959 this was the Alternate US 40/US 99W junction.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339137142_b15c1e788c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEuQW)DSC_2892 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEuQW) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Russell Boulevard bordering the UC Davis campus
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339861896_8a5665d3fe.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJdhG)DSC_2896 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJdhG) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Russell Boulevard at B Street, where US 40 east/US 99W south (and the Lincoln Highway) made a right turn to go southbound briefly
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340854530_276a02a530.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPin5)DSC_2897 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPin5) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
1st Street at Richards Boulevard, another turn for US 40 (and US 99W) in downtown Davis
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340597749_370fc035e4.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMZ2P)DSC_2901 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMZ2P) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Richards Subway
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339851666_40cc7a44d8.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJafj)DSC_2902 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJafj) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Olive Drive, old US 40/99W. I lived on this street from 2004-2007.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339860546_1463cef181.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJcTq)DSC_2905 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJcTq) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Road 32A. I think Joel Windmiller told me back in the mid-2000s that this was still the original US 40/99W pavement
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340077518_56e815d722.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKjoj)DSC_2913 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKjoj) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Spot where the old Yolo Causeway used to begin:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340863000_96d34ae553.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPkT7)DSC_2917 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPkT7) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Monument for West Capital Raceway in West Sacramento, which closed in 1979.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339854356_5bae2fd402.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJb3G)DSC_2921 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJb3G) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Blurry closeup of the "Route 880" overpass girder marking. Today's I-80 crossing over old US 40/99W (West Capitol Avenue)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340075458_4f669b776b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKiLN)DSC_2922c (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKiLN) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Capitol Bowl, a vintage bowling alley (and the closest one to downtown Sacramento) that has been significantly refurbished
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340592024_d94b43b834.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMXk7)DSC_2935e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMXk7) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Old West Capitol Avenue underpass. Bypassed in the 1950s by what was then the West Sacramento Freeway portion of US 40/99W, now Tower Bridge Gateway.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339131017_60ffaae67e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEt2k)DSC_2937e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEt2k) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Tower Bridge Gateway (formerly West Sacramento Freeway until the mid-2000s), West Sacramento
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340074698_b86fc3c4f5.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKixG)DSC_2938 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKixG) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Tower Bridge
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340593179_191509ff29.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMXF2)DSC_2941 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdMXF2) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Sacramento (Tower Bridge to Watt Avenue)
Former channelization to N Street, probably was used in the 1960s when Route 16/Route 99 went to Broadway and US 40 went to the P/Q Street pair
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340086643_f38307e3dd.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKn6D)DSC_2944 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKn6D) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
The 51+ year old Route 99/Route 70 sign on Capitol Mall that has remained standing. (Always wondered why a 5 shield wasn't put in place of the now-removed Route 16 shield in that area)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339154592_229ae86907.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEA2N)DSC_2946e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEA2N) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Southbound 1 block on 9th Street towards N
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340098818_71fff3613f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKqHy)DSC_2949e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKqHy) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
First Historic 40 sign on N Street at Capitol Park
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339154292_8a7f8dd516.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEzWC)DSC_2950e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEzWC) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
2000s sign pointing to Business 80/Route 99/US 50 via 15th Street (former US 99, US 50, and later Route 160). The Business 80 part is now technically an outdated reference.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339143497_c459e76c76.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEwJv)DSC_2957e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEwJv) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
16th Street northbound at Capitol Avenue, US 40 historic sign
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339143872_48b888bdc8.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEwQY)DSC_2959e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEwQY) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Railroad overpass in Alkali Flat
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339880051_469acfff3b.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJiFH)DSC_2971e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJiFH) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340883900_f8d97ed49c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPs6s)DSC_2972e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPs6s) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
