CA 166 from U.S. 101 to Interstate 5 is two lanes, doesn't need to be widened.

[coatimundi]

If this were upgraded to an expressway to I-5, I don't think 269 would get an interchange. It would just be a signalized intersection.
But the traffic counts don't warrant an expressway. Based on those, it looks like traffic is doubling after that Huron turn-off (which makes sense given Huron's nature), and even after that almost doubling you're still at only about 1/5 of the counts on the Hanford bypass.

I mean, I drive 198 a lot to the Central Valley because it's just a lot more pleasant than my alternatives. Widening through the mountains right now is totally absurd. You can pull off on that road and not see another car for 15 minutes. The only vehicles I've ever passed were large trucks going to and from a quarry in the area (i.e. - local and temporary traffic). Even east of I-5, I just never see the traffic. If the farm traffic is headed south then it would use 41. If it's headed north, then maybe it would use 198, but it doesn't seem like there's much of it to begin with, let alone enough so that half or less (it seems like most traffic from there goes south) would warrant a 4-lane divided roadway.
But can we talk about the fact that the I-5/198 interchange is a parclo, versus both 41 and 46 that are both just a regular diamond despite being a lot more congested? I mean, what's up with that? Was Caltrans being optimistic? Maybe they thought the commercial development at that intersection would be a lot more than what it is?

[sparker]

I'd venture an educated guess that the parclo is due to influence by the Harris Ranch folks, who likely have over the years envisioned some sort of roadside development at or near the 5/198 junction and applied the necessary pressure to get a higher-capacity interchange deployed at that location.  Certainly it's not to accommodate an expansion of Coalinga out to that area (as if that would ever occur absent a gold/oil strike in the area -- or some previous undisclosed plans for localized fracking operations).  There doesn't seem to be anything in the current STIP that indicates that 198 west of Lemoore is slated for substantial upgrading, so just about everything said about that route, including my own comments, is simply speculative at this point.

In the hills west of Coalinga, 198 is most certainly adequate as is; the last time I was on that road, about 4 years ago, I drove (WB) for about 10 miles without seeing any vehicles coming in the opposite direction -- and that was a UPS van!  The only thing needed on that road is to restore the signage at the 198/25 junction, which seems to have vanished into thin air!

[coatimundi]

I'd venture an educated guess that the parclo is due to influence by the Harris Ranch folks, who likely have over the years envisioned some sort of roadside development at or near the 5/198 junction and applied the necessary pressure to get a higher-capacity interchange deployed at that location.

That was kinda my thought as well. Can't plow through Central California without a stop at Harris Ranch! Except that you totally can!
Always been curious about that hotel. It just looks like kind of a dump and seems to be mostly local contractors and workers staying there.

Certainly it's not to accommodate an expansion of Coalinga out to that area

If Coalinga grows, then the rest of this state is doomed. Something just seems so apocalyptic about letting that town get out of its squalid corner of desert.

so just about everything said about that route, including my own comments, is simply speculative at this point.

The speculation even running dry in California gives even the ultra speculator who started this thread some level of credence. It just gets boring otherwise. Gotta have a highway project somewhere!

[sparker]

As long as there's In-N-Outs at Kettleman and Terra Bella there's no need to snag overpriced ground beef at Harris Ranch!  Fries are better as well!  Harris Ranch is basically a cookie-cutter coffee shop with a modicum of pretense added on for good measure!  But it's still the Taj Mahal of I-5 (alright, Andersen's Pea Soup in Terra Bella comes in a close 2nd -- if it's still there; I usually make my exit at 152, so haven't been north of there in a few years) -- at least compared with the other stuff strung out along the freeway.

[Max Rockatansky]

Actually by technical definition Coalinga would be in a desert given it that it receives about 8.3 inches of rain a year.  Most of San Joaquin Valley is slightly over 10 inches which puts it as "semi-arid."  Feels plenty like a desert down by me, just slightly cooler than what I'm used to from the Sonoran Desert.  Apparently Coalinga is about to crest 17,000 people...not bad for a town that has a Kmart as it's commerce hub and is loosely named after a coaling station.  I wouldn't say it was enough to justify an upgrade on 198/33 just yet but it seems to be one of the in vogue places to move the last two decades. 

