CA-58 Kramer Junction Bypass

[sparker]

I wouldn't be surprised if the stretch of the existing SR 58 leasing from the east end of the Boron Freeway to the current route 58 leading to Kramer Junction (South Frontage Road) is obliterated so it does not form a surface intersection with the Kramer Junction Bypass.

As Splashflash rightly notes, there is an offramp about a mile west of the current end of the Boron Freeway providing access to Beautiful Downtown Boron. And, the interchange with 395 a few miles to the east will provide direct access to the Kramer Junction businesses.

According to page 36 of the environmental assessment, obliteration of the highway between 20 Mule Road and the expressway will occur, "Removal of the Existing State Route 58
Caltrans is proposing to obliterate and re-vegetate approximately 1.2 miles of the existing State
Route 58 near the Kern County line as a means to facilitate the movement of desert tortoises.
The work associated with obliterating the old road and re-vegetate the area is unlikely to
adversely affect desert tortoises because the road currently does not support desert tortoises and
Caltrans will fence the work area to prevent entry by desert tortoises. The potential exists that a
desert tortoise may find a break through the fence, enter the work area, and be killed or injured;
however, the likelihood of this event occurring is low, given the paucity of individuals in this
area."

What about the derelict Mervyn's truck that's along 58 east of the rail road tracks?  Does the desert tortoise obliteration thing mean it's in danger too?  Hell I'd say just keep the old road it's not like any of 20 Mule Team Road gets much traffic anyways.

From the description it sounds like they're going to do what I surmised earlier:  keep the RR grade crossing and straightline the alignment directly onto 20 Mule Train Road, and delete/"obliterate" the present S-curve up to the Boron freeway alignment -- which would make sense; even when the original Boron freeway was completed in the late '70's, that curve at the east end was always intended to be temporary; it just took 40+ years for Caltrans to get around to extending it eastward. 

[ClassicHasClass]

It's even got temporary postmiles (Txx).

[splashflash]

Looks like the bypass will be opening Thursday at midnight:


We will be opening the New Alignment on Thursday night/Friday morning.  We expect (barring unforeseen circumstances) to open the segment around midnight Thursday/Friday. 

We will have CHP/Cozeep take the traffic through the new alignment when it opens.

Changeable Message Boards (CMS) will notify motorists, coming from all directions, of the opening of the new segment of highway.



On Wednesday 10/23, starting at 10pm to 8am — there will be traffic flagging operations at 2 locations on both EB/WB SR 58 from the Kern County line to approximately post-mile marker (PM) 1.0 as well as from PM 8.0 to PM 9.0   



Thursday 10/24 — starting at 8pm - traffic flagging operations will take place at 2 locations EB/WB SR 58 at PM 0.0 to PM 1.0 and PM 8.0 to PM 9.0   


I hope to see quality photos at Gribblemation soon!

[Max Rockatansky]

Looks like the bypass will be opening Thursday at midnight:


We will be opening the New Alignment on Thursday night/Friday morning.  We expect (barring unforeseen circumstances) to open the segment around midnight Thursday/Friday. 

We will have CHP/Cozeep take the traffic through the new alignment when it opens.

Changeable Message Boards (CMS) will notify motorists, coming from all directions, of the opening of the new segment of highway.



On Wednesday 10/23, starting at 10pm to 8am — there will be traffic flagging operations at 2 locations on both EB/WB SR 58 from the Kern County line to approximately post-mile marker (PM) 1.0 as well as from PM 8.0 to PM 9.0   



Thursday 10/24 — starting at 8pm - traffic flagging operations will take place at 2 locations EB/WB SR 58 at PM 0.0 to PM 1.0 and PM 8.0 to PM 9.0   


I hope to see quality photos at Gribblemation soon!

We'll see, the soonest I'll "possibly"  be out that way is Veterans Day weekend.  I have some tentative plans for the Grand Canyon or Bryce Canyon in the works that would take through there. 

[sparker]

Didn't expect this to be open until well after the first of the year!  This means I'll probably reroute the L.A.-Inland Empire trip planned for mid-December via Barstow and Hinkley for the return leg to see the bypass first-hand.   Kudos to the contractors for expediting things.

Now that 58 is effectively 4-laned from Bakersfield to Barstow, it just may be time for D8 to expedite at least the planning process for a similar US 395 facility from I-15 to north of Kramer -- a freeway north through Adelanto and an expressway the rest of the way, with a cloverleaf/CD facility (with a flyover NB>WB) at 58/395.  Now that the HDC isn't viable any longer, enhancing an effective L.A. bypass in this manner would be a most appropriate use of funds.   

