Headlines About California Highways - September 2018

[cahwyguy]

Here are the headlines about California Highways for September. I promise you -- there's not a single word about BK, or even the other BK, in this post. But I'm sure you'll find something to argue about.

For "California Highways" folks: Note that I'm up to the "S"s in the County Route maps (at https://www.cahighways.org/county.html ), and have uploaded through and including the "R"s. Some of the routes are quite fascinating and make one want to get out on the road and explore. Let me know what you think of the maps.

Here's the link: https://cahighways.org/wordpress/?p=14705

As always: Ready, set, discuss.

[Plutonic Panda]

I know I've said this before here but I'll say it again. I support SB-1 and will be voting no on prop. 6 even though I'm not big on it funding mass transit and bicycle improvements, I think it will help California's Transporation system a great deal.

I am pessimistic about this one, however. I think prop. 6 is going to pass. I hope I'm wrong!

[Max Rockatansky]

Locally Prop 6 is being pushed largely due to mass transit and the High Speed Rail.  For what it's worth I see lots of SB1 Road repairs locally that were long overdue, 41 north of Oakhurst to Yosemite comes to mind.  A similar project is underway with 140...I just wish some of that money would go into getting the Ferguson Slide repairs going faster though. 

On the Surewhynotnow side there the CA 190 and J37 blogs were the definite high light with the Lone Pine to Porterville High Sierra Road.  Hard to believe the counties wanted build their own Trans-Sierra Highway in the 1920s.  I really enjoyed putting something together for the Stockton-Los Angeles Road finally too.  On the National Parks side I did map out the Old Big Oak Flat Road, hard to believe that much abandoned asphalt still exists in Yosemite. 

[skluth]

Locally Prop 6 is being pushed largely due to mass transit and the High Speed Rail.  For what it's worth I see lots of SB1 Road repairs locally that were long overdue, 41 north of Oakhurst to Yosemite comes to mind.  A similar project is underway with 140...I just wish some of that money would go into getting the Ferguson Slide repairs going faster though. 

On the Surewhynotnow side there the CA 190 and J37 blogs were the definite high light with the Lone Pine to Porterville High Sierra Road.  Hard to believe the counties wanted build their own Trans-Sierra Highway in the 1920s.  I really enjoyed putting something together for the Stockton-Los Angeles Road finally too.  On the National Parks side I did map out the Old Big Oak Flat Road, hard to believe that much abandoned asphalt still exists in Yosemite.

Good comments.

I'm new to California, but see the tax as good overall. I support mass transit and bike trails, but often wish the monies were more wisely spent. Highway money tends to be more wisely spent, but there's always a few pet projects that get funded.

I had never heard of the Ferguson landslide before. Have they ever considered a tunnel? It would change the current hazardous 3.5 mile stretch around a bend with a 0.9 mile tunnel. It would also eliminate any risk of future closure should the landslide mitigation efforts fail.

It may be hard to believe today, but I can totally believe the drive behind highways to towns. If there were a bunch of options to go a particular way between two points and a highway was available, the traffic generated would be a boon to the town. You just have to have a reason to go there though. Not every road (or mass transit project) leads to economic growth.

[Plutonic Panda]

I'm always happy to see investments in rail and bike facilities but not funded by money taken from gas tax or car fees. I don't even like how toll revenue is used for mass transit.

[Max Rockatansky]

Locally Prop 6 is being pushed largely due to mass transit and the High Speed Rail.  For what it's worth I see lots of SB1 Road repairs locally that were long overdue, 41 north of Oakhurst to Yosemite comes to mind.  A similar project is underway with 140...I just wish some of that money would go into getting the Ferguson Slide repairs going faster though. 

On the Surewhynotnow side there the CA 190 and J37 blogs were the definite high light with the Lone Pine to Porterville High Sierra Road.  Hard to believe the counties wanted build their own Trans-Sierra Highway in the 1920s.  I really enjoyed putting something together for the Stockton-Los Angeles Road finally too.  On the National Parks side I did map out the Old Big Oak Flat Road, hard to believe that much abandoned asphalt still exists in Yosemite.

Good comments.

I'm new to California, but see the tax as good overall. I support mass transit and bike trails, but often wish the monies were more wisely spent. Highway money tends to be more wisely spent, but there's always a few pet projects that get funded.

I had never heard of the Ferguson landslide before. Have they ever considered a tunnel? It would change the current hazardous 3.5 mile stretch around a bend with a 0.9 mile tunnel. It would also eliminate any risk of future closure should the landslide mitigation efforts fail.

It may be hard to believe today, but I can totally believe the drive behind highways to towns. If there were a bunch of options to go a particular way between two points and a highway was available, the traffic generated would be a boon to the town. You just have to have a reason to go there though. Not every road (or mass transit project) leads to economic growth.

The main issue is you have decades of unwise spending regarding infrastructure to blame and really a culture of heavy taxation in California in general to blame.  The disconnect between the urban areas who really want mass transit options and the rural areas that want to see their roads fixed is pretty massive.  The interesting thing is that at least with the High Speed Rail the major Central Valley cities were included, it could have just as easily been routed along I-5.  That said ridership projections are probably way over optimistic compared to the projected costs for building the High Speed Rail facility.  The Starlight Amtrak line ridership certainly doesn't suggest that the High Speed Rail will make a significant dent in automobile traffic between the Bay Area and Los Angeles.  It doesn't help that the High Speed right-of-way requires razing a crap ton of structures, in the Fresno Area it required parts of 99 be completely relocated. 

There is a rock shed considered for the Ferguson Slide.  There is a whole project time frame and everything, but it is basically designed to drag ass to put the construction as far into the future as possible.  Its pretty laughable having to cross two one-lane temporary bridges to an old rail grade when Caltrans is touting about a 6 mile road rebuild enhancing transportation to Yosemite on 140 just a couple miles away.