CA 39 in San Gabriel Mountains

[jpm]

I stumbled across this update from the Caltrans webpage regarding CA 39:

SR 39
    [IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
    IS CLOSED FROM 4.4 MI SOUTH OF THE JCT OF SR 2 TO THE JCT OF SR 2
(LOS ANGELES CO) 24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK THRU 0500 HRS ON 11/30/20 - DUE TO
CONSTRUCTION - MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

I thought the closed section was unlikely/never going to be repaired, but the above status suggests that "construction" is occurring and implies something less permanent.

Anyone have any insights?

Thanks,

-j 

[Max Rockatansky]

Its just a place marker on the QuickMap.  There was a fairly serious push last year by local residents to force Caltrans to reopen CA 39 to CA 2 last year as a fire evacuation route.  I want to say Daniel posted something about on the CAhighways Monthly topics last year if you're willing to do some light digging.

[theroadwayone]

I stumbled across this update from the Caltrans webpage regarding CA 39:

SR 39
    [IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
    IS CLOSED FROM 4.4 MI SOUTH OF THE JCT OF SR 2 TO THE JCT OF SR 2
(LOS ANGELES CO) 24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK THRU 0500 HRS ON 11/30/20 - DUE TO
CONSTRUCTION - MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

I thought the closed section was unlikely/never going to be repaired, but the above status suggests that "construction" is occurring and implies something less permanent.

Anyone have any insights?

Thanks,

-j

Never say never.

[Max Rockatansky]

I stumbled across this update from the Caltrans webpage regarding CA 39:

SR 39
    [IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
    IS CLOSED FROM 4.4 MI SOUTH OF THE JCT OF SR 2 TO THE JCT OF SR 2
(LOS ANGELES CO) 24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK THRU 0500 HRS ON 11/30/20 - DUE TO
CONSTRUCTION - MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

I thought the closed section was unlikely/never going to be repaired, but the above status suggests that "construction" is occurring and implies something less permanent.

Anyone have any insights?

Thanks,

-j

Never say never.

I think "never" is a foregone conclusion at this point.  Caltrans might as well give 39 the 173 treatment and call it a day.

[andy3175]

There has been conversation about reopening SR 39, but if it happens (big if) it would be some time in the future and certainly not imminent. Here are a relatively recent article (2016) and one opinion piece (2017) on the topic:

https://www.sgvtribune.com/2016/10/17/caltrans-considering-a-new-plan-to-reopen-highway-39-all-the-way-to-wrightwood/
Caltrans considering a new plan to reopen Highway 39 all the way to Wrightwood
By Steve Scauzillo | sscauzillo@scng.com | San Gabriel Valley Tribune
PUBLISHED: October 17, 2016 at 10:20 pm | UPDATED: August 30, 2017 at 6:13 am

For nearly 40 years, reaching Wrightwood or the San Gabriel Mountains ski areas directly from the bedroom communities of the San Gabriel Valley by Highway 39 has been a dead end.

A 1978 mud-and-rock slide took out a 4.4-mile chunk of the mountain highway about 27 miles north of Azusa, leaving a gap between State Route 39 and its more famous cousin, State Route 2, better known as Angeles Crest Highway.

For decades, civic and business leaders called for repairing the broken portion of the state highway bisecting a majestic set of canyons, peaks and rivers enjoyed by more people than any other national forest. And in 2009 the state had answered in the affirmative. But in 2011, just days before construction was to begin, Caltrans announced it abandoned the fix. Instead, the $32 million set aside for Highway 39 went toward repairing a bridge on Highway 1 in Northern California.

Now, five years after the stinging reversal, the cities of Azusa and Glendora, business groups, a local congresswoman and the San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments have convinced Caltrans to consider reopening the road to Highway 2, state and local officials reported. ...

During recent behind-the-scenes meetings initiated by Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-El Monte, Caltrans listened to local leaders as to why the highway should once again connect with State Route 2, officials said. They argued:

- Fires and floods can leave people in Mountain Cove, an Azusa mountain neighborhood, and various mountain camps and campgrounds trapped in the San Gabriel Mountains with no way out. Providing a northerly escape route through Highway 39 to Highway 2 would save lives and also provide quicker fire suppression responses.

- Congestion in the North, West and East forks of the San Gabriel River – popular recreation spots during summer and fall – would be relieved by completing the loop to Highway 2, moving people and traffic through Wrightwood, a quaint mountain town, and connecting to the high-desert communities.

