CA 68, Cannery Row, and CA 218

[Max Rockatansky]

I did some route clinches today with CA 68 and CA 218.  I won't have my road blog up for awhile but I have the photos ready...I couldn't get a G17/Reservation Road pic because of a CHP officer on 68 however:

CA 68:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4AWyyw

CA 218:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4e1rsx


I'd say that the end point for CA 68 near Asilomar Beach qualifies as one of the strangest in the state, really it seems like a completely random location.  There really isn't much point to CA 218 with how small it is, I'm surprised Caltrans really hasn't gotten it relinquished at this point. 

I also checked out Cannery Row in downtown Monterey just for the hell of it:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsm4dZqkp

[Max Rockatansky]

I've been working on my notes for CA 68/LRN 117/LRN 262 and CA 218/LRN 169.  So far there are some stuff that is unclear to me through my research:

-  Sources conflict on when CA 68 was moved to a freeway configuration over the Salinas River, what year was it shifted?
-  LRN 117 appears to have met SSR 1 on various locations on Fremont Street, I am unsure of the junctions.
-  When was the CA 1 freeway built through Monterey?
-  Where was the original terminus of LRN 262 before it was extended as part of CA 68 to Alisomar Avenue?  Also my sources say the extension was adopted in 1964 but it doesn't appear until the 1966 State Highway Map....so when was it?

Feedback or additional information all the above would be really appreciated:

1935 Monterey County Highway Map
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~247320~5515371:Monterey-County-?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:california%2Bdivision%2Bof%2Bhighways;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=51&trs=163
-   Shows LRN 117 on Fremont Street
-    LRN 117 shown approaching Salinas River on Hilltown Road and possibly Spreckles Lane.

1938 State Highway Map
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239588~5511892:Road-Map-of-the-State-of-California?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=69&trs=86
-   Shows much of the same as above.

1942 State Highway Map
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239582~5511888:Road-Map-of-the-State-of-California?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=65&trs=86
-   LRN 117 appears to be pushed back on Fremont to meet SSR 1 in the Del Monte neighborhood

1960 State Highway Map
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239537~5511858:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1960?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=35&trs=86
-   LRN 262 (CA 68 extension) appears on the map
-   LRN 169 (Future CA 218) appears on the map

1961 State Highway Map
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239534~5511856:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1961?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=33&trs=86
-   CA 68 appears on LRN 117

1964 State Highway Map
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239525~5511850:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1964?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=27&trs=86
-   LRN 262 becomes part of CA 68
-   LRN 169 becomes CA 218

1966 State Highway Map
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239519~5511846:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1966?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=23&trs=86
-   CA 68 is extended to Alisomar conference area.
-   CAhighwayorg has this happening in 1964:
http://www.cahighways.org/065-072.html#068

1967
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_68
-   The freeway bridge bypassing Spreckles over the Salinas River was built supposedly but it doesn't appear on the state map in 1967.

1967 State Highway Map
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239516~5511844:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1967?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=21&trs=86
-   CA 1 shown as a freeway in Monterey which means CA 218 would have been extended to it.

1969 State Highway Map
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239513~5511842:State-Highway-Map,-California,-1969?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=19&trs=86
-   CA 68 is signed on the Monterey Peninsula as well as CA 218.
-   Unlike the Wikipedia article the new Salinas River Bridge appears clearly bypassing Spreckles on CA 68.

[TheStranger]

I've been working on my notes for CA 68/LRN 117/LRN 262 and CA 218/LRN 169.  So far there are some stuff that is unclear to me through my research:

-  Sources conflict on when CA 68 was moved to a freeway configuration over the Salinas River, what year was it shifted? 

Tying into this:

I recall seeing some mid-1960s edition of CHPW magazine showing a planned freeway alignment continuing from Spreckels north to US 101 near today's Laurel Drive interchange in Salinas, though that was obviously not built.  Davis Road randomly has an interchange with Route 183 in an area that might have been a part of that planned routing.

Was the Spreckels bridge part of this otherwise unconstructed project?

[Max Rockatansky]

I've been working on my notes for CA 68/LRN 117/LRN 262 and CA 218/LRN 169.  So far there are some stuff that is unclear to me through my research:

-  Sources conflict on when CA 68 was moved to a freeway configuration over the Salinas River, what year was it shifted? 

Tying into this:

I recall seeing some mid-1960s edition of CHPW magazine showing a planned freeway alignment continuing from Spreckels north to US 101 near today's Laurel Drive interchange in Salinas, though that was obviously not built.  Davis Road randomly has an interchange with Route 183 in an area that might have been a part of that planned routing.

Was the Spreckels bridge part of this otherwise unconstructed project?

Yes it was, it probably got pushed through because the previous bridge was an older truss design much like the San Lucas bridge near the terminus of CA 198.  Caltrans actually owns some of the right of way west of where the freeway ends and you can tell by how far the fence line is pushed away from the two-lane roadway.

[Max Rockatansky]

The CA 68 Road Blog is up, I made sure to really emphasize that some of my research wasn't as exacting as I would have liked:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2017/09/california-state-route-68.html

Edit:  Just put together the road blog on Cannery Row:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2017/09/cannery-row-monterey.html

Edit Again:  Actually finished up the CA 218 Road Blog also:

http://surewhynotnow.blogspot.com/2017/09/california-state-route-218.html