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Regional Boards => Pacific Southwest => Topic started by: doglover44 on December 14, 2017, 11:14:34 PM

Title: California Roads
Post by: doglover44 on December 14, 2017, 11:14:34 PM
Have done lots of reading on California highway section on here and am blown away how many interstates and State Routes there are !
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: Max Rockatansky on December 15, 2017, 12:08:06 AM
Actually compared to other states I've lived in the number of routes in general is actually kind of sparse.  New Mexico and Florida especially blow California's doors off with sheer number of state maintained roadways.
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: Desert Man on December 15, 2017, 07:58:59 AM
This road should be preserved by CalTrans - the (Honda) Civic musical road in Lancaster.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/civic-musical-road

I believe this is the only musical road in the USA, as there are others in 7 other countries.
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: Max Rockatansky on December 15, 2017, 08:52:17 AM
Quote from: Desert Man on December 15, 2017, 07:58:59 AM
This road should be preserved by CalTrans - the (Honda) Civic musical road in Lancaster.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/civic-musical-road

I believe this is the only musical road in the USA, as there are others in 7 other countries.

Off the top of my head I want to say there is a section of old US 66 in New Mexico that also is a musical road?
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: index on December 15, 2017, 10:26:48 AM
If you are impressed by the amount of state highways and California Interstates, you will not be impressed by the amount of US routes. IIRC there's less than 7. It's very typical of western states to have few of them.
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: hotdogPi on December 15, 2017, 10:28:41 AM
Quote from: index on December 15, 2017, 10:26:48 AM
If you are impressed by the amount of state highways and California Interstates, you will not be impressed by the amount of US routes. IIRC there's less than 7. It's very typical of western states to have few of them.

There are exactly 7:

6, 50, 95, 97, 101, 199, 395
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: theroadwayone on December 15, 2017, 01:48:42 PM
Quote from: Desert Man on December 15, 2017, 07:58:59 AM
This road should be preserved by CalTrans - the (Honda) Civic musical road in Lancaster.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/civic-musical-road

I believe this is the only musical road in the USA, as there are others in 7 other countries.
When Top Gear (UK) was here way back when, they went down that road.
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: Max Rockatansky on December 15, 2017, 02:49:15 PM
Quote from: index on December 15, 2017, 10:26:48 AM
If you are impressed by the amount of state highways and California Interstates, you will not be impressed by the amount of US routes. IIRC there's less than 7. It's very typical of western states to have few of them.

It's large because of California that there are so few of them.
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: Desert Man on December 18, 2017, 03:55:51 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 15, 2017, 02:49:15 PM
Quote from: index on December 15, 2017, 10:26:48 AM
If you are impressed by the amount of state highways and California Interstates, you will not be impressed by the amount of US routes. IIRC there's less than 7. It's very typical of western states to have few of them.

It's large because of California that there are so few of them.

In the 1920s, CA was sparsely populated, the first 7 decades the main population center is San Francisco (state's largest until 1925), and since 1900, Los Angeles (100,000, then half a million in 1917 to over 1 million in 1930). Most of the population growth took place between 1930-96, peaking in WW2 and the 1950s-60s economic booms. There was the California gold rush 1848-51 for the northern half, the Land booms of the southern half, 1870-90, and more sprawl in the inland valleys or deserts in the 1980s, but slowed down in the 2000s and in 2010, CA had 37-38 million (now 40 million) people, but more people leave than enter in the past 25 years (15 million left now vs 14 million moved in from 1850-1991).
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: sparker on December 19, 2017, 05:21:30 AM
Quote from: Desert Man on December 18, 2017, 03:55:51 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 15, 2017, 02:49:15 PM
Quote from: index on December 15, 2017, 10:26:48 AM
If you are impressed by the amount of state highways and California Interstates, you will not be impressed by the amount of US routes. IIRC there's less than 7. It's very typical of western states to have few of them.

It's large because of California that there are so few of them.

In the 1920s, CA was sparsely populated, the first 7 decades the main population center is San Francisco (state's largest until 1925), and since 1900, Los Angeles (100,000, then half a million in 1917 to over 1 million in 1930). Most of the population growth took place between 1930-96, peaking in WW2 and the 1950s-60s economic booms. There was the California gold rush 1848-51 for the northern half, the Land booms of the southern half, 1870-90, and more sprawl in the inland valleys or deserts in the 1980s, but slowed down in the 2000s and in 2010, CA had 37-38 million (now 40 million) people, but more people leave than enter in the past 25 years (15 million left now vs 14 million moved in from 1850-1991).

The Caltrans policy, as adopted and manifested in the 1964 statewide renumbering effort, was "one road, one number" with only a few exceptions.  Prior to the end of 1963 there were 15 locations where U.S. highways crossed into CA from other states; currently there are 10.  US 395 alone accounts for 3 of those as it leaves the state and comes back, only to finally leave again into OR; the only other US highway to pass through CA with two exits is US 95.  The other 5 "entrances" (US 6, US 50, US 97, US 199, and US 101) are U.S. routes that come into the state and terminate within.  The remainder were deleted solely because they were duplicated by the Interstate system:  I-8 in place of US 80, I-10 replacing US 60 & 70, I-40 for US 66, I-15 for US 91 & 466, I-80 for US 40, and I-5 for US 99.  One could argue that the (then) Division of Highways went a bit overboard with their disdain for multiplexed routes -- but the plain fact is that there weren't all that many to begin with considering California's sheer size.   Both its location and the state's topography had much to do with the lack of connectivity to the north and east -- there are also only 10 state highways that cross into other states (with CA 266 doing so twice). 
Title: Re: California Roads
Post by: skluth on December 25, 2017, 02:24:56 AM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on December 15, 2017, 08:52:17 AM
Quote from: Desert Man on December 15, 2017, 07:58:59 AM
This road should be preserved by CalTrans - the (Honda) Civic musical road in Lancaster.

https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/civic-musical-road

I believe this is the only musical road in the USA, as there are others in 7 other countries.

Off the top of my head I want to say there is a section of old US 66 in New Mexico that also is a musical road?

http://mentalfloss.com/article/73142/musical-roads-5-places-where-streets-sing