Old US Route 101 King City

[Max Rockatansky]

I spent some time plotting out the alignment history of US Route 101 within King City recently.  King City was part of the selected route out of Legislative Route 2 which was created in 1910 when the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act passed.  The implied alignment of LRN 2 from Greenfield south to King City was served in 1914 when the existing wooden bridge was taken out by a on the Salinas River.  The bridge over the Salinas River didn't see a State Highway replacement until 1919 which likely meant that the interim route to King City was on Metz Road.  The early route of LRN 2 began US 101 in 1926 followed the 1919 Salinas River Bridge, Broadway Street, and 1st Street through King City.  A notable structure on the surface alignment of US 101 in King City was the 1903 Southern Pacific Railroad Depot which is now on display at San Lorenzo Park.  In 1956 a new Salinas River Bridge was built which became the northbound lanes of a new US 101 expressway to Salinas.  The 1919 Salinas River Bridge was replaced during the King City bypass project which was earmarked for the 1966-67 fiscal year.  Former US 101 on Broadway Street eventually became an extension County Route G13 whereas 1st Street became an extension of County Route G15.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/02/old-us-route-101-in-king-city-and-1903.html

[SeriesE]

Do you know if Jolon Road has ever been part of US 101?

[Max Rockatansky]

Do you know if Jolon Road has ever been part of US 101?

It never was, it definitely is a close analog to the Spanish El Camino Real.  Jolon Road might have been part of the early American El Camino Real but definitely wasn't once LRN 2 was built up as can be seen on this 1920 Clauson Map:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/ll/thumbnailView.html?startUrl=%2F%2Fwww.davidrumsey.com%2Fluna%2Fservlet%2Fas%2Fsearch%3Fos%3D0%26lc%3DRUMSEY~8~1%26q%3DCalifornia%20Highway%26sort%3DPub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No%26bs%3D10#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&r=0&xywh=1320%2C2741%2C714%2C1265

[GaryA]

I hadn't noticed until recently that there's a short "Central Ave." branching off Jolon Rd just south of 101.  Before the freeway was built, did this connect to the Central Ave. that branches off 101 a couple of miles north of there and then runs to the west of Greenfield?

Always struck me as an odd place to find a "Central Ave.", since it doesn't seem to run to or through the center of anything.

[Max Rockatansky]

I hadn't noticed until recently that there's a short "Central Ave." branching off Jolon Rd just south of 101.  Before the freeway was built, did this connect to the Central Ave. that branches off 101 a couple of miles north of there and then runs to the west of Greenfield?

Always struck me as an odd place to find a "Central Ave.", since it doesn't seem to run to or through the center of anything.

It probably directly accessed early iteration of US 101 when it was two lanes.  The current expressway has a turn off for Central Avenue just north of King City.  I use regularly to bypass Greenfield when I'm heading to Monterey/Carmel via County Route G16 on Carmel Valley Road. 

[nexus73]

What was the last section of 2-lane 101 between San Jose and LA?

It seems to me to be around the area King City is in.  Soledad?  Camp Roberts? 

Rick

[coatimundi]

I hadn't noticed until recently that there's a short "Central Ave." branching off Jolon Rd just south of 101.  Before the freeway was built, did this connect to the Central Ave. that branches off 101 a couple of miles north of there and then runs to the west of Greenfield?

Always struck me as an odd place to find a "Central Ave.", since it doesn't seem to run to or through the center of anything.

The road runs right through the center of Posa de los Ositos land grant/ranch, so the farming community that was subdivided from it was likely the inspiration for the "center". These land grants are important even today in Monterey County in terms of property legislation, water rights, etc.

Greenfield is a relatively young town for the Salinas Valley. It seems there has been a road over the river south of Soledad for a very long time, but the traffic likely avoided the river crossing and took the Metz Road following the railroad tracks. Once Greenfield was platted though, it seems like it became the default routing. The bridge was probably built around that time, and the 1918 Blue Book calls it out and suggests it as the best route to Paso. The then-theoretical state highway system also used that routing. But obviously the Blue Book had its motivations, and there's no telling what most traffic was doing or what the actual locally preferred route was at the time. Greenfield is also the only town in the valley not along the railroad tracks, and I think it's very likely that there was a lot of lobbying to get as much auto traffic as they could.

[coatimundi]

What was the last section of 2-lane 101 between San Jose and LA?

It seems to me to be around the area King City is in.  Soledad?  Camp Roberts? 

Rick

Maybe San Ardo to San Lucas since it wasn't built until 1971. But Bradley to San Ardo is on the original routing. The interchange bridges there were built in '64, but there may have been a two-lane stretch languishing for a few years after.

[sparker]

What was the last section of 2-lane 101 between San Jose and LA?

It seems to me to be around the area King City is in.  Soledad?  Camp Roberts? 

Rick

Maybe San Ardo to San Lucas since it wasn't built until 1971. But Bradley to San Ardo is on the original routing. The interchange bridges there were built in '64, but there may have been a two-lane stretch languishing for a few years after.

Definitely San Ardo to San Lucas; I drove on the old road back in the summer of '71; construction of the freeway bypass to the west was ongoing at that time; the freeway fully opened in '72, and CA 198 was rerouted south of San Lucas to the current interchange by the spring of '73.   The Salinas River bridge at San Ardo was one of the older (and narrower) structures along US 101, complete with cast concrete railings typical of prewar design; the access roads to Bradley along old 101 farther south feature similar bridges.     

[Northcoast707]

Dear Rick: yes, the last two lane section of US 101 south of the Bay Area was enlarged into a freeway in late 1971 or early '72 from King City south to San Ardo.  I remember driving that section in early 1969 - passing big rigs in the opposite lane created a wind suction powerful enough to almost pull your car off the road!

[sparker]

Dear Rick: yes, the last two lane section of US 101 south of the Bay Area was enlarged into a freeway in late 1971 or early '72 from King City south to San Ardo.  I remember driving that section in early 1969 - passing big rigs in the opposite lane created a wind suction powerful enough to almost pull your car off the road!

The main reason for the US 101 relocation west of the Salinas River from San Ardo to San Lucas was the presence of a large oilfield along US 101 in that area;  back when the revised route was adopted in the early '60's the concept of disturbing an oilfield was unheard of in CA state government circles (and both political parties concurred with this back then!).  That oilfield remained in full operation into the '90's; the last time I traveled on US 101 in that area (December 2018) only a very few visible well mechanisms remained active.  From what I understand, the area is almost fully depleted; the last few remaining wells will likely be shut down by 2023 at the latest. 

[mapman]

Back in the late 2000s, the oil companies in souther Monterey County considered fracking to get the last of the oil.  However, Monterey County voters have since implemented a countywide fracking ban, so fracking cannot occur.