[Concrete Bob]

I would hope that upgrading US 395 north from I-15 to above SR 58 would become a reality now that the HDC has been put up on the shelf.  Whenever I go to Phoenix, I always use SR 58 to 395 to bypass the LA metro, and 395 is always pretty crowded.  Sparker, I agree that 395 should be a freeway to above Adelanto, and at minimum a four-lane expressway to above SR 58.  For continuity, 395 should probably be a four-lane, twinned expressway up through the SR 14 junction.

I am glad the Kramer Junction project was well underway and nearly complete well before our current governor got into power.  Otherwise, the project would have been delayed another fifteen or twenty years and cost three times more to finish than it did.     

[Max Rockatansky]

This thought occurred to me awhile back when this project began. All of the sudden the Los Angeles/Inland Empire Bypass Route of CA 177, 62, 247, I-15 and CA 58 got a whole lot better.  Hinkley and Kramer Junction usually were enough of a drag I would just slog through I-10, I-215, and I-15 to reach CA 138 just avoid the bottlenecks on CA 58 and US 395. 

[ClassicHasClass]

Unfortunately won't be up that way until December but I'm definitely looking forward to it, though I usually approach on 395 and not on 58.

[nexus73]

This thought occurred to me awhile back when this project began. All of the sudden the Los Angeles/Inland Empire Bypass Route of CA 177, 62, 247, I-15 and CA 58 got a whole lot better.  Hinkley and Kramer Junction usually were enough of a drag I would just slog through I-10, I-215, and I-15 to reach CA 138 just avoid the bottlenecks on CA 58 and US 395. 

Kramer Junction AKA Wind Tunnel City...LOL!  The wind was blowing quite hard when I passed through Kramer Junction in 2013.  On the other hand, staying at an old motel in Mojave let me admire the massive amount of wind turbines at night and do those flashing lights ever look cool! 

You are right about ending the bottleneck. Now to see how long before the section of freeway heading west from Bakersfield makes it to I-5. The Bay Area people would love to route their trip down I-5 to all improved 58 to I-15 when it is Viva Las Vegas time. 

On to the US 395 side of things!

Rick

[Bobby5280]

Maybe with the Kramer Junction project getting completed it might light a fire under Google to update the outdated imagery of that region in Google Maps/Earth. The imagery covering both Kramer Junction and Hinkley is dated 9/2015. The interchange of CA-58 and I-15 is even older (8/2014).

The Hinkley Bypass is at least covered in Street View and the latest Street View imagery shows the Kramer Junction project under construction.

[X99]

Looks like the bypass will be opening Thursday at midnight:


We will be opening the New Alignment on Thursday night/Friday morning.  We expect (barring unforeseen circumstances) to open the segment around midnight Thursday/Friday. 

We will have CHP/Cozeep take the traffic through the new alignment when it opens.

Changeable Message Boards (CMS) will notify motorists, coming from all directions, of the opening of the new segment of highway.



On Wednesday 10/23, starting at 10pm to 8am — there will be traffic flagging operations at 2 locations on both EB/WB SR 58 from the Kern County line to approximately post-mile marker (PM) 1.0 as well as from PM 8.0 to PM 9.0   



Thursday 10/24 — starting at 8pm - traffic flagging operations will take place at 2 locations EB/WB SR 58 at PM 0.0 to PM 1.0 and PM 8.0 to PM 9.0   


I hope to see quality photos at Gribblemation soon!

So is it open now? Google Maps, OSM, and Here WeGo haven't reflected the change.

[Chris]

Folks on Twitter report that it is open, I haven't seen any photos though.


https://twitter.com/JEazytm/status/1188096695462055942

https://twitter.com/TaFphoto/status/1187824249731305473

[sprjus4]

Here's a video that was uploaded on YouTube a couple days ago driving around the US-395 interchange. It appears the configuration has 2 thru lanes each way for US-395 and two left turn lanes onto the freeway.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8OSZri1YU2s

Looks like it still has easy convenient access to the businesses at the junction. I remember stopping at that Pilot last year and waiting for days trying to turn left on CA-58 West.

The speed limit on the bypass is posted as "Work Zone Speed Limit 55" with a speed limit sign prior covered up. Likely will be posted 65 mph once work is completed, also judging by the sign following for the Truck Speed Limit 55. Should be 70 mph along with the rest of CA-58, but that's an entirely different conversation.



Here's footage driving on the bypass itself from the same uploader. You can see the seamless transitions to/from each end. The eastern end is down to 1 lane placed on one carriageway as a super-2 setup.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du6_d0-A7N8



Glad to see the project finally completed. From the video, looks like a nice result.

[nexus73]

How long before the railroad crossing bridge is completed?

