I-680 over the Benicia-Martinez Bridge and the legacy/history of CA 21

[Max Rockatansky]

I recently revisited I-680 so I took the opportunity to expand the existing on I-680/CA 21 blog with photos from I-580 north to I-780.  More importantly I greatly expounded upon the history of the Benicia-Martinez Ferry.  The Benicia-Martinez Ferry began service in 1847 and first started carrying automobiles starting in 1915.  The Benicia-Martinez Ferry was the original route of US 40 which entered Benicia westbound via LRN 7 and departed Martinez via LRN 14 (Martinez Scenic Drive for the abandoned highway crowd) towards Crockett.  US 40 wasn't immediately rerouted when the 1927 Carquinez Bridge opened and stayed routed via the Benicia-Martinez Ferry.  The shift of US 40 to the Carquinez Bridge didn't occur until a spur of Legislative Route 7 was adopted in 1931 from Crockett through American Canyon.  US 40 was announced as being rerouted from Martinez by way of the American Canyon Route through Vallejo on the November 1932 8th Biannual Report by the Division of Highways. 

The I-680 blog now contains all the relevant information above regarding the Benicia-Martinez Ferry.  Specifically a 1930 ACSC Map of the San Francisco Bay area showing the original route of US 40 along with the 8th Biannual Report were included.  In the near future I plan on visiting Carquinez Scenic Drive and the Benicia-Martinez Ferry landings to plot out the course of US 40 towards Crockett.

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/02/interstate-680-over-benicia-martinez.html