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Author Topic: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50  (Read 5046 times)

Max Rockatansky

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I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« on: November 12, 2017, 10:16:11 PM »

Just finished a trip to the Bay Area and I have a crap load of new stuff that I'm uploading photos for.  My first album is I-205 which I cliched:

https://flic.kr/s/aHskwXNPaT

I'll have a lot of road blogs this week, I'd figured that I would start getting the topics posted.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2017, 12:40:14 PM by Max Rockatansky »
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #1 on: November 13, 2017, 12:42:01 PM »

Finished up the first road blog which was on I-205:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2017/11/november-bay-trip-part-1-interstate-205.html

It's a lot easier to see why US 48 was designated after driving I-205 and I-580.  Short route aside the corridor is a hugely important one connecting the Bay Area to San Joaquin Valley...which was much better served when US 50 was extended IMO. 
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sparker

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #2 on: November 14, 2017, 04:08:50 AM »

Finished up the first road blog which was on I-205:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2017/11/november-bay-trip-part-1-interstate-205.html

It's a lot easier to see why US 48 was designated after driving I-205 and I-580.  Short route aside the corridor is a hugely important one connecting the Bay Area to San Joaquin Valley...which was much better served when US 50 was extended IMO. 

It seems the decision to extend US 50 over what was then US 48 had two rationales applied:  the first was that when the Bay and Golden Gate bridge plans were finalized in the very early 1930's the Division of Highways proposed eliminating the E/W split of US 101 from San Jose to, respectively, ferry terminals in Oakland and San Francisco (the ferries rejoined the route at the Sausalito ferry terminal).  There was at the same time a desire to extend US 50, which originally ended at the corner of 16th & L streets in Sacramento, all the way to the S.F. Bay; the rather clumsy multiplex SW on US 99 to Stockton was instituted, along with the subsumption of the former southern iteration of US 99W (today's I-5 south of Stockton and CA 120 east through Manteca); it then replaced US 48 to Hayward, the original western terminus of that route, and then used the original 101E alignment to reach the ferry terminal at the foot of Broadway in Oakland, a configuration that lasted a few years until the Bay Bridge was opened, when it was rerouted to, along with US 40 coming in from the north, the eastern approach to the bridge before crossing the Bay and, for a while, terminating at Bryant and 10th Streets (the latter US 101) in San Francisco.  In short, the US 48 designation and signage didn't last long enough to make an impression on the driving public.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #3 on: November 14, 2017, 08:43:12 AM »

Probably a more creative way to eliminate US 48 would have been to use another X99 like US 299 and 399.  It would seem though at the time that X0 US Routes had some flair given that they were cross-country highways.  US 50 was extended to San Francisco roughly about the same time US 70 was extended to Los Angeles multiplexed with US 60.  48 was always an out of place number and probably should have been something different from the beginning.
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sparker

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #4 on: November 14, 2017, 02:59:02 PM »

Probably a more creative way to eliminate US 48 would have been to use another X99 like US 299 and 399.  It would seem though at the time that X0 US Routes had some flair given that they were cross-country highways.  US 50 was extended to San Francisco roughly about the same time US 70 was extended to Los Angeles multiplexed with US 60.  48 was always an out of place number and probably should have been something different from the beginning.

It seems that the 2dus routes ending in "8" were largely given short shrift by AASHO back then; there was never a US 88, and US 38 and US 48 were gone before WWII, with US 28 joining them on the scrap heap by the early '50's; all were supplanted by extensions of other routes (6, 50, and 26/126 respectively). 
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #5 on: November 14, 2017, 04:33:08 PM »

Probably a more creative way to eliminate US 48 would have been to use another X99 like US 299 and 399.  It would seem though at the time that X0 US Routes had some flair given that they were cross-country highways.  US 50 was extended to San Francisco roughly about the same time US 70 was extended to Los Angeles multiplexed with US 60.  48 was always an out of place number and probably should have been something different from the beginning.


It seems that the 2dus routes ending in "8" were largely given short shrift by AASHO back then; there was never a US 88, and US 38 and US 48 were gone before WWII, with US 28 joining them on the scrap heap by the early '50's; all were supplanted by extensions of other routes (6, 50, and 26/126 respectively).

Funny, I had a thought about US 48 and how it could have been kept viable.  Maybe instead of deleting it maybe the route could have extended over Carson Pass to US 395 when all those routes east of Stockton were getting number shuffled.  I personally think Carson Pass would make a solid US Route with the relatively easy terrain along with it staying open all year.  The real trick would be to devise something where it would have crossed US 50 in Nevada to reach US 40.  Maybe I’ll take a crack at it with some map research on the Fictional Board one of these days.
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sparker

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #6 on: November 15, 2017, 02:50:27 AM »

Probably a more creative way to eliminate US 48 would have been to use another X99 like US 299 and 399.  It would seem though at the time that X0 US Routes had some flair given that they were cross-country highways.  US 50 was extended to San Francisco roughly about the same time US 70 was extended to Los Angeles multiplexed with US 60.  48 was always an out of place number and probably should have been something different from the beginning.


