California 99 in Sacramento

[myosh_tino]

As for the gap in CA-99, I-9 can't get here soon enough.

Actually, it's probably going to be I-7. CA-9 is a lengthly mountain highway that runs from Santa Cruz to Los Gatos.

[TheStranger]

I don't consider it a gap since it does silently merge with U.S. 50 and I-5.  It's just no longer signed.

It's signed but very partially, at certain exits (through downtown and up to Garden Highway, then at the north 99/5 interchange...and along ramps on W and X Streets for the US 50 segment).

[AZDude]

I do remember a CA 99 shield placed under an I-5 reassurance shield just before CA 99 splits off and heads north.

[Bickendan]

It doesn't even meet the standards for an average traffic jam!

I'll need to remember that. 

[subzeroepsilon]

As someone who spent most of their teenage years (and learned to drive) on Sacramento freeways, why not give the unused I-480 designation that the Bay Area so desperately wants to wring from its memory to Business Loop 80. Look at it as a trade for the 880 designation they gave the Nimitz freeway (which is in MUCH worse condition than any of the sections of the Cap City Freeway, especially through Oakland).

And I agree, exceptions can and have always been made for substandard Interstates, so no logical reason this cannot happen if CalTrans really wanted to push it.

[TheStranger]

As someone who spent most of their teenage years (and learned to drive) on Sacramento freeways, why not give the unused I-480 designation that the Bay Area so desperately wants to wring from its memory to Business Loop 80. Look at it as a trade for the 880 designation they gave the Nimitz freeway (which is in MUCH worse condition than any of the sections of the Cap City Freeway, especially through Oakland).

And I agree, exceptions can and have always been made for substandard Interstates, so no logical reason this cannot happen if CalTrans really wanted to push it.

From what I recall, the main reason that Business 80 et al. lost its interstate designation, is not unlike why the 470 beltway in Denver did - funding was transferred to a light rail project in lieu of completing road construction.

If anything, I think that the north-south substandard segment (currently hidden Route 51) should be highlighted as a seperate route, with the Business 80 designation being deprecated in favor of the existing US 50/Route 99 designations - after all, the US 50/Business 80 segment is mostly known as "US 50" by locals, and in order to stay on Business 80 through the Oak Park interchange, one has to exit off to the right to continue on the ostensible through route.

[subzeroepsilon]

I do agree that the whole 90-degree turn to stay on the "through" road is a little confusing. If we were to sign the N-S portion of CCF as a separate route, I nominate CA-9 to coincide with the creation of I-9 that will be taking over the freeway portion of CA-99 between Sacramento and the Grapevine. This has the added benefit of recognizing that portion of freeway once carried US-99E from downtown Sacramento to Roseville, where it split off US-40 (current day CA-65). [Insert the number 7 where you see 9 in the previous paragraph if the designation is indeed I-7.]

There are other instances, even in California, however, where one must "exit off" a through route itself in order to stay on said route. Look at WB I-80 approaching the MacArthur Maze in Oakland and I-215/CA-60/CA-91 in the Inland Empire as examples to demonstrate the concept is not unique to Sacramento. That said, I think it is important to have a child-route from I-80 for travelers outside the area directed to the downtown area, especially for the state capitol.

If an Interstate designation is off the table, what about CA-480?

[agentsteel53]

From what I recall, the main reason that Business 80 et al. lost its interstate designation, is not unlike why the 470 beltway in Denver did - funding was transferred to a light rail project in lieu of completing road construction.

the average driving public wouldn't care if funding were transferred to pump oil into the Gulf!  

Drivers equate the interstate shield with "road of particular quality", not some bizarre set of arguments about the exact nature of the funding bureaucracy.  If it meets interstate specs, it can get a red, white, and blue shield.

[TheStranger]

From what I recall, the main reason that Business 80 et al. lost its interstate designation, is not unlike why the 470 beltway in Denver did - funding was transferred to a light rail project in lieu of completing road construction.

the average driving public wouldn't care if funding were transferred to pump oil into the Gulf! 

Drivers equate the interstate shield with "road of particular quality", not some bizarre set of arguments about the exact nature of the funding bureaucracy.  If it meets interstate specs, it can get a red, white, and blue shield.

The current (Route 51, formerly US 99E) road does not meet interstate specs north of E Street, and the funding that was cut off in 1979 would have provided for that realignment.

Now, are there many Interstates grandfathered in with worse specs?  I-278 comes to mind immediately, yeah.

[agentsteel53]

The current (Route 51, formerly US 99E) road does not meet interstate specs north of E Street, and the funding that was cut off in 1979 would have provided for that realignment.

Now, are there many Interstates grandfathered in with worse specs?  I-278 comes to mind immediately, yeah.

fair enough, but to de-grandfather a route, causing all kinds of driver confusion?  if we're going to de-grandfather a route ... yep, I-278 comes to mind. 

[TheStranger]

fair enough, but to de-grandfather a route, causing all kinds of driver confusion?  if we're going to de-grandfather a route ... yep, I-278 comes to mind. 

I think the only time a de-designation has occurred for that exact reason (well, unless we count I-80 being moved off of today's Route 51/Business 80) would be I-580 in North Omaha...still curious as to what the west leg of that interchange with 480 was originally meant for.

I-480 got demoted to state route in SF but I always thought that was because the route was never going to be completed from Broadway to Doyle Drive, which would have completed the loop (with the original I-280 routing).

One could argue that another de-grandfathering occurred when the Santa Ana Freeway segment of US 101 (from the San Bernardino Freeway southeast) lost its I-105 designation in 1968, though I do not think that was ever signed.

[agentsteel53]

I do not believe I-105 was ever signed, but I know it was postmiled.  There was also an I-110 in the same area, and I do not know if it was signed or paddled.

Arizona I-410 was once signed; I do not know what led to its disappearance.

[TheStranger]

Arizona I-410 was once signed; I do not know what led to its disappearance.

IIRC, former 410 is now the current route of 10 through downtown, or the 17 bend?  Forget which one, though my 1967 Rand McNally had 10 proposed following a more southerly alignment west of 17, then using the last part of today's 17 to continue on to its current routing east from town.

It wouldn't quite be de-grandfathering a route though, as it was built as an Interstate and is still one. 

Now, AZ 51, if any of it was ever part of the one-time I-510...

[Bickendan]

AZ 51/I-510 is the only one I can think of. Can't remember where I read it though, so I don't know if AZ 51 was meant to be I-510 or if it ever was I-510