Figured it was time to open up a thread for CA 18. I recently drove the expressway portion of CA 18 from San Bernardino north to CA 138 on a segment of the Rim of the World Highway. CA 18 between between San Bernardino and CA 138 in my opinion is the coolest four-lane expressway in California which tons of turns and huge vistas. What I really find interesting is that the route of the Rim of the World Highway has origins even before the Holcomb Valley Gold Rush as a logging road that was built in 1852.
https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/05/california-state-route-18-rim-of-world.html
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 24, 2019, 02:11:08 PM
Figured it was time to open up a thread for CA 18. I recently drove the expressway portion of CA 18 from San Bernardino north to CA 138 on a segment of the Rim of the World Highway. CA 18 between between San Bernardino and CA 138 in my opinion is the coolest four-lane expressway in California which tons of turns and huge vistas. What I really find interesting is that the route of the Rim of the World Highway has origins even before the Holcomb Valley Gold Rush as a logging road that was built in 1852.
https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/05/california-state-route-18-rim-of-world.html
I remember when CA 18's expressway portion was opened in late '70 and early '71; my then-fiancée (later wife #1) was from Lake Arrowhead, so we, as UCR students, did a lot of schlepping up and down the hill on weekends. The upper portion, near the CA 138 junction, was particularly tricky during construction, since they essentially cut further into the hill on the alignment of the original 2-lane highway at that point -- and through traffic was constantly being shifted back and forth onto different cleared lanes -- with a lot of one-way traffic control. It got so bad for a while that we just headed up Cajon and backtracked on 138 -- but once it was finished, it really cut time off the drive. It was one hell of an engineering feat!
Quote from: sparker on May 24, 2019, 05:27:01 PM
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on May 24, 2019, 02:11:08 PM
Figured it was time to open up a thread for CA 18. I recently drove the expressway portion of CA 18 from San Bernardino north to CA 138 on a segment of the Rim of the World Highway. CA 18 between between San Bernardino and CA 138 in my opinion is the coolest four-lane expressway in California which tons of turns and huge vistas. What I really find interesting is that the route of the Rim of the World Highway has origins even before the Holcomb Valley Gold Rush as a logging road that was built in 1852.
https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/05/california-state-route-18-rim-of-world.html
I remember when CA 18's expressway portion was opened in late '70 and early '71; my then-fiancée (later wife #1) was from Lake Arrowhead, so we, as UCR students, did a lot of schlepping up and down the hill on weekends. The upper portion, near the CA 138 junction, was particularly tricky during construction, since they essentially cut further into the hill on the alignment of the original 2-lane highway at that point -- and through traffic was constantly being shifted back and forth onto different cleared lanes -- with a lot of one-way traffic control. It got so bad for a while that we just headed up Cajon and backtracked on 138 -- but once it was finished, it really cut time off the drive. It was one hell of an engineering feat!
Its a pretty damn fine road and really shows what can be accomplished with a good design. The only route I can think of that kind of resembles it is CA 168 east of Prather climbing to Shaver Lake.
That scenery is :-o. Beautiful mountainous views, plus nice coastal views (on CA 1 and some parts of US 101). Thats what I love of California
I love that stretch of 18 from Waterman all the way past the Crestline turnoff (where the expressway narrows to the 2-lane road toward Big Bear). I have been on that road numerous times (my late grandmother lived in Lake Arrowhead) and it's always a great drive (even when foggy/snowy).
The closest kind of expressway to this I have seen is US 189 going through Provo Canyon. On one side, a river. On the other side, mountain range. How UDOT was able to squeeze in this road has to go down as an engineering feat of the first order.
Here is what is literally cool about driving this section of highway. Shaded all around with wind blowing on the narrow river creates a natural air conditioning which will take a summer day in the 90's as felt in Provo/Orem and turn it into temps in the mid 70's. All the trees and the river always made me think I had found a slice of Oregon!
Thank you for another outstanding photo essay Max.
Rick
Recently I drove the entire 114 route of CA 18 from CA 210 in San Bernardino up the Rim-of-the-World Highway in the San Bernardino Mountains to Big Bear Valley and through the Mojave Desert to CA 138 in Llano. That being the case I went back and heavily updated the previous CA 18 blog on the Rim-of-the-World Highway to include the history of the entirety of the highway along with photos of the entire route. While the full history of CA 18 and full route photos can be found on the link below the abridged historic summary of the highway is as follows:
- The precursor to CA 18 from San Bernardino up Waterman Canyon to Big Bear was known as Crest Road which was constructed as a logging route in 1852 by Mormon Pioneers. Crest Road was gradually improved as mining interest in Holcomb Valley and with water rights in Bear Valley increased over the following decades.
- In 1917 Legislative Route 43 was adopted from where the pavement in Waterman Canyon ended east towards Bear Valley north of Bear Valley Lake.
- In 1919 a spur of LRN 43 was extended over Bear Valley Dam east through modern Big Bear Lake and Big Bear City.
- In 1931 LRN 43 was extended northwest from Bear Valley to US 66 in Victorville, south out of Waterman Canyon to San Bernardino and southwest to New Port Beach.
- In 1934 LRN 43 was signed as CA 18 between CA 19 in Artesia to US 66 in Victorville.
- In 1947 US 91 was extended from Barstow to Long Beach. This extension included a multiplex of CA 18 from San Bernardino towards Artesia.
- CA 30 appears to have first been signed in 1954 and had an eastern terminus at CA 18 in Running Springs.
- In 1957 CA 30 was extended east on a multiplex to Bear Valley. CA 30 ran along the south shore of Bear Valley whereas CA 18 stayed on it's original alignment on the north shore.
- In 1962 CA 18 had a large truncation from Artestia to San Bernardino where it ended at US 66/91/395.
- In 1964 CA 18 west legislatively extended west from Victorville to Llano on what was the unbuilt LRN 268. CA 18 was also shifted to the south shore of Big Bear Lake and CA 38 took over the previous north shore alignment.
- In 1965 CA 18 was truncated to CA 30 in San Bernardino whereas the previous stub to US 66/91/395 became CA 259.
- The western extension of CA 18 from Victorville to Llano was complete by 1967.
- By 1970 CA 18 between San Bernardino and CA 18 was completed to expressway standards.
