The pre-1958 US 66 Business Loop in San Bernardino

[Max Rockatansky]

Question for the board given there doesn't appear to be an answer in the AASHTO database, does anyone know when was the first US Route 66 Business Loop in San Bernardino first signed?  The original US Route 66 Business Loop followed Legislative Route Number 191 on Kendall Drive and E Street to Highland Avenue.  From Highland Avenue US Route 66 Business was co-signed with California State Route 18 via Legislative Route Number 43/E Street towards 5th Street.  The original US Route 66 Business Loop jogged west on 5th Street to mainline US Route 66.   

I did find when the original US 66 Business Loop was deleted in San Bernardino in the AASHTO database:

"The Division of Highways submitted a request on May 13, 1958, to create a new US Route 66-91-395 Business Loop in San Bernardino.  This measure was taken due to mainline US Routes 66-91-395 being moved to the nearly complete Interstate 15.  The new US Route 66 Business Loop is shown to follow Mount Vernon Avenue and 5th Street in San Bernardino via the original surface routing of the highway.  The request by the Division of Highways also sought to eliminate the existing US Route 66 Business Loop on Legislative Route Number 191, Kendall Drive and E Street.  The AASHO approved the Division of Highways request on June 26, 1958, which eliminated the US Route 66 Business Loop on Legislative Route Number 191.  Legislative Route Number 191 would go on to be assigned as California State Route 206 from 1964-1991."

I find the original US 66 Business Loop be odd given it was never part of mainline US 66.  I suspect this Business Loop was created when the Mount Vernon Avenue overhead was completed.  My rationale is that the Mount Vernon overhead realigned US 66 from 4th Street onto 5th given the length of the structure.  This would aligned directly with the original US 66 Business Loop.

[ClassicHasClass]

Which one are you referring to? The CH&PW source I have shows the Mt Vernon overhead dating from ~1933 (replacing the old rickety steel viaduct). In my notes I have 1945 for when 4th St was swapped out for 5th St, though I can't seem to find where I picked that up from.

There was a BUSINESS US 66 as far back as at least 1951. That's out of CH&PW also.

http://www.floodgap.com/roadgap/395/old/u15/

[Max Rockatansky]

Which one are you referring to? The CH&PW source I have shows the Mt Vernon overhead dating from ~1933 (replacing the old rickety steel viaduct). In my notes I have 1945 for when 4th St was swapped out for 5th St, though I can't seem to find where I picked that up from.

There was a BUSINESS US 66 as far back as at least 1951. That's out of CH&PW also.

http://www.floodgap.com/roadgap/395/old/u15/

Specifically the US 66 Business Loop origin I'm looking for is Kendall Drive, E Street and 5th Street.  Do you recall which 1951 CHPW volume it was noted in?  I found an allusion to said Business Loop in the NOV/DEC 1955 CHPW.

[Max Rockatansky]

Okay I found the I Street Overhead article in the Sep/Oct 1951 CHPW.  I would say pending other evidence it is likely that was origin of US 66 Business in San Bernardino.  The original ATSF crossing CA 18 used was on 3rd Street whereas the I Street Overhead was on 5th.  It would have been totally illogical for Business Route to have to double back over a second overhead on Mount Vernon to reach mainline US 66.

All the same the article doesn't spell it out clearly...back to the AASHTO database for the 1950 and 1951 files...

[Avalanchez71]

Okay I found the I Street Overhead article in the Sep/Oct 1951 CHPW.  I would say pending other evidence it is likely that was origin of US 66 Business in San Bernardino.  The original ATSF crossing CA 18 used was on 3rd Street whereas the I Street Overhead was on 5th.  It would have been totally illogical for Business Route to have to double back over a second overhead on Mount Vernon to reach mainline US 66.

All the same the article doesn't spell it out clearly...back to the AASHTO database for the 1950 and 1951 files...

How well were business routes marked back then in CA?

[Max Rockatansky]

Okay I found the I Street Overhead article in the Sep/Oct 1951 CHPW.  I would say pending other evidence it is likely that was origin of US 66 Business in San Bernardino.  The original ATSF crossing CA 18 used was on 3rd Street whereas the I Street Overhead was on 5th.  It would have been totally illogical for Business Route to have to double back over a second overhead on Mount Vernon to reach mainline US 66.

All the same the article doesn't spell it out clearly...back to the AASHTO database for the 1950 and 1951 files...

How well were business routes marked back then in CA?

Very well in this instance, check page 808 on the link below:

https://archive.org/details/californiahighwa195051calirich/page/n807/mode/1up?q=Bernardino&view=theater

Worth noting, the 1942 USGS Map for Lake Arrowhead shows US 66 Alt on LRN 191/Kendall Drive.  That's the earliest USGS image I can find showing the US 66 Alt/Business Route.  I suspect there might be an application hiding in a misc scan file in the AASHTO database.  The Los Angeles US 66 Alt application was hiding in the 1940 bulk scan file.