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Author Topic: CA 156  (Read 4826 times)

Max Rockatansky

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CA 156
« on: November 18, 2017, 10:15:07 PM »

Just got from a Monterey Peninsula trip.  Finally got around to creating an album for CA 156:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmbk53LL

I have pretty much all the old alignment stuff worked out but I'll get to that once I clear past all the Bay Area stuff. 
« Last Edit: October 14, 2019, 03:21:57 PM by Max Rockatansky »
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2017, 10:39:41 PM »

Finished up the road blog on CA 156 and the previous alignments:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2017/11/california-state-route-156.html
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sparker

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #2 on: November 21, 2017, 03:35:41 AM »

The official CA state highway map from 1940 (from the Rumsey collection) shows SSR 156 on LRN 22 at that time; I recall seeing "bear" 156 shields (later version with button copy) at Castroville circa 1959 (family trip from L.A. to Sacramento and back; the return via Santa Cruz and Big Sur). 
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #3 on: November 21, 2017, 08:00:17 AM »

The official CA state highway map from 1940 (from the Rumsey collection) shows SSR 156 on LRN 22 at that time; I recall seeing "bear" 156 shields (later version with button copy) at Castroville circa 1959 (family trip from L.A. to Sacramento and back; the return via Santa Cruz and Big Sur).

I saw it on the 1938 map as well which is the furthest back map I can find that shows state route numbers in general on it.  On the other hand the Thomas Brothers Map from 1938 doesn't show 156 at all the same year:

https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~248499~5515934:-County-and-Road--Map-of-California?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:san%2Bfrancisco;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=410&trs=3465

Interesting side not about the Thomas Brothers Map, it does show 180 and 33 on non-state maintained roads by 1938 which maps the state map of the same year.  I think its safe to reasonably conclude that some routes that the state had intended to acquire were signed anyways, I want to say NE2 linked a photo of an actual shield from 12 before?  Pretty much all state route signage on non-state maintained roadways seems to have been gone by 1940 if the Division of Highways didn't make the acquisition.
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sparker

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #4 on: November 22, 2017, 04:56:57 AM »

Pretty much all state route signage on non-state maintained roadways seems to have been gone by 1940 if the Division of Highways didn't make the acquisition.

The one exception to this was SSR 39, signed on Hacienda Blvd. between Whittier Blvd. and I-10 at least from 1959 to early 1971; the earliest signage I can recall personally seeing on this route -- never formally within the state highway system -- was back about '59; it also used the original Garvey Ave. frontage road on I-10/San Bernardino Freeway to effect the connection between Hacienda Blvd. and Azusa Ave.; white larger post-bear shields (with button copy) were posted on the frontage road, with SB trailblazers from WB Garvey to SB Hacienda.  Signage survived the '64 change to green shields; there was a mixture of old white and new green shields along Hacienda, along with CA 39 signage on the BGS's at the Hacienda Blvd. exits along the CA 60/Pomona Freeway.  In either late '70 or early '71 a green patch reading "TO" was placed on the BGS's 39 shield; any reference to CA 39 was gone by about '74.  That connecting section was always an oddity; it seemed that both Caltrans and L.A. County, at least for a while, displayed a seemingly pathological need to connect the two sections of CA 39 -- although the segment of Hacienda over the top of the Puente Hills was a windy 2-lane road hardly conducive to through traffic, particularly after the largely parallel Colima Road (to the west) and Harbor Blvd. (to the east) were deployed in the '70's.   
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #5 on: November 22, 2017, 09:08:04 AM »

Nowadays unless there is some sort of Caltrans definition in a relinquishment the only non-state maintained signed state highway appears to be CA 130.  Santa Clara County insists on signing CA 130 (albeit poorly) from the Merced County line via Del Puerto Canyon Road and San Antonio Valley Road to Mount Hamilton.  Caltrans still maintains CA 130 westward to the San Jose city limit which is where the appropriate signage begins.  Oddly the relinquishment definition of 130 dictates that San Jose continues to sign the highway but it definitely wasn't the case on Alum Rock Avenue westbound when I drove through.

130CAa by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr
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sparker

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #6 on: November 22, 2017, 01:19:08 PM »

Nowadays unless there is some sort of Caltrans definition in a relinquishment the only non-state maintained signed state highway appears to be CA 130.  Santa Clara County insists on signing CA 130 (albeit poorly) from the Merced County line via Del Puerto Canyon Road and San Antonio Valley Road to Mount Hamilton.  Caltrans still maintains CA 130 westward to the San Jose city limit which is where the appropriate signage begins.  Oddly the relinquishment definition of 130 dictates that San Jose continues to sign the highway but it definitely wasn't the case on Alum Rock Avenue westbound when I drove through.

