California

[gonealookin]

The 1920s Fanny Bridge, which formerly carried SR 89 over the Truckee River at Tahoe City, is being demolished this week.

https://twitter.com/CaltransDist3/status/1961135086784713042

[ClassicHasClass]

Too bad it couldn't simply be preserved or expanded. Seemed like a nice old bridge. The site does say they intend to preserve the old appearance.

https://www.placer.ca.gov/8856/State-route-89-Fanny-Bridge-Community-Re

[Max Rockatansky]

Got my pictures long ago when I heard it wasn't long for the world.

https://flic.kr/p/PFjJyQ

https://flic.kr/p/N4gqrM

https://flic.kr/p/2941oaf

https://flic.kr/p/N4gifx

[gonealookin]

Some heavy rain hit the desert areas of San Bernardino and Kern Counties last night and there are a few road closures.  Here's some video of a partial washout on SR 178 east of Ridgecrest:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K-r4r6rRRJo.  It looks like a section of US 395 between Ridgecrest and Kramer Junction and SR 247 south of Barstow are also closed due to storm damage.

[pderocco]

Some heavy rain hit the desert areas of San Bernardino and Kern Counties last night and there are a few road closures.  Here's some video of a partial washout on SR 178 east of Ridgecrest:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K-r4r6rRRJo.  It looks like a section of US 395 between Ridgecrest and Kramer Junction and SR 247 south of Barstow are also closed due to storm damage.

178 is also closed between Shoshone and the Death Valley boundary, and it's closed for a few hours in the lower Kern Canyon. Even roads have bad days.

Oh, and 247 is closed between Barstow and Lucerne Valley.

[Quillz]

Ventura County is removing all of its highway call boxes, citing high maintenance and low usage.

I saw the announcement last week, and the boxes and signs have already been covered in black plastic.

Can't say I'm surprised. I don't think I've personally ever used one in my entire life, I don't know anyone who has used one. I'm surprised they have lasted as long as they have. Between cell phones, GPS, some car makers offering their own roadside services, AAA, etc, the fact they see any use still is interesting.

[ClassicHasClass]

Some heavy rain hit the desert areas of San Bernardino and Kern Counties last night and there are a few road closures.  Here's some video of a partial washout on SR 178 east of Ridgecrest:  https://www.youtube.com/shorts/K-r4r6rRRJo.  It looks like a section of US 395 between Ridgecrest and Kramer Junction and SR 247 south of Barstow are also closed due to storm damage.

I almost ended up in that. I was cutting across CA 58 to Kramer Jct and could see the storm out my driver's window, a very active thundercell. I stopped at the Pilot on 20 Mule Team Rd and the cashier said a whole lot of people were stranded there. CHP also had CA 14 closed north of Mojave.

[Quillz]

There's more rain forecasted for later this week, too. 

[Max Rockatansky]

Wasn't the storm that just hit a tropical storm remnant?  We had about half an inch in my area and up in the Sierra foothills.  The ground was so dry that the moisture just got sucked up and didn't really cause any slide/flood issues that I'm aware of.

[Quillz]

Wasn't the storm that just hit a tropical storm remnant?  We had about half an inch in my area and up in the Sierra foothills.  The ground was so dry that the moisture just got sucked up and didn't really cause any slide/flood issues that I'm aware of.

Yes, remnant of Mario. 

[pderocco]

Wasn't the storm that just hit a tropical storm remnant?  We had about half an inch in my area and up in the Sierra foothills.  The ground was so dry that the moisture just got sucked up and didn't really cause any slide/flood issues that I'm aware of.

Yes, remnant of Mario.

I went up 395 Saturday and it was fine, no sign of damage. However, I also took Brown Rd (the old 395), and it had some cones and some edge erosion, as well as some giant puddles next to the road.

[gonealookin]

Within the last week or so, we have a new Welcome to California sign where US 50 enters the state.  It's a drab green and white, but I found it interesting because Caltrans doesn't usually cram that much information on to a single sheet of metal.  (Stateline Avenue is the intersecting street; US 50 through South Lake Tahoe is "Lake Tahoe Boulevard".)



If you wanted a fifth compartment there, you could put a US 50 shield, control city "Sacramento" and a straight-ahead arrow.

