California

[pderocco]

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".)



[...]

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

When going from west to east, how hard is it usually to get your car up that 33-foot hill in the middle of the street?

That highlights one of my road pet peeves: elevation signs showing the elevation of some unknown place in the town, rather than the elevation of the sign itself.

Aren't they based on the zero point? LA would be city hall, for example.

Maybe. But since I've never heard of a "zero point" in reference to a town, I doubt most people have, and even so, why would they find that of any interest, not knowing where that point actually is? At least if the sign showed its own elevation, it would also tell people looking at the sign their own elevation.

[DTComposer]

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".)



[...]

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

When going from west to east, how hard is it usually to get your car up that 33-foot hill in the middle of the street?

That highlights one of my road pet peeves: elevation signs showing the elevation of some unknown place in the town, rather than the elevation of the sign itself.

Aren't they based on the zero point? LA would be city hall, for example.

Maybe. But since I've never heard of a "zero point" in reference to a town, I doubt most people have, and even so, why would they find that of any interest, not knowing where that point actually is? At least if the sign showed its own elevation, it would also tell people looking at the sign their own elevation.

For these particular signs:

6285' seems to be the elevation at the location of the sign itself. However, "Lake Tahoe" is not the name of the CDP you're entering - that's Stateline (which is why I've looked past the one-word version of it on the Nevada sign). Since as a CDP, there's no city hall, it makes sense that they would use the elevation at the sign's location (or perhaps because that's the location of the "central business district" of Stateline).

Lake Tahoe (the lake) has an elevation of about 6225'.

On the other sign, I'm not sure what point 6252' is referring to. South Lake Tahoe city hall, the El Dorado County government buildings, and the US-50/CA-89 junction are all about 6270-6280'. There is a point on US-50 near the historic location of the Bijou post office that matches that elevation.

GNIS puts the elevation of South Lake Tahoe at 6237', but their location for that doesn't really correspond to any landmark (it's in the Truckee Marsh south of the Al Tahoe neighborhood).

[jdbx]

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".)



[...]

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

When going from west to east, how hard is it usually to get your car up that 33-foot hill in the middle of the street?

That highlights one of my road pet peeves: elevation signs showing the elevation of some unknown place in the town, rather than the elevation of the sign itself.

Aren't they based on the zero point? LA would be city hall, for example.

Maybe. But since I've never heard of a "zero point" in reference to a town, I doubt most people have, and even so, why would they find that of any interest, not knowing where that point actually is? At least if the sign showed its own elevation, it would also tell people looking at the sign their own elevation.

For these particular signs:

6285' seems to be the elevation at the location of the sign itself. However, "Lake Tahoe" is not the name of the CDP you're entering - that's Stateline (which is why I've looked past the one-word version of it on the Nevada sign). Since as a CDP, there's no city hall, it makes sense that they would use the elevation at the sign's location (or perhaps because that's the location of the "central business district" of Stateline).

Lake Tahoe (the lake) has an elevation of about 6225'.

On the other sign, I'm not sure what point 6252' is referring to. South Lake Tahoe city hall, the El Dorado County government buildings, and the US-50/CA-89 junction are all about 6270-6280'. There is a point on US-50 near the historic location of the Bijou post office that matches that elevation.

GNIS puts the elevation of South Lake Tahoe at 6237', but their location for that doesn't really correspond to any landmark (it's in the Truckee Marsh south of the Al Tahoe neighborhood).

This is something I have always wondered about. Since the standard "City Limit" sign that you see posted in California always shows population and elevation, you see it all the time, so there has to be *some* method that is used by Caltrans or the posting agency to determine what elevation to place on the sign. I had been under the assumption was that it was the median elevation within the city limits, but I'd love to find out.

[RZF]

Google says it's the central business district or city hall building. Please fact check me...

[DTComposer]

I checked the cities around me, and here's what I found:

San Jose: listed on signs at 94 feet. That doesn't correspond to current (2005) city hall or former (1958) city hall, but is pretty close to the 1889 city hall.