130CAa by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

Wow!  I've got to get up there sometime and see the ersatz 130 signage!  This raises a question: did Caltrans or their predecessor ever take out a copyright on the "spade" shield -- and, if so, have they ever chosen to enforce that copyright (which would affect quite a few city-erected trailblazer signs all over the state) in selective circumstances?  In any case the shield format dates back about 85-90 years, and the design may be in the public domain currently (sign reproducers might want to chime in here!).

And, yes, Alum Rock is essentially devoid of any CA 130 signage -- reassurance or trailblazer.  The City of San Jose seems to be doing all it can to discourage through traffic on its city streets, so retention of state highway signage would be well down on their priority list!
« Last Edit: November 22, 2017, 01:22:21 PM by sparker »
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #7 on: November 22, 2017, 02:33:37 PM »

There is actually quite a few reassurance 130s up there, especially on San Antonio Valley Road.  I suspect Caltrans doesn’t have a trademark on the Spade since there some replica sign shops like the one in Bishop that makes copies.  I’ve even encountered some sign making companies that produce Caltrans spec shields. 
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sparker

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #8 on: November 22, 2017, 03:43:45 PM »

There is actually quite a few reassurance 130s up there, especially on San Antonio Valley Road.  I suspect Caltrans doesn’t have a trademark on the Spade since there some replica sign shops like the one in Bishop that makes copies.  I’ve even encountered some sign making companies that produce Caltrans spec shields. 

Now I will have to make a trip up there; hopefully when work dies down a little (current project taking most of my time).  Just got a new Ricoh camera -- primarily to take pix of my product line for brochures and upcoming website -- but I'll just have to let it do double-duty for road photos.  Oddball shields are always tempting photo bait! 
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Desert Man

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #9 on: November 23, 2017, 01:42:57 PM »

My wife and I drove on 156 (jointed commissioned US 101) to visit her family in Gilroy in southern Santa Clara valley or county or "area" (well, San Jose is the bay area's largest city). The Salinas side of this valley is known as the "salad belt of the world" - artichokes, lettuce, tomatoes, strawberries, grapes (some wineries), garlic, and green or red peppers all around. The town of Prunedale looks nice, in fact you may find prunes (its namesake) and plums farmed in the area.  The Mission San Juan Bautista and its town is on SR 156, and Hollister in San Benito county - nothing to do with the "Hollister California" designer clothing brand.
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Get your kicks...on Route 99! Like to turn 66 upside down. The other historic Main street of America.

Max Rockatansky

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #10 on: November 23, 2017, 02:04:19 PM »

There is actually quite a few reassurance 130s up there, especially on San Antonio Valley Road.  I suspect Caltrans doesn’t have a trademark on the Spade since there some replica sign shops like the one in Bishop that makes copies.  I’ve even encountered some sign making companies that produce Caltrans spec shields. 

Now I will have to make a trip up there; hopefully when work dies down a little (current project taking most of my time).  Just got a new Ricoh camera -- primarily to take pix of my product line for brochures and upcoming website -- but I'll just have to let it do double-duty for road photos.  Oddball shields are always tempting photo bait!

Here are some of the other oddball 130s I caught photos of:

IMG_2943 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_2944 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_2948 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

I have no idea what you'll see heading eastbound.  It sure seems like Santa Clara County was pretty insistent that travels know the implied routing of CA 130 to get you to/from San Joaquin Valley for whatever reason.  I'm not sure why not petitioning for a signed county route couldn't have been done like a J59 or J132?
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #11 on: October 14, 2019, 03:24:59 PM »

Spent some time revisiting CA 156 this past week and that being the case I made some updates to the existing blog on the highway.  New to the blog is an expanded history of the highway which includes the entire original route of CA 156, realignment time frames and all the failed attempts to get almost all the route up to four lanes.  Of interest there has been a recent push with SB1 funding to build up CA 156 from CA 183 in Castroville to expressway east to US 101 which would given Monterey County a much needed four-lane link to the rest of California.  I also added about 20 new photos of CA 156 eastbound to the ghost expressway stub near Castroville Boulevard.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2017/11/california-state-route-156.html
« Last Edit: October 14, 2019, 03:27:09 PM by Max Rockatansky »
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mapman

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #12 on: October 19, 2019, 02:03:30 AM »

That's interesting that SB1 funding could now be in the mix.  TAMC (the Transportation Agency for Monterey County) has tried for decades to widen that portion of CA 156.  The latest approach that I have heard of (which dates back 5 or so years) was to build a new four-lane freeway alignment as a toll road (tolling westbound traffic only) to help with the lack of funding from Caltrans.  The company I worked for at the time proposed on the tolling study for TAMC but did not win the job. 

