CA 33

[Quillz]

Stilled closed at Limekiln Creek.  That is also displayed on the QuickMap.

Oh I forgot to turn the full closure layer on.

[Plutonic Panda]

Bought a new Subaru today so I decided to take it for a little cruise and check out the reopening of this highway. I went from Hollywood over to I-5 to Frazier Park Mountain Road to Lockwood Valley Road and ultimately to SH-33. That road needs a lot of work. There are multiple areas where there's only one lane and you have to wait at these traffic lights. Some of them in particular are pretty long with not a single car coming through so I don't know what's up with that. This was on a Sunday evening after dark with no workers out. I definitely say this road has at least another year before it's a viable alternative were really even that useful due to all the one-way traffic controls.

So if you do take it, just be ready for that.

Also be alert and ready for drivers who ignore those traffic lights because I encountered that twice. As dangerous as it is, I really can't say that I blame them. I was waiting damn near 25 minutes with not a single car and I could see the other traffic light which was red as well. I was literally less than a minute than saying fuck it and just going through it and right as I decided to start to go through it magically turned green. I'm not advocating for anybody to do that. That is extremely dangerous. But just be prepared and have patience because this road is fucked even though it's open.

[pderocco]

Are you talking about those portable traffic lights that they put up when there's only one lane? They can only run on a fixed time schedule, since they don't have vehicle sensors. Modern technology could probably come up with a better solution, but so far I haven't seen it yet.

[Plutonic Panda]

Are you talking about those portable traffic lights that they put up when there's only one lane? They can only run on a fixed time schedule, since they don't have vehicle sensors. Modern technology could probably come up with a better solution, but so far I haven't seen it yet.

Yes. I thought they were activated by a motion sensor somehow.

[Max Rockatansky]

Even still, the traffic counts on the Maricopa Highway segment of 33 aren't high enough to warrant a better solution like sensors. 

[Plutonic Panda]

Even still, the traffic counts on the Maricopa Highway segment of 33 aren't high enough to warrant a better solution like sensors.

So people should just sit still for no reason? And are sensors that much more expensive than timers?

[Max Rockatansky]

Even still, the traffic counts on the Maricopa Highway segment of 33 aren't high enough to warrant a better solution like sensors.

So people should just sit still for no reason? And are sensors that much more expensive than timers?

That's more or less how it works on slightly busier highways like 1 in Big Sur and 140 along the Merced River.  I'd venture a guess that maintaining the Maricopa Highway is a burden the state would prefer not to have given how little traffic it sees.  The corridor was intended to be competitive with the Old Ridge Route but never did.  Even in the 1930s the traffic counts on then US 399 were low.

[Alps]

It would be most nice to have a timer on temp signals, but the USA hasn't figured this out yet. If you can see the other side, it should be a 3-5 minute cycle.

[Quillz]

Even still, the traffic counts on the Maricopa Highway segment of 33 aren't high enough to warrant a better solution like sensors.

So people should just sit still for no reason? And are sensors that much more expensive than timers?

Yes. I had time to get out and take photos of the scenery. It's a scenic route, take 5 or 101 if time is your top priority. The QuickMap site also shows construction on CA-33, and another site (I think the older road conditions one) says to expect delays. It's unfortunate but there is plenty of info to look at before you go. So right now, the expectation is you take Maricopa Highway if you want a scenic drive and don't mind waiting. And sure enough, when I did it and it was my turn to cross, someone decided to jump the light and almost hit me. Don't understand why people drive the highway if they are so impatient.

BTW what Subaru? Got a Crosstrek recently, was on 33 last weekend.

[bing101]

It's interesting how CA-33 is mainly parallel to I-5 in the San Joaquin valley before CA-33 heads to Ventura.

[Max Rockatansky]

It's interesting how CA-33 is mainly parallel to I-5 in the San Joaquin valley before CA-33 heads to Ventura.

Used to end at US 99 concurrent with CA 166.

[Plutonic Panda]

Even still, the traffic counts on the Maricopa Highway segment of 33 aren't high enough to warrant a better solution like sensors.

So people should just sit still for no reason? And are sensors that much more expensive than timers?

Yes. I had time to get out and take photos of the scenery. It's a scenic route, take 5 or 101 if time is your top priority. The QuickMap site also shows construction on CA-33, and another site (I think the older road conditions one) says to expect delays. It's unfortunate but there is plenty of info to look at before you go. So right now, the expectation is you take Maricopa Highway if you want a scenic drive and don't mind waiting. And sure enough, when I did it and it was my turn to cross, someone decided to jump the light and almost hit me. Don't understand why people drive the highway if they are so impatient.

BTW what Subaru? Got a Crosstrek recently, was on 33 last weekend.

2019 Forester. How do you like your Crosstrek?

I would say there's a limit, but yes, you're right it is a scenic route. Disregard those lights is probably one of the most dangerous things you do while driving. Fortunately the two times that happened to me it was the sections where it temporarily opened back up to two lanes. One guy I could visibly see was drinking. Some kind of beer looked to be a Mexican lager. For some reason, I kinda laughed. Imagine if instead of me, it was a cop.

[The Ghostbuster]

The thing I find the most interesting about CA 33 is the southern-most portion between US 101 in Ventura and CA 119 in Taft was once part of US 399: https://web.archive.org/web/20071231013137/http://members.cox.net/mkpl2/hist/mp55-centralvly.jpg.

[Max Rockatansky]

When you think about it in the context of the 1930s it makes sense.  The Maricopa Highway was intended to be a competitor to the Ridge Route (Old US 99).  For a couple years it probably was the better routing between the Central Valley and southern counties.  Granted it never really panned out that way and the Ridge Route began to be modernized rapidly. 

[roadfro]

Mod Note: There was about a page worth of extended discussion about Subarus and other vehicles owned by roadgeeks, chains devices for said vehicles, etc. I split it off into its own topic so that discussion could continue separately from this thread:
Vehicles of western roadgeeks
—Roadfro