- In 1991 CA 18 was shifted out of Bear Valley Lake Village which created the somewhat unofficial CA 18 Business Loop.
https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/05/california-state-route-18-rim-of-world.html
I have about 450 photos over two albums for CA 18 which can be found below:
CA 18 from CA 210 to CA 138
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmDCxuDJ
CA 18 from CA 138 to CA 138
https://flic.kr/s/aHsmHpNmPe
The western extension of CA 18 from I-15 to CA 138 in L.A. County was, prior to its adoption into the state highway system in late '67, a well-used county facility; my dad used to take it when we visited relatives in Las Vegas; it was much better than schlepping east on I-10 (in the early/mid-'60's, the only freeway extending east out of L.A.) and over Cajon, especially on a Friday evening, which is when we usually made the eastbound trip. Not coincidentally, bringing that road into the system at that particular time was prompted by Southern Pacific's construction of their Palmdale-Colton "cutoff" line enabling freight traffic to bypass central L.A. The tracks would have crossed that road at a very sharp angle, generally considered the most dangerous crossing type; San Bernardino County was reluctant (and short of available funds) to pay for a road overpass, so they petitioned the Division of Highways to adopt the road; it was close to the unadopted CA 18 extension -- but at the time the Division preferred a new-terrain alignment a bit to the north of that road. But the county was persistent, so in late 1965 the Division "caved" and agreed to take the road into the system and construct an overpass over the new SP line. When the bridge was completed in the fall of '67, the adoption was formalized. But even then signage was sporadic, mostly clustered at I-15 and CA 138 as well as the US 395 "crossroads" in west Victorville; reassurance shields were, for the most part, absent apart from those junctions.
Quote from: sparker on October 02, 2019, 05:28:30 AM
The western extension of CA 18 from I-15 to CA 138 in L.A. County was, prior to its adoption into the state highway system in late '67, a well-used county facility; my dad used to take it when we visited relatives in Las Vegas; it was much better than schlepping east on I-10 (in the early/mid-'60's, the only freeway extending east out of L.A.) and over Cajon, especially on a Friday evening, which is when we usually made the eastbound trip. Not coincidentally, bringing that road into the system at that particular time was prompted by Southern Pacific's construction of their Palmdale-Colton "cutoff" line enabling freight traffic to bypass central L.A. The tracks would have crossed that road at a very sharp angle, generally considered the most dangerous crossing type; San Bernardino County was reluctant (and short of available funds) to pay for a road overpass, so they petitioned the Division of Highways to adopt the road; it was close to the unadopted CA 18 extension -- but at the time the Division preferred a new-terrain alignment a bit to the north of that road. But the county was persistent, so in late 1965 the Division "caved" and agreed to take the road into the system and construct an overpass over the new SP line. When the bridge was completed in the fall of '67, the adoption was formalized. But even then signage was sporadic, mostly clustered at I-15 and CA 138 as well as the US 395 "crossroads" in west Victorville; reassurance shields were, for the most part, absent apart from those junctions.
So essentially the only new part is the rail overpass at the Los Angeles County line? I've always been suspicious of the nature of that section of 18 due to the dips, really soft shoulders and lack of signage. There isn't even a reassurance US 395 shield at the actual junction from CA 18 west.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 02, 2019, 12:18:40 PM
So essentially the only new part is the rail overpass at the Los Angeles County line? I've always been suspicious of the nature of that section of 18 due to the dips, really soft shoulders and lack of signage. There isn't even a reassurance US 395 shield at the actual junction from CA 18 west.
The lack of any reference to US 395 along CA 18 must be a relatively recent occurrence; when I last was through the intersection in late 2012, there was a single US 395 shield with a "crossing" double-arrow indicator below the shield per direction on CA 18; similar shields for CA 18 were posted on both NB and SB US 395. All these shields were posted within several feet of the intersection itself (a decidedly "minimalist" approach in keeping with Caltrans' apparent de-emphasis on route signage). Why they're not there now is a mystery!
If memory serves, back in the mid 1990s, the 395 reassurance shields at the CA 18 intersection were CA 395 shields instead of US 395. One of those "wish I got a picture of that" items ...
Quote from: Gulol on October 02, 2019, 07:23:11 PM
If memory serves, back in the mid 1990s, the 395 reassurance shields at the CA 18 intersection were CA 395 shields instead of US 395. One of those "wish I got a picture of that" items ...
That certainly would have been a worthwhile picture to get. Fortunately AAroads had one loaded to the shield gallery years ago:
(https://www.aaroads.com/shields/img/CA/CA19633951i1.jpg)
Either way today all we got from CA 18 westbound is a US 395 street blade to indicate that the route is present at all:
(https://live.staticflickr.com/65535/48828034392_aeb9f1d8ee_k.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/2hoLrtW)IMG_3650 (https://flic.kr/p/2hoLrtW) by Max Rockatansky (https://www.flickr.com/photos/151828809@N08/), on Flickr
^^^^^^^^^
CA 18 is certainly wider today than it was nearly 7 years ago when I lived down there; and that dedicated right turn lane wasn't there either. That probably accounts for the disappearance of the US 395 trailblazer shields -- looks like the widening resulted in the removal of the post where the shield was located. Guess D8 figures the hanging blade is sufficient to identify the crossing route -- it's a shame how such standards have deteriorated!
It's definitely different than I remember it being circa 2011-2013 when I worked in the area. Adalento essentially was a non-existent collection of modular homes lapping US 395 at the time.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 03, 2019, 09:33:54 AM
It's definitely different than I remember it being circa 2011-2013 when I worked in the area. Adalento essentially was a non-existent collection of modular homes lapping US 395 at the time.
Much of the pre-2010 housing development in Adelanto was well west of 395 and north of CA 18; 395 itself was just starting to host the town's commercial activity via a series of "strip malls" along the west side of the highway with the largest concentration of such just north of 18. The "old town" Adelanto was further north near Air Base Parkway; development progressed further and further south as "infill" toward the west side of Victorville. Ironically, before the 2007 "subprime" housing crash, Adelanto had the greatest concentration of below-$200K housing within 100 miles of L.A. (for a while afterward circa 2010-11 one could buy a Adelanto house at the "bargain" median price of around $135K -- it's gone back up since then, according to friends still living in the area). But the trade-off required to get those low housing prices was the fact that the tracts were well "out in the desert" a mile or two west of US 395; to get to what amenities were out there at the time required a few miles' drive. Later and pricier development started filling in the area between the original housing tracts and 395; the "wedge" between 395 and I-15 had long been dotted with sporadic housing dating from the '60's and '70's, typical of the older housing stock in the region. That area hosted much of the "modular" housing to which Max refers above; that was a product of property owners attempting to cash in on the earlier housing boom by undercutting the tract home prices (zoning was often more honored in the breach rather than observance those days!). When I was visiting there at the end of last year, I noticed quite a bit of apartment development within the "wedge", much of it along the east side of 395; it seems that highway is beginning to serve as a "dividing line" between denser development to the east and "traditional" single-unit dwellings to the west. And, as noted above, 395 itself is increasingly the site of commercial activity between the still-developing housing areas. How that will play out if and when it is decided to develop a freeway along 395 has yet TBD; the plans, AFAIK, still call for a parallel facility about a half-mile west of the current alignment and cutting back to the original route a couple of miles north of the 15/395 "split" west of Hesperia in order to use the existing ramps as much as possible.