Los Gatos: listed on signs at 395 feet, corresponds to city hall (edge of CBD).

Santa Clara: listed on signs at 93 feet. Doesn't correspond to current or former city hall or central business district.

Saratoga: listed on signs at 500 feet. Doesn't correspond to current (1966) city hall, but does correspond to former (1956) city hall (edge of CBD).

Campbell: listed on signs at 190 feet. Corresponds closely to current city hall/downtown.

Monte Sereno: listed on signs at 502 feet. Doesn't correspond to city hall, but does correspond to the geographic center of the city (which is on private property).

Google says it's the central business district or city hall building. Please fact check me...

So....sorta?

[bing101]

https://www.abridged.org/news/highway-50-weekend-closure/

US-50 to close in Sacramento for repairs. 

[cahwyguy]

https://www.abridged.org/news/highway-50-weekend-closure/

US-50 to close in Sacramento for repairs.

This is news? I monitor highway headlines, and it seems like US 50 closes every week for repairs somewhere :-)

[gonealookin]

https://www.abridged.org/news/highway-50-weekend-closure/

US-50 to close in Sacramento for repairs.

This is news? I monitor highway headlines, and it seems like US 50 closes every week for repairs somewhere :-)

That "Fix 50" project seems like it's been going on forever.  Actually I believe the construction started in 2020.  It's been very disruptive, and because I go a few months between trips through Sacramento, there's some different lane shift every trip I take.  The current project timeline shows completion of construction in the summer of 2026...finally.

[ClassicHasClass]

Going through I-80 on my way east, noticed that the Express Lanes through Fairfield have the "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" signs down. Opening soon? A sign later on said "fall 2025" so I guess we're up to that point.

[jrouse]

Going through I-80 on my way east, noticed that the Express Lanes through Fairfield have the "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" signs down. Opening soon? A sign later on said "fall 2025" so I guess we're up to that point.

Express lane operations will begin on December 16. Unlike other express lanes in the Bay Area, these lanes will operate 7 days a week, 5 AM to 8 PM.  The weekend operations are being done under a 3-year pilot program.

[jdbx]

Going through I-80 on my way east, noticed that the Express Lanes through Fairfield have the "UNDER CONSTRUCTION" signs down. Opening soon? A sign later on said "fall 2025" so I guess we're up to that point.

Express lane operations will begin on December 16. Unlike other express lanes in the Bay Area, these lanes will operate 7 days a week, 5 AM to 8 PM.  The weekend operations are being done under a 3-year pilot program.

I'm interested to see how the weekend operations will play out. Weekend traffic is significant along I-80, but it's often families traveling to and from the mountains, so perhaps a larger portion of traffic is HOV compared to a typical weekday.

[FredAkbar]

I'm interested to see how the weekend operations will play out. Weekend traffic is significant along I-80, but it's often families traveling to and from the mountains, so perhaps a larger portion of traffic is HOV compared to a typical weekday.

The couples with kids will make it to Tahoe faster than the couples without kids. Well, not counting all the stops because a kid forgot to go to the bathroom...so maybe it's a wash.

[Quillz]

CA-27 closing today, opening TBD. Likely related to the rock slide that was probably exacerbated by the Palisades Fire.

[Plutonic Panda]

CA-27 closing today, opening TBD. Likely related to the rock slide that was probably exacerbated by the Palisades Fire.

Yep, I saw the sign.

[pderocco]

CA-27 closing today, opening TBD. Likely related to the rock slide that was probably exacerbated by the Palisades Fire.

Yep, I saw the sign.

Another one of those roads, like CA-1 south of Big Sur, that only seems to get opened on special occasions.

[Plutonic Panda]

CA-27 closing today, opening TBD. Likely related to the rock slide that was probably exacerbated by the Palisades Fire.

Yep, I saw the sign.

