CA 44 and CA 440

[Max Rockatansky]

Over Labor Day weekend I had an opportunity to drive CA 44 from Lassen Volcanic National Park west to Redding.  Said segment of CA 44 was originally assigned CA 440 when the Sign State Routes were announced in August 1934.  The original CA 44 was to the north and became US 299 by 1935 which seems to indicate that CA 440 was a placeholder designation.  CA 440 became the second/current CA 44 sometime between 1935-1937.  The second CA 44 remained a highway between Redding-Lassen Park until 1962 when an extension of Legislative Route 20 to Susanville was added to State Inventory (the extension of Legislative Route 20 was defined in 1959).  In the article below the alignment history of CA 440 and the second CA 44 (there is some surprising differences, especially in Redding) are explored.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/09/california-state-route-44-and.html

[sparker]

Over Labor Day weekend I had an opportunity to drive CA 44 from Lassen Volcanic National Park west to Redding.  Said segment of CA 44 was originally assigned CA 440 when the Sign State Routes were announced in August 1934.  The original CA 44 was to the north and became US 299 by 1935 which seems to indicate that CA 440 was a placeholder designation.  CA 440 became the second/current CA 44 sometime between 1935-1937.  The second CA 44 remained a highway between Redding-Lassen Park until 1962 when an extension of Legislative Route 20 to Susanville was added to State Inventory (the extension of Legislative Route 20 was defined in 1959).  In the article below the alignment history of CA 440 and the second CA 44 (there is some surprising differences, especially in Redding) are explored.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2020/09/california-state-route-44-and.html

Two questions:  is CA 44 "trailblazed" from EB CA 299 in central Redding, or is there a signage gap on CA 273 until CA 44 diverges east?  And the Shasta County map shown to illustrate the former 299 & 44 routes east of Redding shows a "dotted line" more or less along what is now A16 southwest to CA 36; was this ever actually planned as a westward extension of CA 440 or CA 44 after US 299 made its debut -- or just speculation on the part of the cartographers? 

[Max Rockatansky]

Regarding the 1935 Division of Highways Maps, the major county roads are shown with that dotted format as opposed to solid lines.  Yes, CA 44 is trail blazed from CA 299 eastbound approaching CA 273:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.587447,-122.3932426,3a,75y,87.72h,85.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svOli9fEjyL7818ZTguBwAA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

[sparker]

Regarding the 1935 Division of Highways Maps, the major county roads are shown with that dotted format as opposed to solid lines.  Yes, CA 44 is trail blazed from CA 299 eastbound approaching CA 273:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.587447,-122.3932426,3a,75y,87.72h,85.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svOli9fEjyL7818ZTguBwAA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Thanks, Max.  Now that's a sign salad -- BGS edition!

[mrsman]

Regarding the 1935 Division of Highways Maps, the major county roads are shown with that dotted format as opposed to solid lines.  Yes, CA 44 is trail blazed from CA 299 eastbound approaching CA 273:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.587447,-122.3932426,3a,75y,87.72h,85.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svOli9fEjyL7818ZTguBwAA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Thanks, Max.  Now that's a sign salad -- BGS edition!

CA tends to be very good about signing where a state route makes a major change in direction with big prominent signs like this.  Comes in handy as you make several turns around Downtown Redding to stay on route.  The problem is that they don't continue that to even put in a few ground mounted signs for those that are no longer state maintained. Given the very large BGS in Redding, it is clear that Caltrans recognizes the  navigational benefit of the shield, its just a shame that the relatively inexpensive task of maintaining a few shields for continuity purposes quickly falls by the wayside once a state turns the highway to local control.

[TheStranger]

Regarding the 1935 Division of Highways Maps, the major county roads are shown with that dotted format as opposed to solid lines.  Yes, CA 44 is trail blazed from CA 299 eastbound approaching CA 273:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.587447,-122.3932426,3a,75y,87.72h,85.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svOli9fEjyL7818ZTguBwAA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Thanks, Max.  Now that's a sign salad -- BGS edition!

CA tends to be very good about signing where a state route makes a major change in direction with big prominent signs like this.  Comes in handy as you make several turns around Downtown Redding to stay on route.  The problem is that they don't continue that to even put in a few ground mounted signs for those that are no longer state maintained. Given the very large BGS in Redding, it is clear that Caltrans recognizes the  navigational benefit of the shield, its just a shame that the relatively inexpensive task of maintaining a few shields for continuity purposes quickly falls by the wayside once a state turns the highway to local control.

This very specifically reminds me of the BGS setup in downtown Sacramento on surface streets:

- the still-extant 70/99 sign (with a blank space for I think 16, which hasn't used surface streets there since the 1980s) on Capitol Mall eastbound
- the one at J Street after the offramp from I-5, which has been repurposed for local signage for downtown Sacramento
- the large gantry on I Street westbound approach I-5 with mentions of 99, 5, and (the now decommissioned segment of) Business 80

In contrast, in downtown San Francisco, those types of signs only exist right up at the Skyway section of I-80; all other signage pointing towards the freeways and towards the US 101 street segment are inconspicuous, whether in the form of small trailblazer shields or in small green signs mounted on posts or poles.

[Max Rockatansky]

Regarding the 1935 Division of Highways Maps, the major county roads are shown with that dotted format as opposed to solid lines.  Yes, CA 44 is trail blazed from CA 299 eastbound approaching CA 273:

https://www.google.com/maps/@40.587447,-122.3932426,3a,75y,87.72h,85.88t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1svOli9fEjyL7818ZTguBwAA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656?hl=en

Thanks, Max.  Now that's a sign salad -- BGS edition!

CA tends to be very good about signing where a state route makes a major change in direction with big prominent signs like this.  Comes in handy as you make several turns around Downtown Redding to stay on route.  The problem is that they don't continue that to even put in a few ground mounted signs for those that are no longer state maintained. Given the very large BGS in Redding, it is clear that Caltrans recognizes the  navigational benefit of the shield, its just a shame that the relatively inexpensive task of maintaining a few shields for continuity purposes quickly falls by the wayside once a state turns the highway to local control.

This very specifically reminds me of the BGS setup in downtown Sacramento on surface streets:

- the still-extant 70/99 sign (with a blank space for I think 16, which hasn't used surface streets there since the 1980s) on Capitol Mall eastbound
- the one at J Street after the offramp from I-5, which has been repurposed for local signage for downtown Sacramento
- the large gantry on I Street westbound approach I-5 with mentions of 99, 5, and (the now decommissioned segment of) Business 80

In contrast, in downtown San Francisco, those types of signs only exist right up at the Skyway section of I-80; all other signage pointing towards the freeways and towards the US 101 street segment are inconspicuous, whether in the form of small trailblazer shields or in small green signs mounted on posts or poles.

I was thinking when I drove 273 that the downtown BGSs had a CA 20/70 vibe akin to Marysville.  Turns out that what is in Redding is much larger in scale:

https://flic.kr/p/2eCAPCW