First Route 160 sign on North 16th Street, just before the start of the North Sacramento Freeway
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340607574_472eba0f14.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdN2Xd)DSC_2976 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdN2Xd) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Button copy BGS for Northgate Boulevard
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340096888_c457e295f3.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKq9h)DSC_2977 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKq9h) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
"Business 80 - Reno" BGS replacing the old "Roseville/Reno" BGS at the Northgate exit
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339878921_971f97a48f.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJime)DSC_2978 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJime) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Old railroad bridge to the right, I biked across it years ago:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340089208_7de5954194.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKnRS)DSC_2979 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKnRS) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Route 160 shield on the North Sacramento Freeway, just past the Northgate ramp
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339871976_4a5163eeb9.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJghu)DSC_2982 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJghu) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Ancient section of Del Paso Boulevard/old US 40 and US 99E, bypassed in the late 1940s by the North Sacramento Freeway
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339878541_44e22ba874.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJieF)DSC_2985e (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJieF) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339872251_4bbb81f3fe.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJgne)DSC_2986 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJgne) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Del Paso Boulevard in North Sacramento. This segment was Business US 40 in the early-mid 1960s after 40/99E were placed on the freeway
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340090018_15e3c855ce.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKo6Q)DSC_2988 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKo6Q) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Wire frame sculpture of the State Capitol
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339151122_9a99195bfb.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEyZY)DSC_2993 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEyZY) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
1940s ice skating rink, Iceland, along Del Paso. The original building mostly burned down a few years ago but locals banded together to save the rink and keep it operational.
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339146147_a771031ba7.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdExwc)DSC_2994 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdExwc) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Del Paso approaching El Camino Avenue in North Sacramento, where 40 east/99E north would make a turn to the right
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340610004_bbb94b6512.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdN3F7)DSC_3000 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdN3F7) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
First Historic US 40 sign along El Camino eastbound
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340610499_ea31766dcb.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdN3PD)DSC_3015 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdN3PD) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Auburn Boulevard paralleling the Sacramento Regional Transit light rail tracks (which would have been the corridor for the planned I-80 realignment that was canceled in 1979)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339150402_37682b08ac.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEyMy)DSC_3018 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdEyMy) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Historic 40 sign on Auburn Boulevard between Howe and Bell
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340878830_1d979f3ac3.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPqA3)DSC_3022 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdPqA3) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Auburn Boulevard/US 40 monument near the Bell offramp
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340611689_b82c8d95db.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdN4ba)DSC_3026 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdN4ba) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Old mission guardrail on overpass connecting westbound Auburn Boulevard with westbound Business 80 (both roads are former 40 and 99E)
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51339876056_04700e396d.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJhuQ)DSC_3031 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdJhuQ) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
2000s era ornamental gate at Fulton/Auburn
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/51340093798_171177170e.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKpe1)DSC_3032 (https://flic.kr/p/2mdKpe1) by Chris Sampang (https://www.flickr.com/photos/csampang/), on Flickr
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 26, 2021, 09:52:04 PM
Actually it took until 1932 for US 40 to move out of Benicia and Martinez. I suspect the Carquinez Bridge being a toll facility had some sort of deal struck with the Lincoln Highway Association that prevented the move earlier:
https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/11/the-original-alignment-of-us-route-40.html (https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/11/the-original-alignment-of-us-route-40.html)
Quote from: mrsman on July 26, 2021, 07:27:31 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 11:11:39 AM
Quote from: TheStranger on July 24, 2021, 11:02:11 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on July 24, 2021, 09:00:29 AM
I seem to recall off the top of my head that the NPS had some solid documentation that 101 was always at Hyde Street Pier. Either way, I forgot that map also shows the original alignment of 101 on Valencia and Mission in San Francisco.
At Valencia and Mission, the expanded sidewalk actually makes it clear how the US 101-era through traffic setup used to be! I think there was a channelized right turn from SB Valencia to SB Mission until about 3-4 years ago, when that was removed most likely to help assist pedestrian safety in that area.
So would that 1930 map plus the NPS docs you've seen pretty much confirm that 40 originally used Market Street (and by extension, pre-1936 US 50)? Due to SF restrictions on private car traffic on Market that have been in place for about 3 years now, the only parts of former 40 (50) on Market that are now normally passable by non-taxis/non-buses are between Van Ness and 10th, and between 1st and Steuart.