Another one of those roads, like CA-1 south of Big Sur, that only seems to get opened on special occasions.

It seems like a pretty good safety measure because every storm system we seem to get there seems to be some kind of slide that happens though it usually is cleared within a few days after the storm lets up.

[Quillz]

CA-27 closing today, opening TBD. Likely related to the rock slide that was probably exacerbated by the Palisades Fire.

Yep, I saw the sign.

Another one of those roads, like CA-1 south of Big Sur, that only seems to get opened on special occasions.

Topanga is open far more than it's closed. There was a rock slide that happened not too long before the Palisades Fire. And yeah, I realized now this is probably a safety measure since it's supposed to rain the next few days. 

[bing101]

https://norcalpublicmedia.org/2025112799733/news-feed/drivers-remain-rolling-as-roundabout-at-big-bend-awaits-final-touches

Here's an update on the intersection of CA-116 @ CA-121 in Sonoma County.

[pderocco]

https://norcalpublicmedia.org/2025112799733/news-feed/drivers-remain-rolling-as-roundabout-at-big-bend-awaits-final-touches

Here's an update on the intersection of CA-116 @ CA-121 in Sonoma County.

Is that a Park'n'Ride next to it?

[heynow415]

https://norcalpublicmedia.org/2025112799733/news-feed/drivers-remain-rolling-as-roundabout-at-big-bend-awaits-final-touches

Here's an update on the intersection of CA-116 @ CA-121 in Sonoma County.

Is that a Park'n'Ride next to it?

Yes, there's been one there for years. Originally it was within the pocket created by what was the long free-right "ramp" for NB 121.  With the new roundabout it had to be moved.  Despite seeming like an odd location for a P&R, it does see a decent amount of use since it's on the path between Napa, Sonoma (town), Petaluma, Marin, and SF.  At one time, Golden Gate Transit had a line that served Sonoma to SF and was routed through this intersection.

[Quillz]

Topanga has been reopened, but now it's one-lane between PCH and Grand View (which provides alternate access to Fernwood Pacific and ultimately Malibu Canyon). There is no forecasted rain, so likely the issues in the first place were from the rock slide.

I don't think the entire route has been fully open since very early this year. I last drove on it in early January, probably a few days before the Palisades Fire. I used to use it as an alternative to LAX (work around there). Right now the long alternative is to take Malibu Canyon down to PCH, but this almost certainly adds too much time to make 405 avoidance worth it.

[Great Lakes Roads]

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be the first bridge in the Bay Area with open-road tolling.

Preparations are underway to remove obsolete toll booths from the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge, setting a course for it to become the first bridge in the Bay Area with open-road tolling.

The work to take out the booths, which are on the Richmond side of the westbound upper deck, is set to begin on Dec. 10, according to the California Department of Transportation. Caltrans owns the bridge and the Metropolitan Transportation Commission-Bay Area Toll Authority manages it.

"In a nutshell, the shift to ORT is to make both traffic flow and toll collection more efficient," said John Goodwin, spokesperson for the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, referring to open-road tolling. "This is expected to increase safety and to reduce emissions."

Toll booths on the bridge haven't been used since 2020. The agency stopped cash collection in favor of FasTrak toll tags.

The project on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be the first in a $318 million program to transition all seven state-owned bridges in the Bay Area to open-road tolling. The projects are funded by bridge toll revenues.

After removing the toll booths, crews will install a temporary tolling system that will read FasTrak transponders and license plates for charging tolls. Workers also will restripe the toll plaza pavement.

In the final step, expected to happen in 2027, crews will install a toll gantry, an overhead structure with mounted toll readers.

"The project is expected to provide better mobility and better times for motorists," said Matt O'Donnell, a spokesperson for Caltrans.

Construction will require overnight westbound lane closures while workers remove booths and install the temporary tolling system, O'Donnell said. Full overnight closures are expected during the gantry installation. Caltrans plans to issue traffic advisories along the way.