Relevant (to a CA 18 discussion) side-note to the demise of the HSR freeway/tollway: It'll be interesting to see if the CA 18 expressway extension of the HDC alignment east of I-15 bypassing Victorville and Apple Valley survives as an independent project or simply "goes down with the ship", so to speak. ROW acquisition for that project was being discussed locally as early as 2012, before I left for Northern CA. One of its salient features was that it passed near the massive Wal-Mart distribution center north of Apple Valley on Dale Evans Parkway, providing direct access to and from southward I-15 (which presently utilizes a series of surface roads); that might help to tip the scales for retention of the bypass as a regional "SIU".
Quote from: sparker on October 06, 2019, 03:27:31 AM
Relevant (to a CA 18 discussion) side-note to the demise of the HSR freeway/tollway: It'll be interesting to see if the CA 18 expressway extension of the HDC alignment east of I-15 bypassing Victorville and Apple Valley survives as an independent project or simply "goes down with the ship", so to speak. ROW acquisition for that project was being discussed locally as early as 2012, before I left for Northern CA. One of its salient features was that it passed near the massive Wal-Mart distribution center north of Apple Valley on Dale Evans Parkway, providing direct access to and from southward I-15 (which presently utilizes a series of surface roads); that might help to tip the scales for retention of the bypass as a regional "SIU".
That part along with the bypass of Palmdale is really what should have been built out of the High Desert Corridor. That said it will be interesting to see if replacing a surface highway with speeds as high as 60 MPH in Apple Valley will really fly. Downtown Victorville is more of the bottleneck point and would be nice get some cars off of D Street. Either way it make it way easier to get to Big Bear from the desert.
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 06, 2019, 09:51:37 AM
Quote from: sparker on October 06, 2019, 03:27:31 AM
Relevant (to a CA 18 discussion) side-note to the demise of the HSR freeway/tollway: It'll be interesting to see if the CA 18 expressway extension of the HDC alignment east of I-15 bypassing Victorville and Apple Valley survives as an independent project or simply "goes down with the ship", so to speak. ROW acquisition for that project was being discussed locally as early as 2012, before I left for Northern CA. One of its salient features was that it passed near the massive Wal-Mart distribution center north of Apple Valley on Dale Evans Parkway, providing direct access to and from southward I-15 (which presently utilizes a series of surface roads); that might help to tip the scales for retention of the bypass as a regional "SIU".
That part along with the bypass of Palmdale is really what should have been built out of the High Desert Corridor. That said it will be interesting to see if replacing a surface highway with speeds as high as 60 MPH in Apple Valley will really fly. Downtown Victorville is more of the bottleneck point and would be nice get some cars off of D Street. Either way it make it way easier to get to Big Bear from the desert.
CA 18 in Apple Valley is a relatively fast arterial as it stands today -- at least until the Victorville in-town stretch along D Street. But the topology in that immediate area has always mitigated against a simple bypass of that short segment. The local sentiment, as expressed by both affected cities and the local press has been geared toward getting through traffic away from CA 18 -- especially since an increasing level of truck traffic has elected to use the 18/247/62 continuum around the north side of the mountains to bypass the ever-increasing congestion in the Redlands/San Bernardino area (particularly if their journey places them there during commute periods!); this was becoming increasingly noticeable about the time I moved north in late '12. There seemed to be a general consensus that the planned northern "arc" around Apple Valley was a reasonable way to approach the issue -- although most locals would have preferred a full freeway instead of the expressway with at-grade signalized intersections that was actually projected (with an interchange at Dale Evans Blvd., likely a concession to Wal-Mart; the full freeway was to extend west of there to I-15, becoming the east end of the HDC west of there). Most locals considered CA 18 -- at least west of "old town" Apple Valley (at the Joshua intersection) to be a form of expressway, since for much of its length it featured frontage roads and little private access to the through lanes; replicating that format for the bypass was, in some quarters, seen as not much of an improvement. Nevertheless, it
would have removed a considerable level of longer-distance truck traffic from Apple Valley's CBD, so even the bypass expressway plan received grudging acceptance. I'd take a guess that
that portion of the entire project, if supported by local jurisdictions and planning agencies, may well survive independently. Curiously, the plans for its extension west to US 395 in Adelanto -- as a CA 18 reroute -- were themselves planned separately from the main HDC tollway (the portion between 395 and 15 was
not intended to be tolled); since the HDC project wouldn't have become reality until after 2060 in any case, CA 18 would have multiplexed with US 395 south to its present alignment. Now -- whether
that will survive as another SIU section is also up in the air (it would also serve as a "shunt" for truck traffic to and from northward US 395 toward CA 58 at Kramer, taking quite a bit of that traffic off the suburban US 395 stretch from Hesperia to Adelanto). We'll just all have to see if those localized segments can be revitalized and/or reinstated.
As I've noted before, I'm going through posts for information for my pages. I hit upon Tom/Max's chronology, and there's an error:
It states:
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 01, 2019, 08:59:25 PM
- In 1934 LRN 43 was signed as CA 18 between CA 19 in Artesia to US 66 in Victorville.
with a similar error in his blog at https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/05/california-state-route-18-rim-of-world.html :
Quote
By 1934 CA 18 was added to LRN 43 between CA 19 in Artesia north to US 66 in Victorville via D Street.
In 1931, LRN 43 was extended down to Newport Beach, along Santa Ana Canyon and what became SSR 55/Route 55. The portion that ran and carried Route 18 ran not to Artesia/Hermosa Beach (that was LRN 175, which became SSR 14 and later Route 91). The portion that carried Route 18 (and US 91 after 1947) was LRN 178, and ran across Lincoln from SSR 59 to SSR 19, Lakewood Blvd. That remained signed as Route 18 until 1953, at which point the US 91 routing went to SSR 14 to US 101, down US 101 to Lincoln, and back on the SSR 18/LRN 178 routing. Whether SSR 18 was signed between 1953 and 1962 is unclear (it shows on state highway maps but has a discontinuity), but by 1962, everything S of San Bernardino was US 91. Post 1963, the routing on Lincoln W of US 101 became Route 214, and disappeared a few years later.
Note: Yes, the 1934 definition says "Artesia". But that was later amended to Lakewood, and SSR 19 is in Lakewood, not Artesia. Artesia is closer to LRN 170, SSR 35, which became I-605.
