CA-58 Kramer Junction Bypass

[sparker]

I wouldn't be surprised if the stretch of the existing SR 58 leasing from the east end of the Boron Freeway to the current route 58 leading to Kramer Junction (South Frontage Road) is obliterated so it does not form a surface intersection with the Kramer Junction Bypass.

As Splashflash rightly notes, there is an offramp about a mile west of the current end of the Boron Freeway providing access to Beautiful Downtown Boron. And, the interchange with 395 a few miles to the east will provide direct access to the Kramer Junction businesses.   

That's probably right -- primarily because the existing CA 58 2-lane section from Kramer west to the freeway includes the at-grade crossing of the BNSF main line; excising that from the through route and Caltrans maintenance would be of principal interest to Caltrans in general and D8 in particular.  Since the "old road" (called "20 Mule Train Road") through Boron next to the RR tracks intersects current CA 58 where the long-time curve up to the freeway began, they will in all likelihood "straightline" the alignment, making a continuous "old highway" from east of Kramer through Boron.  With Kramer Jct. being so compact -- basically surrounding the 58/395 intersection, configuring a portion of the original alignment as a sort of "business loop" would be overkill; the services there, as suggested in the previous post, can be readily accessed from the new 58/395 interchange.

Aren't there a couple privately owned parcels of property on CA 58 west of Kramer Junction?  I would imagine that the rail crossing simply would be gaped but much of the old highway would be left as is. 

The effect of finishing the CA 58 bypass would be to turn the present heavily-trafficked state highway rail grade crossing into a local one.  There are plenty of other crossings of those tracks by local streets and roads; unless there are extraordinary circumstances regarding the crossing not pertaining to the traffic load and the danger that traffic level poses, there's no reason why the grade crossing couldn't remain for local traffic from Kramer to Boron.  The crossing gates are still functional -- and the county will get free "advance warning" signals arrayed along the old road in the process (hey, it's not the fabled "death" sign, but the concept still works!).   

[sprjus4]

I can't tell from the Street View imagery if Caltrans is going to do that.

From the project design plans, there's no indication an intersection is planned to be constructed.

Same on the eastern end.

[Bobby5280]

The plans are not really showing how old CA-58 merges into the Kramer Junction Bypass. The images raise even more questions rather than answering the existing ones. The West end image shows the available ROW getting cut off just short of the Boron South Frontage Road. The image isn't showing any specific intersection plans either. So are they just going to dead end the old CA-58 highway right on the edge of Boron, perhaps leaving it up to locals to patch their streets into it?

The East end poses similar questions. It looks like EB traffic on old CA-58 would get an on ramp onto the new CA-58 EB main lanes. But what about the WB side? Is the old CA-58 highway going to effectively turn into a one way road the last couple or so miles before the East end of the Kramer Junction bypass?

[sprjus4]

The East end poses similar questions. It looks like EB traffic on old CA-58 would get an on ramp onto the new CA-58 EB main lanes. But what about the WB side? Is the old CA-58 highway going to effectively turn into a one way road the last couple or so miles before the East end of the Kramer Junction bypass?

I don't think it's a ramp to begin with, no acceleration lane, gore points, etc. is shown. I think it's just a dead end at that location. Same on the west end. The US-395 interchange will be the only access point for that segment being bypassed, and of course the other interchanges on the existing Boron Bypass.

[NE2]

The plans are not really showing how old CA-58 merges into the Kramer Junction Bypass. The images raise even more questions rather than answering the existing ones. The West end image shows the available ROW getting cut off just short of the Boron South Frontage Road. The image isn't showing any specific intersection plans either. So are they just going to dead end the old CA-58 highway right on the edge of Boron, perhaps leaving it up to locals to patch their streets into it?

You obviously haven't looked at a map that shows previously-bypassed old 58 east from Boron.

[splashflash]

This was from the July 2019 California Highways headlines; the last item.  If you are still on Facebook you can Sara Laz's photos of the Kramer Junction bypass project.



https://m.facebook.com/groups/789414531109310?view=permalink&id=2541391122578300&refid=18&_ft_=qid.6720390177424745762%3Amf_story_key.2541391122578300%3Agroup_id.789414531109310%3Atop_level_post_id.2541391122578300%3Atl_objid.2541391122578300%3Acontent_owner_id_new.100006463511862%3Asrc.22%3Aphoto_id.3181148062110613%3Astory_location.6%3Astory_attachment_style.photo&__tn__=%2As%2As-R

[sprjus4]

This was from the July 2019 California Highways headlines; the last item.  If you are still on Facebook you can Sara Laz's photos of the Kramer Junction bypass project.



https://m.facebook.com/groups/789414531109310?view=permalink&id=2541391122578300&refid=18&_ft_=qid.6720390177424745762%3Amf_story_key.2541391122578300%3Agroup_id.789414531109310%3Atop_level_post_id.2541391122578300%3Atl_objid.2541391122578300%3Acontent_owner_id_new.100006463511862%3Asrc.22%3Aphoto_id.3181148062110613%3Astory_location.6%3Astory_attachment_style.photo&__tn__=%2As%2As-R

Nice!