That sign replaces this sad little thing, which for many years has been the only Caltrans sign at that location:



That one is still there on the other side of Stateline Avenue, but will presumably be removed when someone in District 3 gets around to it.

Of course, NDOT's signage effort on the other side of US 50 at that location isn't very spectacular either:

[Quillz]

I'm actually more a fan of simplicity. Just black-and-white saying "state line" is enough for me. 

[Max Rockatansky]

I like the older white state line signs which has the shield of the highway you were on.

[FredAkbar]

Strangely, the CA state line signs on I-10 and I-40 are in a different place than the county line signs (and the larger "Welcome to California" sign in the case of I-40).

I-10: Plain "California State Line" sign then County line and city limit sign a quarter mile later

I-40: Plain "California State Line" sign then "Welcome to California" and county line signs a bit later

Contrast with I-8 and I-15 where there is no such misalignment.

Don't the county and state line have to line up? Does it have to do with the state line being over water?

[pderocco]

Strangely, the CA state line signs on I-10 and I-40 are in a different place than the county line signs (and the larger "Welcome to California" sign in the case of I-40).

I-10: Plain "California State Line" sign then County line and city limit sign a quarter mile later

I-40: Plain "California State Line" sign then "Welcome to California" and county line signs a bit later

They know most people are slow readers.

[kkt]

I'm not fond of having the name of the cross street on the same sign with nothing indicating that it's the cross street and not the name of the street within South Lake Tahoe.

Most California county limits signs have the elevation and population, much like the city limits sign does, only it's a white sign.

[cahwyguy]

Strangely, the CA state line signs on I-10 and I-40 are in a different place than the county line signs (and the larger "Welcome to California" sign in the case of I-40).

I-10: Plain "California State Line" sign then County line and city limit sign a quarter mile later

I-40: Plain "California State Line" sign then "Welcome to California" and county line signs a bit later

Contrast with I-8 and I-15 where there is no such misalignment.

Don't the county and state line have to line up? Does it have to do with the state line being over water?

With respect to the city limits, they might not go to the state border. But as for the others, I wouldn't worry about it. These aren't surveyor signs -- if someone needs to know exactly where the boundary is for legal purposes, they'll get a survey. Being rough advisory signs, they can be a little off. You can get the county from the postmiles anyway, and there is a proper county change on the postmiles at the border.

[gonealookin]

I'm not fond of having the name of the cross street on the same sign with nothing indicating that it's the cross street and not the name of the street within South Lake Tahoe.

I don't like that either, which is why I explained what "Stateline Avenue" refers to in my post.  I think it would be clearer if the "Stateline Ave" were on a separate blade above that sign.  If you want to do it all on one sign, put a right arrow after the "Stateline Ave".
 

Most California county limits signs have the elevation and population, much like the city limits sign does, only it's a white sign.

Please show me an example of that.  I've never seen anything but County name "County Line", such as:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/LdQXwtW3aQcZnuzi7.  Are you thinking of a different state?

[roadfro]

Of course, NDOT's signage effort on the other side of US 50 at that location isn't very spectacular either:

Pet peeve: "State line" is two words.

Several years ago (I think leading up to the state's sesquicentennial), NDOT replaced all the state line signage with an updated design (following a sign design contest, in which I don't think any of the winning designs were ultimately used). Some prominent locations got new monuments instead of the revised signs. This is one of the few locations that somehow got neither. I understand it's somewhat constrained on the ROW, but it wouldn't have been that hard to make a smaller version of the new state line sign for this location.

[gonealookin]

Several years ago (I think leading up to the state's sesquicentennial), NDOT replaced all the state line signage with an updated design (following a sign design contest, in which I don't think any of the winning designs were ultimately used). Some prominent locations got new monuments instead of the revised signs. This is one of the few locations that somehow got neither. I understand it's somewhat constrained on the ROW, but it wouldn't have been that hard to make a smaller version of the new state line sign for this location.

It's one of the most heavily-traveled entrances to the state and deserves better signage than that tiny thing.  Granted there's no space for one of the monument signs right at the state line, but I think a logical place for it would be a few hundred yards up US 50, in front of the new hockey arena at the southeast corner of US 50 and Lake Parkway.