Quote from: cahwyguy on November 17, 2019, 02:39:05 PM
As I've noted before, I'm going through posts for information for my pages. I hit upon Tom/Max's chronology, and there's an error:
It states:
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 01, 2019, 08:59:25 PM
- In 1934 LRN 43 was signed as CA 18 between CA 19 in Artesia to US 66 in Victorville.
with a similar error in his blog at https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/05/california-state-route-18-rim-of-world.html :
Quote
By 1934 CA 18 was added to LRN 43 between CA 19 in Artesia north to US 66 in Victorville via D Street.
In 1931, LRN 43 was extended down to Newport Beach, along Santa Ana Canyon and what became SSR 55/Route 55. The portion that ran and carried Route 18 ran not to Artesia/Hermosa Beach (that was LRN 175, which became SSR 14 and later Route 91). The portion that carried Route 18 (and US 91 after 1947) was LRN 178, and ran across Lincoln from SSR 59 to SSR 19, Lakewood Blvd. That remained signed as Route 18 until 1953, at which point the US 91 routing went to SSR 14 to US 101, down US 101 to Lincoln, and back on the SSR 18/LRN 178 routing. Whether SSR 18 was signed between 1953 and 1962 is unclear (it shows on state highway maps but has a discontinuity), but by 1962, everything S of San Bernardino was US 91. Post 1963, the routing on Lincoln W of US 101 became Route 214, and disappeared a few years later.
Note: Yes, the 1934 definition says "Artesia". But that was later amended to Lakewood, and SSR 19 is in Lakewood, not Artesia. Artesia is closer to LRN 170, SSR 35, which became I-605.
I'm surprised i missed that one. The maps from the late 1940s onward show the LRNs on the Los Angeles City Insert. I'll get that one corrected when I get back to the house to tonight.
By the way, look at my comment in the thread Why Was Riverside Freeway Renumbered?, as that also relates to Route 18.
Quote from: cahwyguy on November 17, 2019, 02:39:05 PM
As I've noted before, I'm going through posts for information for my pages. I hit upon Tom/Max's chronology, and there's an error:
It states:
Quote from: Max Rockatansky on October 01, 2019, 08:59:25 PM
- In 1934 LRN 43 was signed as CA 18 between CA 19 in Artesia to US 66 in Victorville.
with a similar error in his blog at https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/05/california-state-route-18-rim-of-world.html :
Quote
By 1934 CA 18 was added to LRN 43 between CA 19 in Artesia north to US 66 in Victorville via D Street.
In 1931, LRN 43 was extended down to Newport Beach, along Santa Ana Canyon and what became SSR 55/Route 55. The portion that ran and carried Route 18 ran not to Artesia/Hermosa Beach (that was LRN 175, which became SSR 14 and later Route 91). The portion that carried Route 18 (and US 91 after 1947) was LRN 178, and ran across Lincoln from SSR 59 to SSR 19, Lakewood Blvd. That remained signed as Route 18 until 1953, at which point the US 91 routing went to SSR 14 to US 101, down US 101 to Lincoln, and back on the SSR 18/LRN 178 routing. Whether SSR 18 was signed between 1953 and 1962 is unclear (it shows on state highway maps but has a discontinuity), but by 1962, everything S of San Bernardino was US 91. Post 1963, the routing on Lincoln W of US 101 became Route 214, and disappeared a few years later.
Note: Yes, the 1934 definition says "Artesia". But that was later amended to Lakewood, and SSR 19 is in Lakewood, not Artesia. Artesia is closer to LRN 170, SSR 35, which became I-605.
If indeed the US 91 routing was transferred to LRN 175/SSR 14 after 1953, its overlap with US 101 would have occurred in Fullerton and Anaheim on the former US 101 over LRN 2; until 1957 Manchester Ave. and the ever-lengthening Santa Ana Freeway were still signed (east of SSR 19/Lakewood Blvd.) as Bypass US 101. It seems that US 91 was rerouted back onto its previous SSR 18 alignment along LRN 178/Lincoln Ave. through the east part of Anaheim all the way to the LRN 43/SSR 55 junction after the US 101 signage was removed from Harbor Blvd (then Spadra Road) and Los Angeles Street in Fullerton & Anaheim. Curiously, when LRN 181 was deleted at about the same time (ca. '57), its northernmost segment along Santa Ana Canyon Road was reassigned to LRN 178 for a couple of years until the LRN 175 expressway was completed (as the first O.C. section of the "Riverside Freeway") between Santa Ana Canyon Road and State College Blvd. (LRN 180), at which time US 91 and SSR 18 were shunted north on State College to the new expressway (signed as US 91 and both SSR 14 and SSR 18). SSR 18 was removed SW of San Bernardino in 1961, and the Riverside Freeway was completed west to the Santa Ana Freeway (then US 101) the following year. LRN 178 east of LRN 180 was deleted at that point. But at the end of 1962 US 91 was again moved to Brookhurst Ave. from Lincoln north to the new freeway; that section of city street received signage in the spring of 1963 although it was never brought into the state system -- just as well, since with the statewide renumbering 9 months later US 91 was deleted south of Barstow, and the Riverside Freeway and Santa Ana Canyon Road became new CA 91. So between 1953 and 1964 US 91 had
four different alignments from the west side of Anaheim to Santa Ana Canyon. Seems D7, which covered O.C. at that time, was in major surface-street relinquishment mode well before that process infected the agency as a whole. It makes sense when one considers that the area was growing by leaps and bounds at that time, and the cities would want to redirect through traffic away from their city centers and onto the new freeways as soon as feasible.
Quote from: cahwyguy on November 17, 2019, 11:45:32 PM
By the way, look at my comment in the thread Why Was Riverside Freeway Renumbered?, as that also relates to Route 18.
I just read, I went back to the blog and addressed LRN 178 and the State Maintenance Gap. I didn't deviate off script too much from CA 18 given US 91/CA 91 would be chasing a whole another rabbit hole I'm not really prepared to go into until I get some actual route photos. I used to have a stock pile of Riverside Freeway photos which would have been really handy in the CA 18 blog and a CA 91/US 91 entry as well.
Quote from: sparker on November 17, 2019, 11:53:40 PM
If indeed the US 91 routing was transferred to LRN 175/SSR 14 after 1953, its overlap with US 101 would have occurred in Fullerton and Anaheim on the former US 101 over LRN 2; until 1957 Manchester Ave. and the ever-lengthening Santa Ana Freeway were still signed (east of SSR 19/Lakewood Blvd.) as Bypass US 101.
Nope. In 1953, LRN 178 was truncated to start at Manchester, not LRN 2. This means that US 91 would have been routed down LRN 174 (Byp US 101).