The switch to open-road tolling is part of a suite of improvements called the Richmond-San Rafael Forward program. The other projects involve improvements on the bridge approach in Richmond, including upgrades along Cutting Boulevard and on Richmond Parkway at Castro Street.

For commuters, the labor groups they belong to and their employers, the changes couldn't come soon enough.

"I think it's a game-changer for those commuters using the bridge daily to get to work in Marin," said Joanne Webster, chief executive officer of the North Bay Leadership Council. "They are the backbone of Marin's economy. Putting a focus on making that commute reasonable will make a huge difference."

Rollie Katz, executive director of the Marin Association of Public Employees, agreed. The union represents the majority of the county's employees, including the lowest-paid workers.

"This is one more step toward improving the morning commute for workers who have to drive across the bridge to get to work," Katz said. "Each of these steps will make incremental improvements. We look forward to this project being completed."

Katz and Webster were strong proponents of the recently implemented "modified pilot" on the bridge to reopen the upper deck shoulder during heavy commute days to use as an emergency lane.

The project involves removing access to the bike lane across the span from Sunday evening through Thursday evening by pushing aside a moveable barrier. A shuttle for cyclists is offered on days the path is closed. Path access is restored on weekends.

The bike path was installed in 2019 as part of a four-year pilot program. After underwhelming performance and contentious deliberation, officials agreed this year to try the modified pilot for up to three years. The plan also enables bridge managers to study the potential for a commuter lane on the upper deck for carpools and transit.

The modified pilot program, which began in late October, is now the third phase of the bike path pilot program.

Goodwin said it is too early to draw any conclusions from the change. In the first three weeks, daily shuttle use ranged from a low of 12 riders to a high of 39.

Headways have averaged 20 minutes in non-peak hours and 25 minutes in the morning peak, but have been as high as 45 to 50 minutes from 7 to 8 a.m. hour because of onramp traffic from Point Richmond and on the freeway, Goodwin said.

Queue length and queue duration both have declined, Goodwin said. Travel times between the Interstate 80/Interstate 580 interchange and San Rafael have dipped slightly, while overall westbound traffic volume has remained steady, he said.

[gonealookin]

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be the first bridge in the Bay Area with open-road tolling.

The first bridge with fully open-road tolling, I think.

There have been toll booth bypass lanes at the I-680 Benicia-Martinez Bridge toll plaza since the second bridge opened there in 2007:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/GtBramx4EztDCiq48

[pderocco]

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be the first bridge in the Bay Area with open-road tolling.

The first bridge with fully open-road tolling, I think.

There have been toll booth bypass lanes at the I-680 Benicia-Martinez Bridge toll plaza since the second bridge opened there in 2007:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/GtBramx4EztDCiq48

All the bridges have electronic tolling. All they're doing is removing the unnecessary traffic obstructions, which are the obsolete tollbooths. I don't understand why it's so hard to do that, and why they didn't do that on all the bridges a long time ago.

[gonealookin]

The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge will be the first bridge in the Bay Area with open-road tolling.

The first bridge with fully open-road tolling, I think.

There have been toll booth bypass lanes at the I-680 Benicia-Martinez Bridge toll plaza since the second bridge opened there in 2007:  https://maps.app.goo.gl/GtBramx4EztDCiq48

All the bridges have electronic tolling. All they're doing is removing the unnecessary traffic obstructions, which are the obsolete tollbooths. I don't understand why it's so hard to do that, and why they didn't do that on all the bridges a long time ago.

Absolutely right about the delayed removal.  The worst thing about those old tollbooths is the wildly varying speeds people drive through them at.

There are signs at the booths, "Speed Limit 25".  Well, nobody actually slows down to 25 mph on a 55 mph freeway.  But what speed should you go through at?  I'd guess on average I do about 40 mph, but I always have a nervous eye on the rearview mirror in case the driver behind me thinks 60 mph is more suitable.