CA 160

[Max Rockatansky]

This past Fourth of July Weekend I drove the entirety of CA 160 from CA 51/I-80BL in Sacramento south to CA 4 in Antioch.  CA 160 since 2002 has a route gap from the south end of the North Sacramento Freeway at the American River through downtown Sacramento to Freeport.  CA 160 south from Freeport to Antioch traverses the Sacramento River/San Joaquin River Delta on one of the most unique portions of State Highway which numerous levees and draw bridges.  Perhaps the most interesting aspect to CA 160 is that it is comprised of segments of several prominent historic highways; US 40, US 50, US 99/99W/99E, CA 24, the North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway.  The blog below goes over the entire history of CA 160 back to the Auto Trail era, really it required a giant article to cover everything in detail. 

https://www.gribblenation.org/2019/07/california-state-route-160-legacy-of-us.html

[TheStranger]

The Sacramento light rail line along 12th Street (former Route 160 and before that, former US 99E/US 40) actually predates the relinquishment by about 15 years, being installed ca. 1987.

For years, the Meadowview Road exit was signed from I-5 as access to Route 160; while the new Cosumnes River Boulevard exit connects more directly to Route 160 in Freeport, I don't think there is any signage there that informs of the nearby state route.

[Max Rockatansky]

The Sacramento light rail line along 12th Street (former Route 160 and before that, former US 99E/US 40) actually predates the relinquishment by about 15 years, being installed ca. 1987.

For years, the Meadowview Road exit was signed from I-5 as access to Route 160; while the new Cosumnes River Boulevard exit connects more directly to Route 160 in Freeport, I don't think there is any signage there that informs of the nearby state route.

Man you got through that article fast, made an update on the light rail line on 12th Street.  Someone on the Facebook posts just reminded me of the CA 84 Post Miles between Antioch and the Rio Vista Bridge which once existed...I'll need to update that also.  I had always wondered why the CA 160 shield was so haggard south of Meadowview Road but it turns out the answer simply is that State Maintenance actually begins again south of I-5 close to Consumnes River Boulevard.

[JustDrive]

I was always intrigued by the mileage sign on old 160 (NB 21st Street) approaching Broadway, since there is no further signage indicating how to get to Stockton or Woodland

[Max Rockatansky]

I was always intrigued by the mileage sign on old 160 (NB 21st Street) approaching Broadway, since there is no further signage indicating how to get to Stockton or Woodland

Actually 21st between Freeport and Broadway was never part CA 160.  When LRN 11 was extended it used the jog on Freeport to avoid the rail crossing the Victory Highway had to use.  If you look at the 1934 State Highway Map City Insert the jog in Freeport was already present and likely was built when LRN 11 was extended circa 1933:

https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239596~5511897:-Verso--Road-Map-of-the-State-of-Ca?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans%201934;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=73&trs=83

What sign appears to be indicating is that Woodland traffic should follow CA 16 east and Stockton Traffic should use US 99W...or at least it did right after the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.

https://www.davidrumsey.com/luna/servlet/detail/RUMSEY~8~1~239527~5511851:-Verso--State-Highway-Map,-Californ?sort=Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No&qvq=q:caltrans;sort:Pub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No;lc:RUMSEY~8~1&mi=28&trs=86

[TheStranger]

I was always intrigued by the mileage sign on old 160 (NB 21st Street) approaching Broadway, since there is no further signage indicating how to get to Stockton or Woodland

Actually 21st between Freeport and Broadway was never part CA 160. 

IIRC it was part of 160 from 1974 to 2002, after the City of Sacramento created that one-way couplet for Freeport and 21st (as 21st north of W is one-way northbound, and 19th leading into Freeport is southbound up to Broadway).  Only ca. 2011 was that one-way couplet returned to being a pair of two-way streets.

[Max Rockatansky]

I was always intrigued by the mileage sign on old 160 (NB 21st Street) approaching Broadway, since there is no further signage indicating how to get to Stockton or Woodland

Actually 21st between Freeport and Broadway was never part CA 160. 

IIRC it was part of 160 from 1974 to 2002, after the City of Sacramento created that one-way couplet for Freeport and 21st (as 21st north of W is one-way northbound, and 19th leading into Freeport is southbound up to Broadway).  Only ca. 2011 was that one-way couplet returned to being a pair of two-way streets.

Looks like it shows up first on the 1977 State Highway Map:

http://www.davidrumsey.com/ll/thumbnailView.html?startUrl=%2F%2Fwww.davidrumsey.com%2Fluna%2Fservlet%2Fas%2Fsearch%3Fos%3D0%26bs%3D10%26lc%3DRUMSEY~8~1%26q%3DCALTRANs%25201977%26sort%3DPub_List_No_InitialSort%2CPub_Date%2CPub_List_No%2CSeries_No#?c=0&m=0&s=0&cv=0&r=0&xywh=7188%2C484%2C737%2C1306

That still raises some questions about the sign though.  West on Broadway certainly would have gotten you to the destination advertised but heading east of Broadway wasn't state maintained by 1977.   That said it would get you directly to 99 headed south a couple blocks down the way. 

[TheStranger]

The conversion of Freeport and 21st back to two-way operation interestingly was first proposed in 2003, a few months after that section of 160 was relinquished to the city:

https://ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2003072162

Prior to 2011, the configuration was 2 southbound lanes along Freeport between Broadway and 21st Street/4th Avenue, and 3 northbound lanes along 21st between Freeport/4th Avenue and Broadway.

[Max Rockatansky]

The conversion of Freeport and 21st back to two-way operation interestingly was first proposed in 2003, a few months after that section of 160 was relinquished to the city:

https://ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2003072162

Prior to 2011, the configuration was 2 southbound lanes along Freeport between Broadway and 21st Street/4th Avenue, and 3 northbound lanes along 21st between Freeport/4th Avenue and Broadway.

I went back and added the documents in addition to the 1977 State Highway Map to the blog.  Suffice to say I'm fairly certain this is the longest State Highway blog I've ever done on Gribblenation at this point.

[sparker]

The conversion of Freeport and 21st back to two-way operation interestingly was first proposed in 2003, a few months after that section of 160 was relinquished to the city:

https://ceqanet.opr.ca.gov/2003072162

Prior to 2011, the configuration was 2 southbound lanes along Freeport between Broadway and 21st Street/4th Avenue, and 3 northbound lanes along 21st between Freeport/4th Avenue and Broadway.

I went back and added the documents in addition to the 1977 State Highway Map to the blog.  Suffice to say I'm fairly certain this is the longest State Highway blog I've ever done on Gribblenation at this point.

The original reason for the northwest "jog" of Freeport Blvd. (variously LRN 11, SSR 24, and lastly CA 160) was the rather nasty RR grade crossing (original WP main line) just north of the "jog" point along South 21st Street.  The old WP yard was about a half-mile south of that grade crossing, and trains had a tendency to be stopped there, blocking traffic.  Early on that didn't sit well with D3, so they cobbled up the Freeport extension along South 19th Street, a residential 2-lane facility, as far north as Broadway.  Besides, the very shallow angle of the crossing (about 15 degrees) added to the fact that the track was up on a berm, and traffic didn't have a terribly good view of the tracks in pre-crossing-gate days -- combined to make an extremely unsafe condition along a heavily-traveled artery.  Thus the alignment change, which lasted through the two-way couplet days;  with the addition of crossing gates in the '50's, Caltrans eventually elected to go along with the City of Sacramento's couplet plans by the '70's, after the WP yard was downgraded and their switching operations moved south to Stockton.