Quote from: sparker on November 17, 2019, 11:53:40 PM
It seems that US 91 was rerouted back onto its previous SSR 18 alignment along LRN 178/Lincoln Ave. through the east part of Anaheim all the way to the LRN 43/SSR 55 junction after the US 101 signage was removed from Harbor Blvd (then Spadra Road) and Los Angeles Street in Fullerton & Anaheim.
Again, can't be, because the portion of LRN 178 from LRN 43 to Manchester was removed from the state system in 1953. So if it went through East Anaheim on Lincoln, it wasn't on LRN 178.
Quote from: sparker on November 17, 2019, 11:53:40 PM
Curiously, when LRN 181 was deleted at about the same time (ca. '57), its northernmost segment along Santa Ana Canyon Road was reassigned to LRN 178 for a couple of years until the LRN 175 expressway was completed (as the first O.C. section of the "Riverside Freeway") between Santa Ana Canyon Road and State College Blvd. (LRN 180), at which time US 91 and SSR 18 were shunted north on State College to the new expressway (signed as US 91 and both SSR 14 and SSR 18).
I originally had some connection with SSR 18 and LRN 181, but there really is no legislative evidence of it. The portion of LRN 178 from LRN 168 near Lakewood along Carson-Lincoln was truncated to Manchester in 1953, and LRN 174 in 1957. LRN 181 ran along Grand and Glassell in that point, and a bit along Orange-Olive. There was no transfer of the legislative route. Look at the state highway code.
Quote from: sparker on November 17, 2019, 11:53:40 PM
SSR 18 was removed SW of San Bernardino in 1961, and the Riverside Freeway was completed west to the Santa Ana Freeway (then US 101) the following year.
That removal shows on the 1962 State Highway Map. The question is: What happened to SSR 18 in the period between 1953 and 1961, especially the portion that had run along Lincoln from Route 55 to Route 19?
Quote from: sparker on November 17, 2019, 11:53:40 PM
LRN 178 east of LRN 180 was deleted at that point.
No, because LRN 178 E of LRN 174 had been deleted in 1953, essentially.
Quote from: sparker on November 17, 2019, 11:53:40 PM
But at the end of 1962 US 91 was again moved to Brookhurst Ave. from Lincoln north to the new freeway; that section of city street received signage in the spring of 1963 although it was never brought into the state system -- just as well, since with the statewide renumbering 9 months later US 91 was deleted south of Barstow, and the Riverside Freeway and Santa Ana Canyon Road became new CA 91.
I'm just not seeing the evidence of that. The state highway maps show it on LRN 175, which I believe ran along Orangethorpe at that point. When the freeway routing was constructed, it moved onto the freeway.
Daniel
^^^^^^^^^^
Daniel's accounts of the various convolutions of US 91 in O.C. don't in any way match what was actually signed in the field during that period -- or recorded on street maps. With my family, I made, as a kid (and budding roadgeek with a map collection -- unfortunately now long gone -- dating from about 1954-55) many trips per month down into O.C. to visit my aunt & uncle in Westminster -- and, after '55, just about as many trips down to Disneyland -- my mom was an animation artist at Disney, and had a free pass for herself and her guests -- which was taken advantage of by friends, family and out-of-town visitors on a regular basis. So we were down there at least 9-10 times a year at a minimum (and we were there opening day in 1955, when I was 5 1/2 years old!). With those regular trips, I was able to see the progress of the Santa Ana Freeway as it was extended both southeast from L.A. and northwest from its original O.C. segment in Santa Ana. When the section through Anaheim was opened in late '57, there was US 91 signage at the Lincoln Avenue exit, accompanied until 1961 by SSR 18 signage (and these were posted on the original Big Black Signs prior to the "greening" of such signage). But there was never any US 91 signage multiplexed onto the Santa Ana Freeway in any direction. Correspondingly, the intersection of Lincoln Ave. (LRN 178) and Beach Blvd. (LRN 171/SSR 39) featured both 91 & 18 junction signage, with 18 gone after '61. But both locations' Lincoln Ave.-based references to US 91 remained intact to at least 1963. Also, I noticed two things in April of that year on a Disneyland trip -- the "BBS" for the LH Santa Ana Freeway exit to the Riverside Freeway no longer cited SSR 14 but instead US 91 (with the white US shield plastered right over the former 14 shield), and the US 91 sign at Lincoln had been blacked out.
Also, during that timeframe, the Gousha O.C. street map showed the progression of US 91 alignments as I outlined them earlier. The first, pre-1958, showed 91/18 proceeding east on Lincoln to Orange-Olive, then north about a mile or so to Santa Ana Canyon Road, which terminated at Orange-Olive (originally part of LRN 181). In '58 that initial segment of the Riverside Freeway between State College/LRN 180 and LRN 43/SSR 55 opened (with a fanfare illustrated article in CH&PW); at that point 91/18 was "shunted" north on State College Blvd. to meet the west end of the new facility, which was signed for US 91 and both SSR's 14 & 18 (it was part of LRN 175); this was cited as the US 91 alignment through 1960. In 1961/62, after 18's truncation, the Brookhurst routing was shown on those years' Gousha maps; but in 1963 US 91 was shown as multiplexing north from Lincoln with SSR 39 to US 101 (I-5), ostensibly to access the west end of the Riverside Freeway. However, I can attest that there was never any field signage to this effect -- likely because, like with the US 6 reroute over Lankershim Blvd. in the San Fernando Valley, the preliminary stages of the renumbering that took effect at the end of that year were in progress, and the Division of Highways simply decided to hold off any temporary measures that would be effectively erased the following year. As far as continuing the US 91/SSR 18 signage on Lincoln east of Manchester/US 101, that was likely a similar process to that utilized for SSR 39's signage over Hacienda Blvd. in L.A. County -- with state-standard '53-spec "post-bear" larger shields -- a matter of cooperating with local jurisdictions for navigational purposes (please note that at the time D7 covered Orange County in addition to their current L.A./Ventura parvenu). So regardless of any or all legal definitions, there was definitely field signage of both US 91 and SSR 18 clear across O.C. -- in one form or another -- through '63. And since pretty much all this was predicated on the development of the Riverside Freeway, which was in its preliminary stages in the early '50's -- D7 figured any anomalies, including signage on non-maintained routes, was going to be very temporary in any case. In any case, the Lincoln alignment's days were always numbered; its post-renumbering ID as CA 214 (which decidedly did terminate at I-5) only lasted a year, being deleted, along with several other surface connectors, in 1965. But IMO the policy of playing "fast and loose" with signage such as described here is infinitely preferable -- for purposes of navigation -- to the current spate of relinquishments that leave signed highway segments "hanging" at best!
