Former US 101 on Alta Street in Gonzales

[Max Rockatansky]

Gonzales is a city located in Salinas Valley of Monterey County, California.  Modern US Route 101 is aligned around Gonzales via a freeway bypass which swings east of downtown.  The original alignment of US Route 101 in Gozales was aligned directly through the community on Alta Street.  Above the cover photo of this blog is a view on former US Route 101 in Gonzales on Alta Street.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/08/former-us-route-101-on-alta-street-in.html?m=1

[FredAkbar]

I've driven that stretch of 101 dozens of times and I never even noticed how smoothly and cleanly the freeway deviates from its otherwise straight path to form the bypass. Looking at the map now, in hindsight it seems obvious. As opposed to, say, the Willits Bypass where it's much less obvious that the bypass was added later.

[Quillz]

I've driven that stretch of 101 dozens of times and I never even noticed how smoothly and cleanly the freeway deviates from its otherwise straight path to form the bypass. Looking at the map now, in hindsight it seems obvious. As opposed to, say, the Willits Bypass where it's much less obvious that the bypass was added later.

The giveaway is when the off-ramps go under the highway then realign onto a road that parallels the freeway. Such as Abbott Street in Salinas. Or Spring Street in Paso Robles. At least in almost all the instances I can think of.

[TheStranger]

I've driven that stretch of 101 dozens of times and I never even noticed how smoothly and cleanly the freeway deviates from its otherwise straight path to form the bypass. Looking at the map now, in hindsight it seems obvious. As opposed to, say, the Willits Bypass where it's much less obvious that the bypass was added later.

The giveaway is when the off-ramps go under the highway then realign onto a road that parallels the freeway. Such as Abbott Street in Salinas. Or Spring Street in Paso Robles. At least in almost all the instances I can think of.

Several of the old US 99 alignments in the Central Valley were bypassed by the modern 99 freeway this way:

Turlock (south end)
Atwater
Merced
Herndon/Highway City
Fresno (Golden State Boulevard north segment)
Tulare

[Bickendan]

Alta St is an active alingment of US 101B, though it's only incidentally signed as such on the supplemental bottom panel of the approaching exit signs from mainline 101 itself.