Alfred Harrell Highway (Kern County maintained freeway)

[Max Rockatansky]

Borrowing what I wrote on Gribblenation for simplicity:

"One of the strangest freeways in California is Alfred Harrell Highway which connects Panorama Drive in the city of Bakersfield east through the Kern River Bluffs to Hart Memorial Park.  The freeway segment of Alfred Harrell Highway was studied by Kern County during 1955 as part of an effort to improve access via existing Alfred Harrell Highway to Hart Memorial Park.  The planned freeway improvements to Alfred Harrell Highway between Panorama Drive-Hart Memorial Park were approved by the California Highway Commission on September 25, 1956 and added by the United States Bureau of Public Roads as Federal Aid-Secondary program 885 on November 5, 1956.  Part of the freeway improvement to Alfred Harrell Highway included incorporating the China Grade of the Kern River Bluffs which had been use since the 1870s. 

The first freeway interchange on Alfred Harrell Highway was completed during October 1957.  The remaining freeway segment of Alfred Harrell Highway was completed to the western boundary of Hart Memorial Park during August 1959.  Alfred Harrell Highway was conceptualized as being upgraded as a freeway east to California State Route 178 but would never be extended of Hart Memorial Park.

The construction of the freeway segments of Alfred Harrell Highway and Federal Aid-Secondary 885 are covered in the October/November 1957 and March/April 1960 volumes of the California Highways & Public Works.  Alfred Harrell Highway west of Hart Memorial Park today carries a lite traffic load and despite far being a modern facility is very much limited access."

For reference I drove Alfred Harrell Highway today and explored as many accessible old alignments as possible.  The freeway grade of Alfred Harrell Highway might be the strangest limited access road I've driven.  The huge one-way couplet up/down China Grade which Alfred Harrell Highway takes the cake for unique freeway feature.  My photos from today and CHPW scans can be found here:

https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjAhn5y

[Max Rockatansky]

One of the strangest freeways I've ever encountered:

Alfred Harrell Highway is an approximately eleven-mile highway maintained by the Kern County along the Kern River northeast of Bakersfield.  Alfred Harrell Highway between Panorama Drive east to the boundary of Hart Memorial Park is an approximately six-mile freeway grade constructed during 1955-1959.  The freeway segment of Alfred Harrell Highway is disconnected from all other limited access highway grades and retains a 1950s-era standard rarely seen elsewhere in California.  Alfred Harrell Highway east of Hart Memorial Park to California State Route 178 is constructed to two-lane expressway standards.  Alfred Harrell Highway incorporates a segment of the 1850s-era Stockton-Los Angeles Road via the China Grade at it's western terminus.  Depicted as the blog cover is Alfred Harrell Highway at the China Grade of the Kern River Bluff as seen in the March/April 1960 California Highways & Public Works. 

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/12/alfred-harrell-highway.html?m=1

[kkt]

One of the strangest freeways I've ever encountered:

Alfred Harrell Highway is an approximately eleven-mile highway maintained by the Kern County along the Kern River northeast of Bakersfield.  Alfred Harrell Highway between Panorama Drive east to the boundary of Hart Memorial Park is an approximately six-mile freeway grade constructed during 1955-1959.  The freeway segment of Alfred Harrell Highway is disconnected from all other limited access highway grades and retains a 1950s-era standard rarely seen elsewhere in California.  Alfred Harrell Highway east of Hart Memorial Park to California State Route 178 is constructed to two-lane expressway standards.  Alfred Harrell Highway incorporates a segment of the 1850s-era Stockton-Los Angeles Road via the China Grade at it's western terminus.  Depicted as the blog cover is Alfred Harrell Highway at the China Grade of the Kern River Bluff as seen in the March/April 1960 California Highways & Public Works. 

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/12/alfred-harrell-highway.html?m=1

Very enjoyable scenery and essay!  The river views are forcing me to reconsider some Bay Area prejudice against the Central Valley.

One of the pictures isn't loading when I try to look at it.  The picture that should load below "Below the China Grade can be seen snaking down the Kern River Bluff in a 1910-1915 era photo from the Antique Collection of Michael J. Semas." says URL signature expired.