My comments are based on the legal definitions of the LRNs, and what is shown on the state highway maps. Signage in the field can be different -- it is possible that DOH signed things on routes that were former LRNs. But the post I commented on was citing LRNs, and LRNs were not signed -- so we only have legal definitions to go on.
Editing this to be a bit more coherent -- the first version was done quickly before work. I can only go from the LRNs and the state highway maps. Signage in the field could have been different; other companies street maps could be different.
Let's start here:
LRN 181 (1935-1951): "[LRN 43] to [LRN 176] near Yorba Linda via Grand Avenue and Glassell Avenue"
LRN 178 (1933-1953): "Cerritos Avenue to [LRN 43] near Olive via Anaheim" . Cerritos Ave became Lakewood (SSR 19)
LRN 178 (1953-1957): "Lakewood Boulevard to Manchester Avenue via Carson-Lincoln"
LRN 178 (1957-1964): "[LRN 168] near Lakewood Boulevard to [LRN 174] near Anaheim"
LRN 175 (1933-1957): "[LRN 60] near Hermosa Beach to [LRN 43] in Santa Ana Canyon via Artesia Ave"
LRN 175 (1957-1964): "[LRN 60] near Hermosa Beach to [LRN 43] in Santa Ana Canyon"
Your recollection of signage could very well be correct: old signage could have remained even after LRNs went away. But I do disagree with some things.
1. I don't see how Brookhurst is involved at all. Look at the map. Brookhurst is far to the west of Anaheim, closer to Lakewood Blvd.
2. It could very well be DOH signed SSR 18/US 91 on Lincoln E of Manchester to State College. But the legislative definition for state maintenance (LRN) ended, after 1953, at Manchester.
3. LRN 181 would not have been involved, as it was dropped in 1951. LRN 181 is an interesting route -- look at the 1940 state highway map -- but it didn't have anything to do with this as an LRN
4. That doesn't mean the route couldn't have been signed along old LRN 181 as an interim measure -- in particular, along the Orange-Olive diagonal. But that would have just taken the traveler to Riverdale -- not to LRN 43. Look at the map.
Recollections are funny things, especially from when we were kids. The problem is reconciling these recollections with the published state highway maps and definitions, and with the street grid in the area.
Daniel
^^^^^^^^^^^^
The Brookhurst alignment was only in place for about 15-18 months from late '61 to early '63; it was deployed in order to place US 91 (after SSR 18 was removed) on the Riverside Freeway for a much longer distance, removing its run over Lincoln through downtown Anaheim (desired by that city, which was engaging in "urban renewal" during that period). The signage was "trailblazer" in nature; the shields were accompanied by forward arrows on Brookhurst in both directions -- a distinct departure from Division standard practice, indicating it was simply another instance of funneling traffic between two state-maintained facilities over a local street. Gousha didn't notate the difference, electing to show US 91 itself on Brookhurst. Nevertheless, the US 91 shield at the Lincoln exit from the Santa Ana Freeway remained until early '63.
As far as LRN 181 goes, I understand the point that it was deleted from the system some 10 years before all this happened. Nevertheless, US 91 and/or SSR 18 did utilize the section of 181 along Orange-Olive Road (which paralleled the [then] ATSF RR line) between Lincoln and Santa Ana Canyon, onto which Orange-Olive segued on a broad curve prior to its extension to Riverdale in the '60's. Actually, Lincoln terminated at Orange-Olive before the mid-60's; it wasn't extended toTustin Avenue until after the Newport/SSR 55 freeway was opened in '63. Interestingly, if one travels north on Tustin Ave. from Lincoln you'd intersect an isolated remaining section of Santa Ana Canyon Road -- which, at least as of 2012, had its original 2-lane jointed pavement intact in both directions from Tustin (when living in Anaheim Hills in the late '90's and early 00's, I frequented a Chinese restaurant at that corner). It's likely that this route, although long relinquished, remained signed as US 91/SSR 18 until the original Riverside Freeway expressway segment was completed in '58 simply for navigational purposes. I traveled on it multiple times as a kid with my aunt & uncle to visit my cousin out in Yucaipa, and saw the north end of SSR 55 clearly delineated at the intersection of Santa Ana Canyon and the old alignment of Tustin (the north end of the 55 freeway sits atop that old facility). Once both the 55 and 91 freeways were in place, the county and the various cities engaged in wholesale reconfiguration of that whole area in order to expedite development (industrial/commercial on the "flatlands" and housing in the hills).
Fortunately, I do have an excellent idetic memory (although it doesn't extend to spatial things such as where I put my glasses, or phone, or paperwork.....ad nauseum!) that verges on the photographic. But one thing about the O.C. flatlands -- there is definitely a deliberate grid pattern (partially shared with southern L.A. county) that dissipated, partially due to the Santa Ana River and other topological features, the further north and east one ventured. But this whole discussion points out the difference between the maps issued by the Division of Highways and commercially available equivalents by Gousha and even McNally -- the former indicated what was maintained by the state, while the latter tended to reflect what was signed in the field regardless of legal status.
BTW, the Brookhurst I'm talking about is a N-S arterial situated about halfway between Beach Blvd. and Harbor Blvd.; it's been there since as least WWII.
I wonder, would the California Highway and Public Work journals offer any insight into the signing of CA 18/US 91 on relinquished LRN 178? I haven't found them to the best for announcing signage changes but they do occasionally have some compelling photos like the 1962 shield shot of I-5W.
Thanks for the clarification on the other Brookhurst. Looking at the current map, it looks like there's a very narrow E Santa Ana Canyon Road that intersects Olive-Orange a few blocks S of Riverdale. If I'm guessing correctly, that's where former LRN 181 used to turn (if you look at the 1940 map for LRN 181, it "kissed" LRN 43 unofficially before continuing N).
What this really makes clear is that -- at least in this area in the heyday of construction, DOH was creating temporary routings over non-state facilities -- Brookhurst, the relinquished Olive-Orange, and Lincoln E of Manchester being clear examples. Thus, looking at state maps -- and even some of the commercial maps -- may not be enough to figure this all out for the dynamic period of 1953-1963. LRNs are certainly less applicable. I'll go through this all to figure out how to describe all this as I'm doing my page updates (which is what triggered all of this).
A few additional questions. The state maps from that area show a jog in LRN 175 as it turns off Orangethorpe to meet LRN 43 at Santa Ana Canyon. Where was that jog? Tustin? As LRN 175 was turned into the freeway, what was the progression on that end?
What was the original intent for LRN 181, which appears never to have been a signed route. If you look at the 1940 map, you see it going up Grand and Glassell, across Orange-Olive to something, doing a northern path with a jog up to what appears to be Yorba Linda, and then across to SSR 90. The 1940 also shows a to be constructed route continuing E back over to LRN 43 -- but that was never part of the state system. Why?
