When was US Route 80 extended to Point Loma?

[NE2]

209 was created in 1963 because everything got a sign route number as part of the renumbering, and 80 was being reassigned to I-80.

[usends]

ACSC is still a going concern and has at least one historian on staff, so I'd suggest if you really want to dig up some answers to this they would be the ones to contact.

This seemed like a good lead, so I reached out to him today.  The response:
"The Auto Club did work with municipalities and other public agencies to signpost routes on southern California, but our signposting records are just a small random sampling of that function over its 50-year existence, which ended in 1956."

[Scott5114]

ACSC is still a going concern and has at least one historian on staff, so I'd suggest if you really want to dig up some answers to this they would be the ones to contact.

This seemed like a good lead, so I reached out to him today.  The response:
"The Auto Club did work with municipalities and other public agencies to signpost routes on southern California, but our signposting records are just a small random sampling of that function over its 50-year existence, which ended in 1956."

Well, if even he doesn't know, now it truly is a mystery

[Max Rockatansky]

ACSC is still a going concern and has at least one historian on staff, so I'd suggest if you really want to dig up some answers to this they would be the ones to contact.

This seemed like a good lead, so I reached out to him today.  The response:
"The Auto Club did work with municipalities and other public agencies to signpost routes on southern California, but our signposting records are just a small random sampling of that function over its 50-year existence, which ended in 1956."

Well, if even he doesn't know, now it truly is a mystery

Who knows, these days an actual vintage sign photo of US 80 west of 101 might actually show up.  I gave it my best shot with the CHPWs.

[NE2]

According to "History of San Diego County Volume 2" (1936), a Mr. Edgar Hastings "was very active in the matter of routing Highway 80 on Point Loma". This may help with finding more info.

[usends]

According to "History of San Diego County Volume 2" (1936), a Mr. Edgar Hastings "was very active in the matter of routing Highway 80 on Point Loma". This may help with finding more info.

The San Diego History Center apparently has a lot of printed information related to his service with the County, including "Correspondence with several influential people including Brigadier General George C. Shaw about maintaining the scenic road through Fort Rosecrans to the Old Spanish Lighthouse, now the site of the Cabrillo National Monument".

[Mapmikey]

Here is a Gousha 1940 map of San Diego that explicitly shows on the downtown side US 80-395 down to 12th at Market (US 101) and shows US 80 out to Point Loma.  US 101 between those locations is explicitly not shown as US 80-101.

https://cdm16736.contentdm.oclc.org/digital/collection/smollar/id/70/rec/33

This is different from the scan on the USends entry, which does not label 80-395 or 101 between what would've been the US 80 overlay.

Here is a photo showing the road approaching the end, not sure of the age...only car visible is in the distance.  No shields visible:  https://www.hippostcard.com/listing/end-of-point-loma-california-approach-to-old-spanish-light-rppc-real-photo/58925059

[pderocco]

That seems forced, going downtown, then north on US-101, then clumsily switching between Rosecrans and Catalina. Hardly the optimum route to Point Loma.

[Max Rockatansky]

That seems forced, going downtown, then north on US-101, then clumsily switching between Rosecrans and Catalina. Hardly the optimum route to Point Loma.

Being cool about endpoints versus logical was still the hip thing with US Routes in the era.  Having a "ocean-to-ocean" set of terminus points seems like an easy sell in the 1930s/1940s highway department mindset.

[ClassicHasClass]

That seems forced, going downtown, then north on US-101, then clumsily switching between Rosecrans and Catalina. Hardly the optimum route to Point Loma.

Dunno if there would have been a much better one at the time. CA 209 kept nearly all of it west of Lytton, too.