California

[Max Rockatansky]

The Caltrans QuickMap has the most reliable data for California.  They even have more up to date notes for most of the major county roads. 

[kkt]

I bet that "no way out"  feeling is just an average day for anyone stuck having to work at those Searles Valley salt plants.  Trona probably would be my contender for the worst place in California.

I was trapped between Eureka and Crescent City for about 14 hours about two years ago. CA-299 was closed east of Eureka, US-101 was closed just south of Crescent City. Both due to damage from rains. Bald Hills Road was also closed/washed out, and CA-169 has a gap. I think we ended up overnighting in a motel in Eureka. There were some big rigs, I guess they just slept in their cabs. But at least we were near the redwoods and the ocean, so it wasn't the worst place to be trapped.

At least you found a motel. When I drove US 101 rooms were hard to come by. Apparently people love the ocean in CA and OR, despite the lack of sunshine, cool temps, and water that is  too cold for swimming. Yet they still hoard traveler services when there is nothing else to do in US 101 cities. In Florida ( or any east coast city)  people wait till till sunny skies, hot temps, and little less cooler water to fill up beachside motels. 

Why those in Northern California and Coastal Oregon go to a beach you can do nothing on them is a question I have for Saint Peter after I die.

If you can't see the beauty on the Oregon Coast, you have no soul.

If he'd rather go to Huntington Beach than the Oregon Coast, fine, more space in Oregon for me.

[brad2971]

I bet that "no way out"  feeling is just an average day for anyone stuck having to work at those Searles Valley salt plants.  Trona probably would be my contender for the worst place in California.

And even with that, those folks working in the Searles Valley salt/trona processing plants do have a way out: The world's largest deposit of trona (soda ash) happens to be in Sweetwater County, Wyoming. If California eventually gets around to forcing the closure of those salt/trona processing plants due to environmental pollution, the labor in those plants will likely find their way to Wyoming if previous experience is any indicator.

[Quillz]

I bet that "no way out"  feeling is just an average day for anyone stuck having to work at those Searles Valley salt plants.  Trona probably would be my contender for the worst place in California.

I was trapped between Eureka and Crescent City for about 14 hours about two years ago. CA-299 was closed east of Eureka, US-101 was closed just south of Crescent City. Both due to damage from rains. Bald Hills Road was also closed/washed out, and CA-169 has a gap. I think we ended up overnighting in a motel in Eureka. There were some big rigs, I guess they just slept in their cabs. But at least we were near the redwoods and the ocean, so it wasn't the worst place to be trapped.

At least you found a motel. When I drove US 101 rooms were hard to come by. Apparently people love the ocean in CA and OR, despite the lack of sunshine, cool temps, and water that is  too cold for swimming. Yet they still hoard traveler services when there is nothing else to do in US 101 cities. In Florida ( or any east coast city)  people wait till till sunny skies, hot temps, and little less cooler water to fill up beachside motels. 

Why those in Northern California and Coastal Oregon go to a beach you can do nothing on them is a question I have for Saint Peter after I die.

NorCal beaches are beautiful. Often craggy, nice coastal trails, and I enjoy cooler weather. They are appealing if you enjoy scenic vistas and aren't a surfer.

[pderocco]

Why those in Northern California and Coastal Oregon go to a beach you can do nothing on them is a question I have for Saint Peter after I die.

I know one thing you can do on them: you can drive on them, because the sand is so full of clay. Not very comfortable to lie on with a beach towel, though.

Also, I used to live in Oregon, and in the summer I'd go out to Seaside to skate the boardwalk. After a couple of encounters with dense fog as soon as I was within a mile of the coast, I took to calling ahead, to save me the trip.

There's some nice scenery out there, but it's only to look at, not to touch. I'll take Cape Cod any day...

[Quillz]

According to the Caltrans QuickMap and their road conditions site, looks like a lot of things are back open.

395 is open
14 is open
178 to Trona is open
Colorado Desert highways are open

Looks like a small portion of I-10 is still closed. But anyone needing to go to the Eastern Sierra should be fine.

[pderocco]

Death Valley NP seems to take so long to fix roads that, statistically, they get hammered again before they've been fixed. I'll bet Scotty's Castle Road suffered fresh damage, and Titus Canyon, which have been closed for a long time. Same in the Mojave Desert Preserve, where the old 66 has been closed for, what, a couple years?

[TheStranger]

Same in the Mojave Desert Preserve, where the old 66 has been closed for, what, a couple years?

I recall that 66 east of Amboy was closed in 2021 (when me and my friend did our SF-Daytona Beach roadtrip) and it had been closed for a few years before that.

Some construction projects have started but not much:
https://dpw.sbcounty.gov/operations/nth-active-and-completed-projects/

https://dpw.sbcounty.gov/operations/nth-funding-and-future-projects/

[Max Rockatansky]

Nothing at this point is going to beat the Chuckwalla Valley Road closure for lengthiness.

