CA 203

[Voyager]

I believe both were intended to be freeway/expressway all the way to the crest of the Sierra Nevada range.  Stuff like the freeway alignment which was intended to replace the Priest Grade were wild to read about in the CHPWs.

Have a link or photos of the Priest Grade plans? I figured that was what they were going for by the half completed Don
Pedro Reservoir overpass on 120.

[Max Rockatansky]

I believe both were intended to be freeway/expressway all the way to the crest of the Sierra Nevada range.  Stuff like the freeway alignment which was intended to replace the Priest Grade were wild to read about in the CHPWs.

Have a link or photos of the Priest Grade plans? I figured that was what they were going for by the half completed Don
Pedro Reservoir overpass on 120.

Photo 28:

https://www.gribblenation.org/2022/07/california-state-route-120new-priest.html?m=1

[heynow415]

Another advantage of a 108/Sonora Pass tunnel alignment for an I-70 extension is that it would have lined up nicely with passing just south of Stockton (and the Port of) and then as an east/southeast entry to the Bay Area via the Altamont Pass/I-580/I-205/SR 120. 

I always thought it was strange how 108/120 are basically freeways up to the Sonora area and then 108 has sections that keep going as random freeway and expressway in the mountains for it to just go straight into a windy road after Strawberry and Pinecrest Lake.

The Sonora "freeway" section is relatively new in the grand scheme of things but the three short expressway segments east of Knights Landing, through Twain Harte, and at Long Barn have been in place 50+ years.  It is unfortunate that the notion of extending 120 east of 99 as a freeway to Oakdale is basically dead, though Escalon and Oakdale are probably rightly concerned that a freeway bypassing those communities would be a huge hit to them economically.

Four-laning 108(120) from the east end of the Knights Ferry segment to Yosemite Junction would seem like a relatively simple project given the ruralness and terrain; getting from the Junction through Jamestown to the Sonora segment would be a much bigger challenge.  The section from the east end of the Sonora segment to the Twain Harte expressway is supposedly in the works.  It's unlikely that the gap from Twain Harte to Long Barn would ever be built since trying to thread it through Mi-Wuk Village and other hamlets along the way, plus the terrain, is likely not justifiable from a cost, environmental, and constructability standpoint.  And beyond Pinecrest it just isn't needed.

They are making 108/120 a freeway to Oakdale (eventually)

https://northcountycorridorphase1.com/project-overview/#:~:text=The%20ultimate%20North%20County%20Corridor,was%20segmented%20into%20four%20phases.

That's not the original 120 project.  120 was supposed to continue directly east of the current 120 fwy/99 interchnage on a new alignment that would ultimately sweep around the north side of Oakdale.  It's discussed extensively here:  https://www.cahighways.org/ROUTE120.html . 108 to Modesto has its own issues so the North County project is certainly needed as well.