I always though that a toll road was a bad idea, as there are so many alternate routes to the tolled road that visitors could use to bypass the new road.  The locals in Prunedale also didn't like the idea of a toll road, so TAMC had the idea of exempting locals from the tolls (not sure how that would work). 
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #13 on: October 27, 2019, 12:32:08 AM »

Had some interesting historic finds for LRN 22 and early CA 156:

-  LRN 22 was moved off of Rocks Road west of San Juan Bautista in 1935.  The new alignment was to the north on the same right-of-way as the present route of CA 156 west to US 101.  There was even a oddly shapped Y configuration junction.
-  CA 156 oddly doesn't appear on any Division of Highways document aside from the State Highway Maps from 1938 through the 1940s.  I found this odd since there was an update in the October 1935 guide announcing the new Sign State Routes from that year and CA 156 wasn't one of them.  Really it makes it unclear if CA 156 became a thing in 1936 or 1937, although I would lean towards the latter given that it appears on the 1938 State Highway Map.
-  CA 156 west of Prunedale to Castroville was moved off Castroville Boulvard onto the present two-lane expressway by 1944.  CA 156 originally met CA 1 at Merritt Street and Preston Road in downtown Castroville.  CA 1 was aligned at the same time onto Salinas Street and met CA 156 at Merritt Street.  CA 156 would remain on Salinas Street until the present freeway through Castroville was built in the 1960s

I went back to the blog and added the source Department of Public Works documents.  Presently I'm working on new sections about the former alignments of CA 156 and LRN 22.  So far the only one I've added is for CA 156 Business in Hollister.  I will be adding sections for; Old CA 156 in San Juan Bautista, Old LRN 22 on Rocks Road, Old CA 156 on Castroville Boulevard, and Old CA 156 in Castroville. 
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #14 on: October 28, 2019, 12:27:48 AM »

Made the final update with the former segments described above.  To clarify something I found interesting in all this research, I can't find any documentation of when CA 156 was first signed side from the 1938 Division of Highways Map much less if it was west of US 101 before 1964.  I suspect that CA 156 likely made it to Castroville either in 1938 or 1944 when the highway west from Prunedale was improved but none of the Public Works Guide I've searched through (20 volumes) reference CA 156 at all. 
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Max Rockatansky

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #15 on: January 24, 2024, 09:05:44 PM »

Fresh photos of the partially completed Turbo Roundabout:

IMG_0882 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0885 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0887 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0889 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0894 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0897 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0899 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr
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ClassicHasClass

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #16 on: January 24, 2024, 10:33:29 PM »

(((TURBOROUNDANDROUNDANDROUNDABOUT)))
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jdbx

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #17 on: January 25, 2024, 01:50:46 PM »

Fresh photos of the partially completed Turbo Roundabout:

IMG_0882 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0885 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0887 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0889 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0894 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0897 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0899 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The control cities are oddly small on those roundabout turnoff signs.
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RZF

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #18 on: January 25, 2024, 10:35:19 PM »

Fresh photos of the partially completed Turbo Roundabout:

IMG_0882 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0885 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0887 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0889 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0894 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0897 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

IMG_0899 by Max Rockatansky, on Flickr

The control cities are oddly small on those roundabout turnoff signs.

Looks like they're in Clearview font too. Yikes.
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roadfro

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Re: CA 156
« Reply #19 on: January 26, 2024, 11:00:40 AM »

Fresh photos of the partially completed Turbo Roundabout:
<photos snipped>

The control cities are oddly small on those roundabout turnoff signs.

Looks like they're in Clearview font too. Yikes.

Not Clearview—lack of curly foot on the lower case 'l' is one indication. Looks like a small and possibly compressed FHWA series font—maybe series C or B? (I'm not as adept at telling the FHWA type faces from one another like others here are.)

But yeah, comically small. Good thing there's an advance sign upstream that appears to be more normally signed to provide some initial guidance.
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Roadfro - AARoads Pacific Southwest moderator since 2010, Nevada roadgeek since 1983.

 


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