Here's a higher res pic -



Here's some more pics from the comments -





^ That poster says that pic is a drone shot, not any Google aerial imagery.

[froggie]

^ More likely it's airplane-flown aerial imagery that his agency has received.  That image is from a much higher altitude than civilian drones are legally allowed to fly.  He also didn't specifically refer to it as drone imagery.

[Max Rockatansky]

Interesting that eastbound CA 58 ramp to US 395 is placed just avoid the property line of that old antique store and Astro Burger. 

[sparker]

Interesting that eastbound CA 58 ramp to US 395 is placed just avoid the property line of that old antique store and Astro Burger. 

Welcome to litigation avoidance, 2019 style!

[Bobby5280]

You obviously haven't looked at a map that shows previously-bypassed old 58 east from Boron.

Let's see it then if you're the expert on this matter.

[ClassicHasClass]

Wondering if anyone has noticed the "395 SB" and ... "395 NB"  postmiles on the widening project yet. Someone obviously doesn't get what the codes on those actually mean.

[NE2]

You obviously haven't looked at a map that shows previously-bypassed old 58 east from Boron.

Let's see it then if you're the expert on this matter.

http://www.google.com/maps

[sprjus4]

You obviously haven't looked at a map that shows previously-bypassed old 58 east from Boron.

Let's see it then if you're the expert on this matter.

http://www.google.com/maps

That's a blank link...

[Inyomono395]

I agreee

[Max Rockatansky]

20 Team Mule Road is the old alignment of US 466 and CA 58 through Boron if anyone was curious. 

[roadfro]

You obviously haven't looked at a map that shows previously-bypassed old 58 east from Boron.

Let's see it then if you're the expert on this matter.

It didn't take that long to look it up...
https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9975208,-117.6109216,491m/data=!3m1!1e3

[myosh_tino]

Ick!  The layout of that sign leaves much to be desired IMO.  The main problem is there is no way to horizontally stack a route shield, two lines of legend and a lane-drop panel on a 120-inch tall guide sign without using funky layouts like the one above. 

I would have made the sign wider so the route shield could be placed next to the two control cities...



...but I wasn't liking all that wasted green space to the left of the exit tab so I swapped out the 120-inch panel for a 100-inch panel and came up with this...

[roadfro]

Ick!  The layout of that sign leaves much to be desired IMO.  The main problem is there is no way to horizontally stack a route shield, two lines of legend and a lane-drop panel on a 120-inch tall guide sign without using funky layouts like the one above. 

I would have made the sign wider so the route shield could be placed next to the two control cities...



...but I wasn't liking all that wasted green space to the left of the exit tab so I swapped out the 120-inch panel for a 100-inch panel and came up with this...

Haven't seen one of your sign designs on the forum in a while. As usual, you make better sign designs than some actual sign designers.

This also made me realize that there is something really off about the 395 shields in the photos. They seem very "pointy" for Caltrans, and it looks like there is a white border outside of the black shield border.

[TheStranger]

This also made me realize that there is something really off about the 395 shields in the photos. They seem very "pointy" for Caltrans, and it looks like there is a white border outside of the black shield border.

I've seen white-border US shields on some signage out here and I think those exist due to how much that resembles the in-the-field cutouts.

Here's an example from West Sacramento:



Comparable being a cutout sign like this:

[sparker]

The US 395 shield in the upper left corner of the Caltrans sign was likely placed where it was because folks tend to scan signs from the left-top corner across line by line; also, the inclusion of the exit (206) tab in the upper RH corner makes the numerical info somewhat symmetrical.   It also intrudes less on the sign's text:  although to avoid crowding the info on the sign, Bishop (which by all means should be a secondary control city relative to San Bernardino in the EB direction) is placed above the longer city name.   Nevertheless, I like roadfro's 100-inch sign format better than either the original Caltrans or his 120-inch version (even though with the 120-inch, the order of the control cities could be reversed).

[myosh_tino]

The US 395 shield in the upper left corner of the Caltrans sign was likely placed where it was because folks tend to scan signs from the left-top corner across line by line; also, the inclusion of the exit (206) tab in the upper RH corner makes the numerical info somewhat symmetrical.   It also intrudes less on the sign's text:  although to avoid crowding the info on the sign, Bishop (which by all means should be a secondary control city relative to San Bernardino in the EB direction) is placed above the longer city name.   Nevertheless, I like roadfro's 100-inch sign format better than either the original Caltrans or his 120-inch version (even though with the 120-inch, the order of the control cities could be reversed).