^^^^^^^
Is it possible that jog (LRN 175) was on an extension of Jefferson St south of Orangethorpe? I'm not sure when Tustin was extended north from the 91 interchange, but it looks like Jefferson might have been the original alignment.
What it almost looks like is that LRN 175 did Orangethorpe to Imperial Highway (SSR 90), and then to LRN 43.
LRN 176 looks to have had a jog, tho... along Yorba Linda (LRN 181) to perhaps Kellogg, then some odd dogleg I can't figure out on the map to Orangethorpe.
Look at the area on the 1948 map for reference. Perhaps you can figure it out.
https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239573~5511882?qvq=q%3Acaltrans%3Bsort%3APub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No%3Blc%3ARUMSEY~8~1&mi=59&trs=86
Did some more research -- I think I found the answer.
First: http://www.historicmapworks.com/Atlas/US/10538/Orange+County+1961/ appears to have a 1961 Renie Guide. Page 91 ( http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/157294/Orange+County+++Page+091/Orange+County+1961/California/ ) shows where Imperial Highway (SSR 90) meets Yorba Linda (which had been LRN 181 to the W of SSR 90). Looking at Page 95 (http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/157298/Orange+County+++Page+095/Orange+County+1961/California/ ), this shows that LRN 176 (SSR 90) goes E on Yorba Linda to Ohio St, Ohio to Mountain View, and then down a street called Orchard to Orangethorpe. Orchard Dr. appears to no longer exist, but based on the location of the school, I believe it to be Kellogg Dr today. The maps at https://www.ucolick.org/~sla/coolpix/ehsmaps/ make that a bit clearer.
Page 95 also makes it clear that the jog onto LRN 175 was along Jefferson, at least by 1961. HOWEVER, what appears to be a 1950 Topo map (which also shows the LRN 176 jog) [ https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/img4/ht_icons/overlay/CA/CA_Anaheim_296699_1942_62500_geo.jpg ]makes it clear that before the freeway, LRN 175 crossed over to LRN 43 at Imperial Highway. The SSR 18 signage appears to end at the Riverside Freeway (at least in 1961). Lincoln also did not continue E to Santiago -- it ran to Center and then Anaheim-Olive.
That brings us to LRN 181. Up Grand / Glassell to Orange-Olive as we thought) and then to Santa Ana Canyon. Up Jefferson as well and probably across Walnut to Richfield, as the 1948 state highway map shows LRN 181 to the S of LRN 175. Then up Richfield to Yorba Linda, and E to Imperial Highway. It still doesn't quite answer why LRN 181 was created, but ....
Whew!
Quote from: cahwyguy on November 18, 2019, 11:42:29 PM
Did some more research -- I think I found the answer.
First: http://www.historicmapworks.com/Atlas/US/10538/Orange+County+1961/ appears to have a 1961 Renie Guide. Page 91 ( http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/157294/Orange+County+++Page+091/Orange+County+1961/California/ ) shows where Imperial Highway (SSR 90) meets Yorba Linda (which had been LRN 181 to the W of SSR 90). Looking at Page 95 (http://www.historicmapworks.com/Map/US/157298/Orange+County+++Page+095/Orange+County+1961/California/ ), this shows that LRN 176 (SSR 90) goes E on Yorba Linda to Ohio St, Ohio to Mountain View, and then down a street called Orchard to Orangethorpe. Orchard Dr. appears to no longer exist, but based on the location of the school, I believe it to be Kellogg Dr today. The maps at https://www.ucolick.org/~sla/coolpix/ehsmaps/ make that a bit clearer.
Page 95 also makes it clear that the jog onto LRN 175 was along Jefferson, at least by 1961. HOWEVER, what appears to be a 1950 Topo map (which also shows the LRN 176 jog) [ https://ngmdb.usgs.gov/img4/ht_icons/overlay/CA/CA_Anaheim_296699_1942_62500_geo.jpg ]makes it clear that before the freeway, LRN 175 crossed over to LRN 43 at Imperial Highway. The SSR 18 signage appears to end at the Riverside Freeway (at least in 1961). Lincoln also did not continue E to Santiago -- it ran to Center and then Anaheim-Olive.
That brings us to LRN 181. Up Grand / Glassell to Orange-Olive as we thought) and then to Santa Ana Canyon. Up Jefferson as well and probably across Walnut to Richfield, as the 1948 state highway map shows LRN 181 to the S of LRN 175. Then up Richfield to Yorba Linda, and E to Imperial Highway. It still doesn't quite answer why LRN 181 was created, but ....
Whew!
Really! The convoluted route of not only 181 but just about anything in NE O.C. points to a likely political scenario that resulted in the myriad of parallel N-S routes in that region (providing state-maintained routes to most local jurisdictions). There
are several local points of interest along 181 -- the junction with LRN 182 (Grand & Chapman) is a longstanding town square/traffic "circle" that to this day defines central Orange. And just north of there, Grand/181 bisects Chapman University (nee/College), one of the older colleges in the area. And the location where LRN 181 turns south from Yorba Linda Blvd. is a block or two away from the present Nixon Library (I had a stash of pencils from that place and used to give them out as gag gifts!). It seemed to be a "connect-the dots" affair from Santa Ana's east side up to Orange, and then on to Placentia and Yorba Linda. What is interesting about the '48 map is that LRN 181 "kisses" LRN 43 as it turns north to cross the Santa Ana River; I for one would like to see pictures of that intersection (the northern 181 segment crossing the river was gone before my own journeys up the canyon).
Also note that LRN 62 is shown as state-maintained over Hacienda Blvd. from La Habra (LRN 2) to West Covina (LRN 26). At some point I'll peruse Rumsey's collection to ascertain just when that segment was relinquished.
Or check my website :-)
The route that would become LRN 62 was first defined in the 1919 Third Bond Act was the route from Azuza to Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon. In 1933, the route was extended from Huntington Beach-Whitter Road near Buena Park to [LRN 9] near Azuza. This was codified in 1935 into the highway code as:
[LRN 171] near Buena Park to [LRN 9] near Azuza
[LRN 9] at Azuza to [LRN 61] via Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon
It was quickly amended by Chapter 626 in 1935 to split the first segment (the reason why is unclear):
[LRN 171] near Buena Park to Los Angeles-Orange County Line near La Habra
[LRN 26] near West Covina to [LRN 9] near Azuza
[LRN 9] at Azuza to [LRN 61] via Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon
In 1945, Chapter 1269 reverted the 1935 change. But, it didn't last for long, as in 1949, Chapter 1467 removed the segment from [LRN 2] (US 101) to [LRN 26] (US 70), making the definition:
[LRN 171] near Buena Park to [LRN 2] near La Habra
[LRN 26] near West Covina to [LRN 61] via Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon
Then, in 1959, the gap was restored, making the definition "[LRN 171] (US 101) near Buena Park to [LRN 61] (Route 2) via San Gabrial Canyon."