I always like the burgers at Harris Ranch, usually I was transporting someone up north when I've been in recently...so at least I didn't have to pay.  Usually I cut back over on 198 to get to either 43 or 99 on the way home and there is certainly a wealth of food options.

As far as 198 west of Coalinga, man that is one of the real underrated fun drives in the state.  It's just challenging enough to keep your attention but kind of peaceful given the lack of other vehicles. 

[sparker]

Speaking (peripherally) of food in the San Joaquin Valley, do any posters remember the late, great Imperial Dynasty restaurant in Hanford?  Closed in 2006 after 55 years in business when the owner and chef, the late Richard Wing, became too ill to work regularly.  Was considered, at least in the '70's and early '80's, to be the best Mandarin-style restaurant in California, if not the whole western U.S.  My ex, who was a regular (her dad was Wing's lawyer!), introduced me to the place back when we started dating back in '81.  Having become accustomed to "hot & spicy" Szechuan and Hunan cuisines by that time, I was skeptical at first -- but the subtleties of flavor -- even with simple war-won-ton soup, were amazing.  As time went by, Wing integrated some more popular spicy dishes (like kung pao chicken and hot & sour soup) into his menu, but his specialty remained Mandarin-style dishes like braised whole chicken (yum!).

Apparently some Wing family members have established a small "tea room" near the site of the former restaurant, and are starting to reintroduce some of the Dynasty's more popular dishes.  The Wing family also owns the appropriately named Wing's restaurant here in San Jose on Jackson and North 4th Street -- but the last time I dined there the menu selections bore no resemblance to the Dynasty's fare. 

If any Valley-based posters are in the position to check out the Hanford restaurant, a brief note as to status of such would be greatly appreciated.  Apparently there's also a local revival of the old Hanford "Chinatown", called China Alley; this is the likely location of the Wing continuation "tearoom".     

[Max Rockatansky]

Wasn't that in China Alley right behind 7th Street?  I remember seeing the place once decades ago on TD and may or may not have actually eaten there.  I thought it was strange that a smaller city in the Valley like Hanford actually had a "China Town" which literally was just a back alley. 

http://www.chinaalley.com/index.php?section=about

[sparker]

The Dynasty was actually on 7th.  The "alley" originally contained numerous Chinese specialty shops -- a miniature version of Grant Ave. in S.F.  My ex collected Asian lacquer pieces, so I've spent an inordinate amount of time in Chinese neighborhoods all over California, including the one in Hanford (circa early-to-mid 80's).  Lunchtime made the shopping trips at least tolerable!

[Max Rockatansky]

Just looked it up on Google Maps, I did in fact eat there once back in the 90s...go figure.  Apparently the tea room actually has pretty decent reviews:

https://www.google.com/search?q=L+T+Sue+Co.Tea+Room,+402+E+7th+St,+Hanford,+CA+93230&ludocid=17545388438543098856#lrd=0x8094c37c84959eab:0xf37dbdd34d9b63e8,1,

Looks like everything in that back alley and along 7th in general has fallen into disrepair.  So much for that actually being a true "business route" nowadays.  Hell might be worth a trip back up there some time just to check out China Alley sometime.  I have so many photos of old historic buildings, ghost towns, engineering structures, roads, and what not that something other than Allensworth in San Joaquin Valley might be a nice addition.

[sparker]

Looked at their site & the Yelp review; looks like they're offering a standard lunch menu, but with the addition of some Asian soups -- probably to "test the waters" re adding more entrée dishes.  I have to make a trip down to Hesperia to get some stuff out of storage in November or December (don't do the desert in summer if I can help it!), might just make a Hanford stop to check the place out.  I'd ask my ex if she's been there recently, but I don't want to be on the phone for 3 hours!  Thanks for the info!