Also notable that Embarcadero Plaza (originally known as Justin Herman Plaza) basically makes the final portion of US 40 along Market to Embarcadero itself and the Ferry Building entirely impassible to vehicles, but this area might have already been blocked off to vehicles as early as the 1930s - I recall seeing photos of streetcar tracks in that area in the 1940s.
When I scouted that alignment I noticed it could be replicated southbound but not the other direction. That seems to be a theme with a lot of old US Routes in California cities; you can only do them in one direction. I recently experienced the same thing in Santa Barbara (at least until Gutierrez Street.
And sometimes not even that. I could imagine a situation (without being able to think of a specific example) where an original routing turns within a city. If the original routing was let's say south on A to west on 1st, and conversely east on 1st to north on A. If A were restricted to one way south and 1st restricted to one way east, you simply cannot follow the orignial routing through town in either direction. You could have course do partial routings to the corner of A and 1st from both directions.
Sometimes the through routes are razed or have obstructions put in the say. The pedestrian mall on San Pablo Avenue in Oakland (US 40) comes to mind along with Broadway in Fresno being hacked up (US 99).
Also Lincoln Highway was rerouted from an alignment in Oakland, Tracy to Sacramento which was later US-50, Bay Area Section, US-99 Now known as (I-580, I-205 and I-5 or CA-99) the previous alignment of Lincoln Highway prior to moving to Yolo, Solano and Contra Costa Counties due to the opening of the Carquinez Bridge.
https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/map/ (https://www.lincolnhighwayassoc.org/map/)
I grew up in the quiet town of Walnut Grove, along the Sacramento River. Both 160 and River Road from Walnut Grove to Courtland used to be decent roads next to the river in the summer until the navigation apps started routing persons unfamiliar with the levee roads onto them and driving like snails. Isleton Road runs parallel to 160 from Walnut Grove to the Isleton Bridge, sometimes faster than 160. Ok, I just revealed 1 shortcut. :-D Before I-5 was finished, there were 2 north south routes to/from Sacramento, Highway 160 or Franklin Blvd, 8 miles east of Walnut Grove.
The old Antioch Bridge 1 time got stuck open in the 1970's, the family was going home from my uncle's place in Pleasant Hill, my father turned the car around on the bridge like everyone else then went back on Highway 4 west to Martinez, then up 680 to 80 to 12 then went through Fairfield and Rio Vista, then turned left at the 4-way stop at 160 and finally got home.
We drove to the bridge once before the new one opened up to traffic, people were allowed to walk on it. Dad was so happy the new bridge opened, he despised the old bridge as I am sure a few others did. I think there are pictures of people on the span somewhere, along with pictures of the old bridge.
Does anyone remember when Highway 4 over Willow Pass used to be a 4-lane freeway then it went to a 2-land road by the Naval Weapons Station, then there was a signal light where the 242 & 4 junction is now? To go to Walnut Creek or Oakland you would turn left onto Highway 24, another 2-lane road (not signed as Highway 242 back then), there was a signal at Olivera Road then widened to 4 lanes at Grant St/Solano Way? Probably mid to late 1970's.
Quote from: coatimundi on December 17, 2016, 03:05:57 PM
Quote from: Hiroshi66 on December 17, 2016, 02:38:23 PM
Interestingly enough, whenever there is traffic on the 80 heading back to the Bay from Sacramento, GPS does recommend motorists to get on 160. Maybe that explains the influx of truck traffic, as well as congestion (especially at the intersection where 160 meets CA 12).
160 isn't really a viable route north of 12 and it doesn't see that much traffic as a result. I think most people going through that intersection are headed to Lodi, or just over to I-5, on 12.
Last time I came back from Sacramento, I took 84 all the way and, aside from the stop for the ferry, I thought it was a good alternative. But it would not be for trucks. Neither is 160. Those little river bridges do not tolerate tight turning radii.