"We believe there is a need to re-examine this issue,"  said Azusa City Manager Troy Butzlaff. "We are happy Caltrans is willing to consider going forward."  ...

One sticking point is the presence of the San Gabriel Mountains bighorn sheep known as Nelson's bighorn sheep, ovis canadensis nelsoni. In 2011, Caltrans said it was unwilling to rebuild the road because motorists may run into or over the state protected species, particularly the lambs.

Steve Castro, chief executive officer of the Azusa Chamber of Commerce, said Caltrans and the state Department of Fish and Wildlife are tussling over the issue. Caltrans would not agree to build the road without another study that shows the sheep's location. Previous studies showed the sheep, which numbered 292 in 2006, were mostly at Cucamonga Peak, Mount Baldy, Iron Mountain and Twin Peaks, far from Islip Saddle/Snow Canyon.

Both Castro and Butzlaff will bring their case to the San Gabriel Valley Economic Partnership on Wednesday. "There's an economic potential. We would be foolish not to consider opening up that road to help businesses,"  Castro said.

He said someone from the high desert could enjoy the mountains and have dinner in Azusa. Likewise, San Gabriel Valley residents could cut the drive time to Wrightwood in half. Instead of going east to the 15 Freeway, Highway 138 and Highway 2, or west to La Cañada Flintridge and connecting with Highway 2 for more than 60 miles, the mountains and high desert would be a straight shot of about 32 miles up Highway 39 from the entrance gate north of Azusa.

The San Gabriel Valley Council of Governments, a collaboration of 31 cities, three county supervisors and three water agencies, has written a letter to the U.S. Forest Service, asking to include a completed State Route 39 as part of its management plan for the forest and the 346,177-acre San Gabriel Mountains National Monument. The letter, from council Executive Director Philip Hawkey, says the entire route was included in a 1919 state bond measure. The letter states completion of the 4.4-mile damaged portion would provide better access for recreation, fire suppression and search and rescue teams.

https://www.sgvtribune.com/2017/10/26/the-problem-with-fixing-highway-39/
OPINION: The problem with fixing Highway 39
By The Editorial Board | opinion@scng.com |
PUBLISHED: October 26, 2017 at 7:54 pm | UPDATED: October 26, 2017 at 8:22 pm

Unless you are a bungee-jumper on the famed Bridge to Nowhere, or perhaps a sure-footed if endangered bighorn sheep, you are unlikely to have been on State Highway 39 beyond Crystal Lake lately.

That's because the curvy road from Azusa to Wrightwood has been closed since 1978 after a massive rock slide made four miles of it inaccessible for most vehicles.

The sheep can handle it, as can day hikers to the beautiful bridge over a deep gorge.

And now the boulders have been cleared enough to allow some emergency vehicles including fire trucks to find their way when necessary through the damaged area and on up from the San Gabriel Valley and Inland Empire to connect with Highway 2, some ski resorts and the High Desert. It's a direct route that allows bypassing the long way around – either from La Canada Flintridge on the west or the 15 Freeway on the east.

A road, once built, ought to stay open, and in a perfect world, Highway 39 would be re-opened, too. Caltrans actually committed in theory to rebuilding the route last year, and environmental studies as well as budget projections are underway, with a report due next spring. But the state has looked at rebuilding it before, and other projects have always taken priority in the end.

There's a cost-benefit reason for that. While it's a nice drive, the number of projected daily motorists on Highway 39 is in the hundreds, not thousands – or tens of thousands. With cheap labor and fewer restrictions in an earlier age, we Californians built an extraordinary network of rural and mountain roads over the last century. But from Big Sur to the High Sierra, rockslides happen, and it can be crazy-expensive to keep roads open. While a 2009 Caltrans estimate put the cost for fixing Highway 39 at $32 million, there is every reason to believe that the cost today would approach $100 million. And the fact is, the deferred maintenance on southern California freeways and other roads around the state have created a far more pressing case for spending than on reopening this route.

We appreciate Rep. Grace Napolitano, D-El Monte, for championing the reopening. But we hear the budget skepticism of Supervisor Kathryn Barger loud and clear. Some future time when the rest of our roads are fixed will be the time to fix Highway 39.