Thanks for the photo essay!

[Max Rockatansky]

One of the strangest freeways I've ever encountered:

Alfred Harrell Highway is an approximately eleven-mile highway maintained by the Kern County along the Kern River northeast of Bakersfield.  Alfred Harrell Highway between Panorama Drive east to the boundary of Hart Memorial Park is an approximately six-mile freeway grade constructed during 1955-1959.  The freeway segment of Alfred Harrell Highway is disconnected from all other limited access highway grades and retains a 1950s-era standard rarely seen elsewhere in California.  Alfred Harrell Highway east of Hart Memorial Park to California State Route 178 is constructed to two-lane expressway standards.  Alfred Harrell Highway incorporates a segment of the 1850s-era Stockton-Los Angeles Road via the China Grade at it's western terminus.  Depicted as the blog cover is Alfred Harrell Highway at the China Grade of the Kern River Bluff as seen in the March/April 1960 California Highways & Public Works. 

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/12/alfred-harrell-highway.html?m=1

Very enjoyable scenery and essay!  The river views are forcing me to reconsider some Bay Area prejudice against the Central Valley.

One of the pictures isn't loading when I try to look at it.  The picture that should load below "Below the China Grade can be seen snaking down the Kern River Bluff in a 1910-1915 era photo from the Antique Collection of Michael J. Semas." says URL signature expired.

Thanks for the photo essay!

I'll have to fix that one later on.  I tried embedding the photo in question directly from the page it came from.

Here is a link to the photo as it is displayed on Facebook:

https://www.facebook.com/100064453849496/posts/pfbid02qCx3MZqQWDGPqz3GpJZiP5LX54ry1pf4KCiVwTS4mrhHXGSezztR3LecwPxPRhGSl/?mibextid=gkx3sN

[kkt]

Thanks!  Interesting history of the road and path.

[bing101]

This is one of a few highways that could have been a state route if Caltrans stepped in. Alfred Harrell is one of them that could have been a state route.

[Max Rockatansky]

This is one of a few highways that could have been a state route if Caltrans stepped in. Alfred Harrell is one of them that could have been a state route.

Trouble there is that Alfred Harrell Highway seems to be far less important now than when it was built.  The CHPWs were quoting weekend traffic counts as high as 15,000 vehicles a day during the late 1950s.  It's hard to imagine Alfred Harrell Highway is that busy nowadays.  My understanding is the popularity of Hart Park has declined significantly since the 1950s.  For what it's worth Hart Park I've found is really well maintained and probably would be somewhere I wouldn't mind taking kids or visiting family on a weekend.

[bing101]

This is one of a few highways that could have been a state route if Caltrans stepped in. Alfred Harrell is one of them that could have been a state route.

Trouble there is that Alfred Harrell Highway seems to be far less important now than when it was built.  The CHPWs were quoting weekend traffic counts as high as 15,000 vehicles a day during the late 1950s.  It's hard to imagine Alfred Harrell Highway is that busy nowadays.  My understanding is the popularity of Hart Park has declined significantly since the 1950s.  For what it's worth Hart Park I've found is really well maintained and probably would be somewhere I wouldn't mind taking kids or visiting family on a weekend.

True CA-58 and Westside Parkway have greater importance in Kern County, CA

[Max Rockatansky]

This is one of a few highways that could have been a state route if Caltrans stepped in. Alfred Harrell is one of them that could have been a state route.

Trouble there is that Alfred Harrell Highway seems to be far less important now than when it was built.  The CHPWs were quoting weekend traffic counts as high as 15,000 vehicles a day during the late 1950s.  It's hard to imagine Alfred Harrell Highway is that busy nowadays.  My understanding is the popularity of Hart Park has declined significantly since the 1950s.  For what it's worth Hart Park I've found is really well maintained and probably would be somewhere I wouldn't mind taking kids or visiting family on a weekend.

True CA-58 and Westside Parkway have greater importance in Kern County, CA

Now they do, if I recall correctly the projected growth pattern during the 1950s was eastward towards Kern River Canyon.  The city ended up growing west towards I-5 instead.