This is Route 39. It was signed in 1934.
Quote from: cahwyguy on November 19, 2019, 12:15:31 AM
Or check my website :-)
The route that would become LRN 62 was first defined in the 1919 Third Bond Act was the route from Azuza to Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon. In 1933, the route was extended from Huntington Beach-Whitter Road near Buena Park to [LRN 9] near Azuza. This was codified in 1935 into the highway code as:
[LRN 171] near Buena Park to [LRN 9] near Azuza
[LRN 9] at Azuza to [LRN 61] via Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon
It was quickly amended by Chapter 626 in 1935 to split the first segment (the reason why is unclear):
[LRN 171] near Buena Park to Los Angeles-Orange County Line near La Habra
[LRN 26] near West Covina to [LRN 9] near Azuza
[LRN 9] at Azuza to [LRN 61] via Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon
In 1945, Chapter 1269 reverted the 1935 change. But, it didn't last for long, as in 1949, Chapter 1467 removed the segment from [LRN 2] (US 101) to [LRN 26] (US 70), making the definition:
[LRN 171] near Buena Park to [LRN 2] near La Habra
[LRN 26] near West Covina to [LRN 61] via Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon
Then, in 1959, the gap was restored, making the definition "[LRN 171] (US 101) near Buena Park to [LRN 61] (Route 2) via San Gabrial Canyon."
This is Route 39. It was signed in 1934.
It's interesting that the segment between La Habra and West Covina was alternately designated, relinquished, designated, and ultimately relinquished again. While it
is a windy 2-lane road over the top of the Puente Hills, once down in the Hacienda Heights/Industry area, it has, at least since the La Puente segment was "straightlined" around 1959 (prior to that it used a convoluted path through that town's downtown area), been a multilane arterial except for the short stretch of signed 39 on the San Bernardino Freeway south frontage road that existed until about 1971 (long after the last relinquishment). But it's likely that the ultimate through concept was to reroute CA 39 along the Azusa Ave. corridor to the east, since that crossing of the hills was 4-laned decades ago. But Caltrans' longstanding reluctance to adopt additional surface streets likely doomed that concept -- so the gap remains, now abetted by the relinquishments in Azusa that, in terms of designation, isolate the segment of CA 39 in the San Gabriel mountains.
Quote from: sparker on November 20, 2019, 12:57:05 AM
Quote from: cahwyguy on November 19, 2019, 12:15:31 AM
Or check my website :-)
The route that would become LRN 62 was first defined in the 1919 Third Bond Act was the route from Azuza to Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon. In 1933, the route was extended from Huntington Beach-Whitter Road near Buena Park to [LRN 9] near Azuza. This was codified in 1935 into the highway code as:
[LRN 171] near Buena Park to [LRN 9] near Azuza
[LRN 9] at Azuza to [LRN 61] via Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon
It was quickly amended by Chapter 626 in 1935 to split the first segment (the reason why is unclear):
[LRN 171] near Buena Park to Los Angeles-Orange County Line near La Habra
[LRN 26] near West Covina to [LRN 9] near Azuza
[LRN 9] at Azuza to [LRN 61] via Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon
In 1945, Chapter 1269 reverted the 1935 change. But, it didn't last for long, as in 1949, Chapter 1467 removed the segment from [LRN 2] (US 101) to [LRN 26] (US 70), making the definition:
[LRN 171] near Buena Park to [LRN 2] near La Habra
[LRN 26] near West Covina to [LRN 61] via Pine Flats in San Gabriel Canyon
Then, in 1959, the gap was restored, making the definition "[LRN 171] (US 101) near Buena Park to [LRN 61] (Route 2) via San Gabrial Canyon."
This is Route 39. It was signed in 1934.
It's interesting that the segment between La Habra and West Covina was alternately designated, relinquished, designated, and ultimately relinquished again. While it is a windy 2-lane road over the top of the Puente Hills, once down in the Hacienda Heights/Industry area, it has, at least since the La Puente segment was "straightlined" around 1959 (prior to that it used a convoluted path through that town's downtown area), been a multilane arterial except for the short stretch of signed 39 on the San Bernardino Freeway south frontage road that existed until about 1971 (long after the last relinquishment). But it's likely that the ultimate through concept was to reroute CA 39 along the Azusa Ave. corridor to the east, since that crossing of the hills was 4-laned decades ago. But Caltrans' longstanding reluctance to adopt additional surface streets likely doomed that concept -- so the gap remains, now abetted by the relinquishments in Azusa that, in terms of designation, isolate the segment of CA 39 in the San Gabriel mountains.
As you noted, the signage gaps along CA 39 (and other relinquished highways) are extremely frustrating, especially when considering the former practice of signing the gaps to bring traffic from the old routings of 18/91 to the Riverside Fwy as the freeway was being constructed. Given that Caltrans signs CA-14U along Sierra Hwy in Santa Clarita area (under state maintenance, but not really needed for navigational purposes, since most traffic in the area uses the CA-14 freeway instead), they (or perhaps the local cities and counties) should do the converse and sign CA-39R (relinquished) to adequately sign the gaps along routes where the middle section is relinquished to local control. Another alternative is to use the county route shields but using the same number as the state highway. So have a blue pentagon (instead of a green spade) with the number 39 to show the route to connect between the two state maintained routes.
Incidentally, there is a county route N8 right in this area. It actually connects the two ends of former CA-39, but along Colima Road, so not the most direct way - but with far easier grades and curves than Hacienda. Perhaps a not so subtle hint that drivers should use Colima instead of Hacienda if they are just passing through.
^^^^^^^^^^
N8 not only crosses Hacienda (former signed 39) but continues east on Colima to Azusa (the purported "future" CA 39 alignment) and then north, terminating at the I-10/CA 39 junction in Covina. The one issue with N8 that prevents it from being an efficient alternative to either Hacienda or the Azusa/Fullerton/Harbor Blvd. continuum is the section through La Mirada -- it's something of a speed trap, especially the stretch passing near Biola University. If not for that portion of the route, the trip time from Buena Park to Covina would be cut by about a third with N8 versus the old 39 routing. But presently the point of all this is effectively moot; D7's goal is to relinquish all of CA 39 in their (L.A. County) jurisdiction with the exception of the segment in San Gabriel Canyon. If current practices continue, CA 39 will consist of two distinct sections: Huntington Beach-La Habra (all in D12) and north of Azusa.