Rick

[Inyomono395]

I didn't know there was gonna be 2 new sets of traffic signals on 395.
When the railroad bridge is done I'll make the drive down there to check out the new freeway

[sparker]

I didn't know there was gonna be 2 new sets of traffic signals on 395.
When the railroad bridge is done I'll make the drive down there to check out the new freeway

I didn't know there was gonna be 2 new sets of traffic signals on 395.
When the railroad bridge is done I'll make the drive down there to check out the new freeway

Hopefully the RR overhead will be done by the time I'm down there mid-December.  Did notice that the left shoulders looked like they were just about 4 feet wide but with a rumble strip just off the edge of the left-hand lane.  IIRC, some of the upgraded CA 99 between Manteca and Stockton has those same features (I'm heading up that way in a week or so; will confirm). 

[The Ghostbuster]

Google Maps finally shows the new bypass on its maps, although the terrain along the new bypass is unaltered. However, it does not show an interchange between the new CA-58 alignment with US 395. Perhaps it will be added later.

[sprjus4]

Google Maps finally shows the new bypass on its maps, although the terrain along the new bypass is unaltered. However, it does not show an interchange between the new CA-58 alignment with US 395. Perhaps it will be added later.

The entire segment is messed up right now. The ties in aren't properly done, so a motorist using Google Maps gets some extremely off and non-existent routing.

Hopefully they'll figure it out in a few days. I'll keep making reports until it's fixed.

[X99]

Google Maps finally shows the new bypass on its maps, although the terrain along the new bypass is unaltered. However, it does not show an interchange between the new CA-58 alignment with US 395. Perhaps it will be added later.

The entire segment is messed up right now. The ties in aren't properly done, so a motorist using Google Maps gets some extremely off and non-existent routing.

Hopefully they'll figure it out in a few days. I'll keep making reports until it's fixed.

Looks like they might be using the OpenStreetMap routing as an example. I was the one who updated that section, and changed the west end to hide the old road crossing the new freeway. Looks like they did the same.

[Plutonic Panda]

Maybe with the Kramer Junction project getting completed it might light a fire under Google to update the outdated imagery of that region in Google Maps/Earth. The imagery covering both Kramer Junction and Hinkley is dated 9/2015. The interchange of CA-58 and I-15 is even older (8/2014).

The Hinkley Bypass is at least covered in Street View and the latest Street View imagery shows the Kramer Junction project under construction.

Apple Maps currently has the most up to date aerial imagery in this area.

[Max Rockatansky]

Maybe with the Kramer Junction project getting completed it might light a fire under Google to update the outdated imagery of that region in Google Maps/Earth. The imagery covering both Kramer Junction and Hinkley is dated 9/2015. The interchange of CA-58 and I-15 is even older (8/2014).

The Hinkley Bypass is at least covered in Street View and the latest Street View imagery shows the Kramer Junction project under construction.

Apple Maps currently has the most up to date aerial imagery in this area.

Is that the first time that Apple Maps could ever boast it had something over Google Maps?   

[Plutonic Panda]

^^^^ Apple Maps is constantly improving. In general I'm trying to move away from Google. I'll probably stick with gmail and YouTube for awhile but I I hope Apple Maps improves to be better than Google Maps. In the past it wasn't even a contest. Google Maps blows Apples out of the water. Apple now has street view in the LA and SF which looks better than Googles, IMO. Only problem is Google street view database is 99 percent larger than Apple's!

[Bobby5280]

Yeah, usually Apple Maps lags a bit behind the aerial imagery in Google Maps & Earth. But this is an exception. The overhead imagery in Apple Maps show the Hinkley Bypass completed. The imagery of the Kramer Junction Bypass shows the project in its early stages. But at least it's very clear where it's being built.

Hopefully Caltrans will get rid of that dopey 2 lane segment between the Kramer Junction and Hinkley projects very soon. They have the ROW set aside to build the second set of lanes.

[sprjus4]

I recall at least once where Apple Maps had updated imagery in the Hampton Roads region before Google got to it.

[sprjus4]

Hopefully Caltrans will get rid of that dopey 2 lane segment between the Kramer Junction and Hinkley projects very soon. They have the ROW set aside to build the second set of lanes.

They are - it's apart of the Kramer Junction Project.

Build a 4-lane freeway around Kramer Junction, and build a parallel carriageway for the remainder of CA-58 to the Hinkley Bypass.

You can see construction from December 2018 imagery on Google Maps on this portion north of Hinkley - https://www.google.com/maps/@34.9735581,-117.4652045,3a,75y,117.74h,72.39t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1slB6n93QxhKsAYfMV9uCgnA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656!5m1!1e1