Roadfro's 100-inch sign?  ... but I digress! 

Regarding the order of the control cities, I'm wondering if Caltrans has a policy regarding the order of the control cities on guide signs.  For example, "left" first, "right" second.  If this is the case, I would easily see the sign for the other direction reading "San Bernardino" then "Bishop".

As for symmetry, it still doesn't look very good in my opinion.

Haven't seen one of your sign designs on the forum in a while. As usual, you make better sign designs than some actual sign designers.

Thanks Roadfro! Yeah I haven't been all that active on the forums lately... got a bunch of things on my plate as of late so it's been keeping me busy.

This also made me realize that there is something really off about the 395 shields in the photos. They seem very "pointy" for Caltrans, and it looks like there is a white border outside of the black shield border.

I've seen white-border US shields on some signage out here and I think those exist due to how much that resembles the in-the-field cutouts.

Actually, the white-border US shields are supposed to be the current spec but there are at least 3 other variants out there in the wild.  I'd link to that spec on the Caltrans website but is currently not available due to the recent site "upgrade". 

[sparker]

Roadfro's 100-inch sign?  ... but I digress! 

Oopsie -- my bad; sorry about the mis-cite!  (only looked back as far as your post showing up within Roadfro's reply, and jumped the gun).   But as long as I'm writing -- I agree the U.S. shield as shown is a bit off compared with past efforts -- the overall shield size is not only odd-shaped (like a rectangle hit at certain spots with a ball-peen hammer) but the actual numbers seem small for the size of the BGS on which they're located.  But that seems to be in keeping with current Caltrans practice -- shields on BGS's are considerably smaller on current-production signs; that pertains to all route types from Interstate on down.  Now -- whether that dovetails with the agency's seeming lack of interest in route continuity or even identification is yet to be ascertained.  But since GPS does largely depend upon route numbers for navigation, it would seem odd that those would be de-emphasized at this time.

[splashflash]

I wouldn't be surprised if the stretch of the existing SR 58 leasing from the east end of the Boron Freeway to the current route 58 leading to Kramer Junction (South Frontage Road) is obliterated so it does not form a surface intersection with the Kramer Junction Bypass.

As Splashflash rightly notes, there is an offramp about a mile west of the current end of the Boron Freeway providing access to Beautiful Downtown Boron. And, the interchange with 395 a few miles to the east will provide direct access to the Kramer Junction businesses.

According to page 36 of the environmental assessment, obliteration of the highway between 20 Mule Road and the expressway will occur, "Removal of the Existing State Route 58
Caltrans is proposing to obliterate and re-vegetate approximately 1.2 miles of the existing State
Route 58 near the Kern County line as a means to facilitate the movement of desert tortoises.
The work associated with obliterating the old road and re-vegetate the area is unlikely to
adversely affect desert tortoises because the road currently does not support desert tortoises and
Caltrans will fence the work area to prevent entry by desert tortoises. The potential exists that a
desert tortoise may find a break through the fence, enter the work area, and be killed or injured;
however, the likelihood of this event occurring is low, given the paucity of individuals in this
area."

[Max Rockatansky]

I wouldn't be surprised if the stretch of the existing SR 58 leasing from the east end of the Boron Freeway to the current route 58 leading to Kramer Junction (South Frontage Road) is obliterated so it does not form a surface intersection with the Kramer Junction Bypass.

As Splashflash rightly notes, there is an offramp about a mile west of the current end of the Boron Freeway providing access to Beautiful Downtown Boron. And, the interchange with 395 a few miles to the east will provide direct access to the Kramer Junction businesses.

According to page 36 of the environmental assessment, obliteration of the highway between 20 Mule Road and the expressway will occur, "Removal of the Existing State Route 58
Caltrans is proposing to obliterate and re-vegetate approximately 1.2 miles of the existing State
Route 58 near the Kern County line as a means to facilitate the movement of desert tortoises.
The work associated with obliterating the old road and re-vegetate the area is unlikely to
adversely affect desert tortoises because the road currently does not support desert tortoises and
Caltrans will fence the work area to prevent entry by desert tortoises. The potential exists that a
desert tortoise may find a break through the fence, enter the work area, and be killed or injured;
however, the likelihood of this event occurring is low, given the paucity of individuals in this
area."

What about the derelict Mervyn's truck that's along 58 east of the rail road tracks?  Does the desert tortoise obliteration thing mean it's in danger too?  Hell I'd say just keep the old road it's not like any of 20 Mule Team Road gets much traffic anyways.