It seems that the 2dus routes ending in "8" were largely given short shrift by AASHO back then; there was never a US 88, and US 38 and US 48 were gone before WWII, with US 28 joining them on the scrap heap by the early '50's; all were supplanted by extensions of other routes (6, 50, and 26/126 respectively).

Funny, I had a thought about US 48 and how it could have been kept viable.  Maybe instead of deleting it maybe the route could have extended over Carson Pass to US 395 when all those routes east of Stockton were getting number shuffled.  I personally think Carson Pass would make a solid US Route with the relatively easy terrain along with it staying open all year.  The real trick would be to devise something where it would have crossed US 50 in Nevada to reach US 40.  Maybe I’ll take a crack at it with some map research on the Fictional Board one of these days.

Before the late '60's, the Division of Highways closed Carson Pass every year like most other area passes, including Luther on CA 89 (which, IIRC, they started plowing in winter about 1963 or so).  Prior to that, Alpine County was, during the winter, isolated from the rest of California; CA/NV 88 was the major way in & out via a trip through NV.  Later that situation was deemed untenable; once alignment improvements were made, both CA 88 and CA 89 were intended to be kept open during the winter -- although the occasional heavy snowfall has foiled that aim from time to time.
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nexus73

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #7 on: November 15, 2017, 10:32:46 AM »

Probably a more creative way to eliminate US 48 would have been to use another X99 like US 299 and 399.  It would seem though at the time that X0 US Routes had some flair given that they were cross-country highways.  US 50 was extended to San Francisco roughly about the same time US 70 was extended to Los Angeles multiplexed with US 60.  48 was always an out of place number and probably should have been something different from the beginning.

It seems that the 2dus routes ending in "8" were largely given short shrift by AASHO back then; there was never a US 88, and US 38 and US 48 were gone before WWII, with US 28 joining them on the scrap heap by the early '50's; all were supplanted by extensions of other routes (6, 50, and 26/126 respectively). 

Toss into the list of US x8 routes US 28.  It ran from Florence OR to central Oregon as I recall.

Rick
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #8 on: November 15, 2017, 10:35:38 AM »

Probably a more creative way to eliminate US 48 would have been to use another X99 like US 299 and 399.  It would seem though at the time that X0 US Routes had some flair given that they were cross-country highways.  US 50 was extended to San Francisco roughly about the same time US 70 was extended to Los Angeles multiplexed with US 60.  48 was always an out of place number and probably should have been something different from the beginning.


It seems that the 2dus routes ending in "8" were largely given short shrift by AASHO back then; there was never a US 88, and US 38 and US 48 were gone before WWII, with US 28 joining them on the scrap heap by the early '50's; all were supplanted by extensions of other routes (6, 50, and 26/126 respectively).

Funny, I had a thought about US 48 and how it could have been kept viable.  Maybe instead of deleting it maybe the route could have extended over Carson Pass to US 395 when all those routes east of Stockton were getting number shuffled.  I personally think Carson Pass would make a solid US Route with the relatively easy terrain along with it staying open all year.  The real trick would be to devise something where it would have crossed US 50 in Nevada to reach US 40.  Maybe I’ll take a crack at it with some map research on the Fictional Board one of these days.

Before the late '60's, the Division of Highways closed Carson Pass every year like most other area passes, including Luther on CA 89 (which, IIRC, they started plowing in winter about 1963 or so).  Prior to that, Alpine County was, during the winter, isolated from the rest of California; CA/NV 88 was the major way in & out via a trip through NV.  Later that situation was deemed untenable; once alignment improvements were made, both CA 88 and CA 89 were intended to be kept open during the winter -- although the occasional heavy snowfall has foiled that aim from time to time.

Interesting, I never actually knew that about Carson Pass.  I guess I always assumed it was an all year route when it was as signed highway, learn something new every day.  Wasn't some of the coastal sections of 1 like that as well in the winter due to the mudslides.  I want to say 1 in Big Sur wasn't all-year until the 1950s?
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sparker

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #9 on: November 15, 2017, 04:05:59 PM »

Probably a more creative way to eliminate US 48 would have been to use another X99 like US 299 and 399.  It would seem though at the time that X0 US Routes had some flair given that they were cross-country highways.  US 50 was extended to San Francisco roughly about the same time US 70 was extended to Los Angeles multiplexed with US 60.  48 was always an out of place number and probably should have been something different from the beginning.