[Max Rockatansky]

One might argue that if all the roads "need" to be repaired around the area than the prudent thing to do is just abandoned the roadway much like what happened with the dirt portion of CA 173.  Maintenance could in theory be abandoned as far south as Crystal Springs Road at this point without probably having to fight a large relinquishment battle.  I'd argue at this point that the primary purpose of 39 essentially never came to fruition anyways given that there is a large gap in the route and that Caltrans ought be pursuing relinquishment anyways. 

[jpm]

Any pics (besides the ones on this site) of the abandoned portion?

Thx....

jpm

[Max Rockatansky]

Any pics (besides the ones on this site) of the abandoned portion?

Thx....

jpm

Here you go.  This is the north terminus of CA 39 at CA 2:

https://flic.kr/p/QJpQAu

https://flic.kr/p/S1SYEt

https://flic.kr/p/Rreqzd

[pderocco]

I stumbled across this update from the Caltrans webpage regarding CA 39:

SR 39
    [IN THE SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA AREA]
    IS CLOSED FROM 4.4 MI SOUTH OF THE JCT OF SR 2 TO THE JCT OF SR 2
(LOS ANGELES CO) 24 HRS A DAY 7 DAYS A WEEK THRU 0500 HRS ON 11/30/20 - DUE TO
CONSTRUCTION - MOTORISTS ARE ADVISED TO USE AN ALTERNATE ROUTE

I thought the closed section was unlikely/never going to be repaired, but the above status suggests that "construction" is occurring and implies something less permanent.

Anyone have any insights?

Thanks,

-j

You see the occasional bogus time limit in that site. Are they sure it'll be open by 5am? I would think it would take at least until noon. But what do I know.

I wish they'd not only finish repairing the road, but continue it down the other side of CA-2 onto Big Rock Creek Rd into Valyermo, and eventually to CA-138. That would make it a much more useful road. And a lot easier than what they had to do to get up the front side of the mountains--only about five miles and 2400ft elevation gain.

[Max Rockatansky]

Took a break from all the recent Chicago/Mid-West stuff I've been working on to knock out some more 2016 California highway stuff.  The first one up was CA 39 in Islip Saddle, as far as I know this thread has the most up to date information:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/04/california-state-route-39-in-islip.html

[corco]

Took a break from all the recent Chicago/Mid-West stuff I've been working on to knock out some more 2016 California highway stuff.  The first one up was CA 39 in Islip Saddle, as far as I know this thread has the most up to date information:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/04/california-state-route-39-in-islip.html

I actually walked the entire length of the closure back in January (the southern closure point has no "No Pedestrians" signage) - it's a pretty fun hike and feels a bit post-apocalyptic when you're the only one walking it. At no point did I feel like the road was at risk of collapse by me walking on it - if there is a conscious effort to ban pedestrians I suspect it has more to do with the fact that the road drains pretty poorly in spots now and there were some fairly gnarly sheets of black ice when I hiked it in January that aren't great for somebody on foot. 

I'll try to post some pictures on here in the next couple days.

[Max Rockatansky]

Took a break from all the recent Chicago/Mid-West stuff I've been working on to knock out some more 2016 California highway stuff.  The first one up was CA 39 in Islip Saddle, as far as I know this thread has the most up to date information:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/04/california-state-route-39-in-islip.html

I actually walked the entire length of the closure back in January (the southern closure point has no "No Pedestrians" signage) - it's a pretty fun hike and feels a bit post-apocalyptic when you're the only one walking it. At no point did I feel like the road was at risk of collapse by me walking on it - if there is a conscious effort to ban pedestrians I suspect it has more to do with the fact that the road drains pretty poorly in spots now and there were some fairly gnarly sheets of black ice when I hiked it in January that aren't great for somebody on foot. 

I'll try to post some pictures on here in the next couple days.

That would be cool to see.  The day I took my photos I had been hiking out at Joshua Tree National Park and was already way behind getting to Pasadena for the night.  Had I had more time I probably would have done at least a mile or two. 

[corco]

Here's some photos from my walk up the corridor:

http://corcohighways.org/?p=6869

[Max Rockatansky]

Here's some photos from my walk up the corridor:

http://corcohighways.org/?p=6869

That's interesting there isn't any pedestrian prohibition from the southern closure.  That might make so a good day of hiking in the next month.   I m definitely checking out the closure in CA 173 this summer.