Patterson Pass Road

[Max Rockatansky]

Took a detour from Altamont Pass yesterday and took the somewhat infamous Patterson Pass Road instead.  I'm still working on a blog but in short Patterson Pass was part of the De Anza expeditions in the 1770s.  Despite a largely single lane alignment Patterson Pass Road gets a heavy amount of commuter traffic on weekdays which gives it a infamous reputation for collisions.  Patterson Pass tops out at about 1,600 feet above sea level and has some really scenic views of San Joaquin Valley.  Finished my photos, the blog entry should come this week:

https://flic.kr/s/aHsmC7sa1p

[Max Rockatansky]

Just finished my blog post on Patterson Pass Road.  Patterson Pass Road was probably the most fun I had on any roadway I've driven in the past month on three San Francisco Bay Area Day Trips.  Patterson Pass was first explored by Europeans during the 1775-1776 Spanish Expedition of the San Francisco Bay Area which was led by Juan Bautista de Anza.  From Cross Road east over Patterson Pass to Midway Road the alignment of Patterson Pass Road is part of Juan Bautista de Anza National Historical Trail and coincidentally is also a single lane.  Patterson Pass Road is mostly known for the massive amounts of rush hour traffic it gets from Bay Area weekday commuters but that belies the fact that it is an incredibly enjoyable drive. 

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/04/patterson-pass-road.html

[GaryA]

"Lengthy one-lane section" and "heavy rush-hour commute traffic" are not descriptions usually applied to the same road.

How does this tend to work out in practice?  It sounds like a recipe for disaster.

[Max Rockatansky]

"Lengthy one-lane section" and "heavy rush-hour commute traffic" are not descriptions usually applied to the same road.

How does this tend to work out in practice?  It sounds like a recipe for disaster.

The road is wide enough for two cars but not at high speed.  The one-lane section is signed at 40 MPH but the problem is the high volumes of traffic frequently exceed that.  A quick search of Patterson Pass Road pulls up a bunch of accident lawyer articles touting how dangerous the road is.  The last daily traffic I saw for Patterson Pass Road was 4,000 cars a day.