[gonealookin]

Death Valley NP seems to take so long to fix roads that, statistically, they get hammered again before they've been fixed. I'll bet Scotty's Castle Road suffered fresh damage, and Titus Canyon, which have been closed for a long time. Same in the Mojave Desert Preserve, where the old 66 has been closed for, what, a couple years?

Death Valley National Park Alerts and Conditions page.  The information on there is pretty vague right now as to recent damage and repair timelines, but it does say "Bonnie Clare Road and Scotty's Castle (are) unlikely to open before late 2025."

[Quillz]

Nothing at this point is going to beat the Chuckwalla Valley Road closure for lengthiness.

What about CA-39? Closed since 1978.

[Max Rockatansky]

Nothing at this point is going to beat the Chuckwalla Valley Road closure for lengthiness.

What about CA-39? Closed since 1978.

CA 39 isn't a former desert US Route segment either. 

[RZF]

This part of CA-34 in Camarillo really perplexes me every time I drive it:

https://www.google.com/maps/@34.2252246,-119.0254913,3a,75y,49.48h,81.42t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sQw-nDy0j-umYGkUIKBonwQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192?entry=ttu

All that space on the SB/WB side of the road to construct more lanes, especially as this is passing through the center of the city. Instead we're relegated to two lanes as if it were a rural state route. Is its designation as a state route the reason why they keep it at two lanes here?

[Quillz]

It's been like that my whole life. I've always wondered that myself, it's such a weird design.

[Max Rockatansky]

34 is part of the freeway and expressway system.  If I recall correctly 34 peaks out at about 20,000 vehicles a day.  That's definitely not enough for a freeway but it probably ought to be some sort four lane configuration.   

[RZF]

That's what I'm thinking. It should be four lanes (and has the space to be) from Pleasant Valley Rd to Las Posas/Upland Rd.

[J N Winkler]

I poked around in HistoricAerials, and it seems that segment of unused pavement along SR 34 just north of US 101 has existed since at least World War II.  However, it was extended to the northeast between 1959 and 1967 when the orchards on either side of what is now Metcalfe Avenue were removed to subdivide the land into a housing development.

I wonder if there are unusual soil conditions in the area that necessitate pavement as a cap.

[Quillz]

I've heard talk of CA-34 being deleted entirely, but we'll see. Of course over time it's been slowly truncated. Used to reach Port Hueneme, then Oxnard, now ends at the Rice Avenue intersection. At this point it's probably more a south-north highway.

[Max Rockatansky]

Where though?  I was under the impression 34 was on a pretty secure footing east of Oxnard.  More so now given Rice is supposed to at some point become part of 1.

[Quillz]

Where though?  I was under the impression 34 was on a pretty secure footing east of Oxnard.  More so now given Rice is supposed to at some point become part of 1.

I think it's quasi-official now. We finally got a (horribly ugly) CA-1 shield on the Rice Avenue BGS. The old "<->" banner at Rice Avenue now changed to just "<-" which seems to indicate the change. I don't think deletion is likely myself but it's possible it could happen due to the cited reasons (possible desire to widen Lewis Avenue, which might not be possible as Caltrans owns it).

[gonealookin]

Donner Pass Road, old US 40, which has been undergoing a rehabilitation project and then was closed most of this summer due to a rock slide, has reopened:

https://www.nevadacountyca.gov/230/Donner-Pass-Road-Reconstruction

[ClassicHasClass]

Excellent, I was getting hungry.

[Max Rockatansky]

Perfect time for a lunch on all of you at the Donner Lake Picnic Grounds.

[gonealookin]

Some more specific information on conditions in Death Valley National Park, from the LA Times:

As Hilary bore down, torrents of water rushed through Death Valley, forging new gullies, displacing heavy rocks and undercutting roadways, including State Route 190, one of the park's main thoroughfares.

Chunks of the highway, including entire lanes, now lay in crumbles, and officials say it could be months before the park reopens.
...
Among the damaged areas is a 1,500-foot stretch of roadway near Towne Pass that "washed away,"  said Christopher Andriessen, a spokesman with the California Department of Transportation, District 9.

East of Towne Pass, a 40-foot-wide Arizona Crossing – a type of culvert – is gone, as are multiple swaths of pavement between Death Valley Junction and Olancha, Andriessen said, including some as long as 300 feet. As a result, hotels and campgrounds are closed for the foreseeable future.

The estimated cost of repairs is so far about $6 million, but that includes only State Route 190 and a small part of State Route 136, Andriessen said. Only about 900 of the park's nearly 1,400 miles of roadways have so far been assessed.
...
Andriessen, of Caltrans, said crews are aiming to reopen State Route 190 in about three months. Other roads, including the one that runs from Furnace Creek to Badwater Basin, the park's lowest point, are federally managed and also in need of repairs. There is no current estimate for its reopening.

[Max Rockatansky]

Hopefully 190 will be open by January.  I got stuck with driving duty for a 40th birthday party in Las Vegas.  As fascinating as the shoulder lane on the I-15/San Bernardino 500 seems I rather just avoid it entirely.