It seems that the 2dus routes ending in "8" were largely given short shrift by AASHO back then; there was never a US 88, and US 38 and US 48 were gone before WWII, with US 28 joining them on the scrap heap by the early '50's; all were supplanted by extensions of other routes (6, 50, and 26/126 respectively). 

Toss into the list of US x8 routes US 28.  It ran from Florence OR to central Oregon as I recall.

Rick

Indeed it did, starting at US 101 at Florence and using now-OR 126 east to Mapleton, where it segued onto OR 36 (126 from Mapleton to Eugene wasn't completed until the early '60's).  It followed OR 36 to (then) US 99, multiplexing south with that route to Eugene.  East of there it followed OR 126 to OR 242, then OR 242 over McKenzie Pass to Sisters, where it resumed along OR 126 to Prineville, and then along US 26 east across the state to Cairo Junction; it turned north there through Ontario and then across the Snake River into Idaho, where it almost immediately terminated at US 30 near Fruitland.  The portion from US 101 east to US 99 was decommissioned right after WWII and became the original route of OR 36; the remainder disappeared about 1953 when US 26 was extended west of Idaho Falls, ID across Idaho and Oregon; it replaced OR 50 from Prineville NW to Portland. 
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nexus73

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #10 on: November 15, 2017, 06:48:03 PM »

Probably a more creative way to eliminate US 48 would have been to use another X99 like US 299 and 399.  It would seem though at the time that X0 US Routes had some flair given that they were cross-country highways.  US 50 was extended to San Francisco roughly about the same time US 70 was extended to Los Angeles multiplexed with US 60.  48 was always an out of place number and probably should have been something different from the beginning.

It seems that the 2dus routes ending in "8" were largely given short shrift by AASHO back then; there was never a US 88, and US 38 and US 48 were gone before WWII, with US 28 joining them on the scrap heap by the early '50's; all were supplanted by extensions of other routes (6, 50, and 26/126 respectively). 

Toss into the list of US x8 routes US 28.  It ran from Florence OR to central Oregon as I recall.

Rick

Indeed it did, starting at US 101 at Florence and using now-OR 126 east to Mapleton, where it segued onto OR 36 (126 from Mapleton to Eugene wasn't completed until the early '60's).  It followed OR 36 to (then) US 99, multiplexing south with that route to Eugene.  East of there it followed OR 126 to OR 242, then OR 242 over McKenzie Pass to Sisters, where it resumed along OR 126 to Prineville, and then along US 26 east across the state to Cairo Junction; it turned north there through Ontario and then across the Snake River into Idaho, where it almost immediately terminated at US 30 near Fruitland.  The portion from US 101 east to US 99 was decommissioned right after WWII and became the original route of OR 36; the remainder disappeared about 1953 when US 26 was extended west of Idaho Falls, ID across Idaho and Oregon; it replaced OR 50 from Prineville NW to Portland. 

Thanks for the route description Sparker!  SR 36 is such a scenic highway and in about the same kind of situation it was (windy, narrow) as it was during the US 28 period.  Not much for traffic but plenty for coast range views!  Seeing Triangle Lake is quite the treat to see too.  Once a year there's a garage sale date set up for the entire route from Mapleton to where it joins SR 99 two miles south of Junction City. 

Rick
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Desert Man

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #11 on: November 17, 2017, 12:04:46 PM »

Cool story, bro. (like the meme said). There was a I-180 a.k.a. the Richmond-San Rafael bridge, but was renumbered I-580. And the strange 1.5 mile route I-238 in Hayward-San Leandro area. Makes me wonder if the East Bay has officials in the Dept. of Transportation unable to number highways and freeways.
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bing101

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #12 on: November 18, 2017, 12:44:09 PM »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_37

Interestingly the Highway 48 designation was reused as a state route CA-48 before that was renamed CA-37 in 1964.
« Last Edit: November 19, 2017, 09:21:12 AM by bing101 »
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sparker

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Re: I-205; back story of the original US 48 and even US 50
« Reply #13 on: November 19, 2017, 02:28:58 AM »

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_37

Interestingly the Highway 48 designation as a state route CA-48 before that was renamed CA-37 in 1964.

The original SSR 48 (LRN 208) was a later addition to the state highway system (1935); it was signed as SSR 48 a couple of years after US 50 subsumed former US 48 between Castro Valley and Manteca.  Since its inception, it had effectively functioned, along with SSR 37 between US 101 at Novato and Sears Point, as the main route from US 40 north of Vallejo across the north side of the San Pablo Bay to Marin County points; most eastbound traffic on SSR 37 continued east on SSR 48 rather than turn north toward Sonoma and Napa on SSR 37.  The 1964 renumbering essentially recognized this traffic pattern and formalized the concept of a through E-W route along the north side of the bay by redesignating the entire route from US 101 to I-80 as CA 37. 
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