CA 247

[Max Rockatansky]

Worked on another retro California blog tonight.  This time up its CA 247 which I clinched in segments between 2011 and 2016.  CA 247 has some interesting aspects in that it includes the oddly named "Old Woman Springs Road" between CA 62/CA 18 and a small Caltrans maintained spur connector to CA 18 in Lucerne Valley.  Most of current route of CA 247 was built over old desert roadways but there appears to be a significant divergence on Barstow Road.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/04/california-state-route-247.html

[skluth]

Bumping this because I drive this road fairly often and did again this week on my trip to Vegas.

I noticed a lot more traffic, especially truck traffic, on CA 247 this week than I have in the past. I'd guess about 1 in 4 vehicles was a truck, at least on the portion between Yucca Valley and Lucerne Valley. There was about half the traffic between Barstow and Lucerne Valley, but the car/truck ratio was similar. Several of the WB trucks had empty beds. I think CA 247 is becoming a bypass for some trucks between the Central Valley and points east as a way to avoid the LA Basin and Inland Empire.

I can see a need to add some passing lanes, especially south of Lucerne Valley. My feelings right now may be biased after being almost rear-ended by a crazy person who tried to pass several vehicles at once (including me as the idiot had to quickly pull back into the EB lane to avoid an oncoming truck) who were stacked behind a slow moving local truck just east of Lucerne Valley. I saw several trucks and RVs with stacks of 3-5 vehicles behind them south of Lucerne Valley, though I don't recall seeing any north of Lucerne Valley. Passing lanes might drive even more truck traffic this way, but I think anything that pulls traffic out of LA is a good thing.

[pderocco]

There was a scene or two in It's a Mad Mad Mad Mad World on 247 just outside Yucca Valley.

[Quillz]

The question I've always had is if CA-18 and CA-247 officially meet. There is a spur between the two routes, but it seems what could be considered the actual roadways carrying the two numbers do not meet.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4405508,-116.9477965,16.02z

[Max Rockatansky]

The question I've always had is if CA-18 and CA-247 officially meet. There is a spur between the two routes, but it seems what could be considered the actual roadways carrying the two numbers do not meet.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4405508,-116.9477965,16.02z

The Postmiles for 247 actually jog towards 18 and then continue to ascend towards Barstow.  Effectively 247 doubles back on itself in Lucerne Valley.

[Quillz]

The question I've always had is if CA-18 and CA-247 officially meet. There is a spur between the two routes, but it seems what could be considered the actual roadways carrying the two numbers do not meet.

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.4405508,-116.9477965,16.02z

The Postmiles for 247 actually jog towards 18 and then continue to ascend towards Barstow.  Effectively 247 doubles back on itself in Lucerne Valley.

Seems like a cleaner way they could have done it was just have CA-18 be aligned onto those two roads that junction with CA-247, but recommend motorists use the diagonal cutoff.

[gionotgeo]

247 is a fun ride. Very hilly.

[Max Rockatansky]

Blew the existing blog up and rewrote it:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/04/california-state-route-247.html?m=1