Headlines About California Highways – August 2025

[cahwyguy]

Another month, another headline post. Here are your headlines for August 2025:

https://cahighways.org/wordpress/?p=17371

As always, "ready, set, discuss".

[Max Rockatansky]

I would have thought the reopening of Angeles Crest Highway would have been bigger news.  This is the first time I've seen it referenced on a mainstream hobby page.  I've seen plenty of mentions in some driving enthusiast groups I'm part of. 

[pderocco]

I would have thought the reopening of Angeles Crest Highway would have been bigger news.  This is the first time I've seen it referenced on a mainstream hobby page.  I've seen plenty of mentions in some driving enthusiast groups I'm part of. 

When I lived in L.A., I used to drive that a lot, and the part that was closed, east of Islip Saddle, had very little traffic. And it generally closed every winter, and multiple times since 2000 stayed closed through a summer. I guess everyone just got used to thinking of it as a couple of nice dead end roads into the mountains.

[Plutonic Panda]

I have been used to taking the Angeles Crest Highway when I drove to Vegas or Oklahoma since I moved to Hollywood around 2016. It takes longer than the 210 or the 10 to the 15 but it is worth IMO though I do encounter some frustrating traffic backups in Phelan trying to get to CA-18 or if I head north to Vegas and take US-395 it's insane they haven't widened that to four lanes. Still beats the freeways though.

As Max said I am surprised I didn't hear about it although I belonged to a Facebook group that was about the Angeles Crest and Forest Highways and I was banned for making a post about people constantly complaining about either speeders/reckless driving or the opposite whining about slowpokes which seemed to be the majority of posts.

I also question the article about the demise of streetcars as much as I hate them(with few exceptions). Metro is building a glorified streetcar on Van Nuys BLVD(already U/C), Orange County is about to open one, there are several streetcar expansion projects underway in cities around the country, Oklahoma City is planning to essentially extend it's recent streetcar network to the airport, and IIRC the BQE project in NYC is pretty much a streetcar being at grade light-rail unless I am mistaken.

[Plutonic Panda]

One other thing, regarding the San Rafeal Bridge, what is the long term plan for this bridge? How much more life does it have? I am guessing there is no way to simply expand the bridge a bit to add a two way bike path?

[gonealookin]

US 50 through South Lake Tahoe is like your local airport.  There's ALWAYS some construction project along there during the season (any work involving digging is supposed to be shut down and "winterized" by October 15).  Repaving, curb/gutter/sidewalk, drainage or in this case lighting.

From Stateline to the 50/Northbound 89 Y, Lake Tahoe Blvd. is two lanes each way with a center turn lane.  With respect to this lighting project, it requires closure of the right lane for short distances.  What they do is set up cones so that there are still two travel lanes in each direction, with the left lane diverted into the center turn lane.  Nobody who isn't local can figure that out, though.  They all try to merge the two lanes of traffic into the open left lane and ignore the availability of that center turn lane.  While that's a "minor thing that pleases me", because I can zip around and use that wide-open center lane, one does have to watch out for somebody figuring it out at the last moment and swerving into the center lane right in front of you.

[pderocco]

One other thing, regarding the San Rafeal Bridge, what is the long term plan for this bridge? How much more life does it have? I am guessing there is no way to simply expand the bridge a bit to add a two way bike path?

I'm a little curious about why cyclists want to use this bridge. Is it the pleasure and excitement of riding across a very long bridge? My only similar experience was once skating across a bridge half as long, and it was awful, with noisy, smelly vehicles constantly rushing by a few feet away. Or is it just the need to get to the other side? If the latter, I would think (as I mused in some thread years ago) that having a van service that shuttles back and forth all day would be better. Even with the waiting, the van would probably take less time, given that it would be going 65mph, not 20mph. The modest cost of paying for a round the clock shuttle would mean the entire road could be wide open to motor vehicles.

[Max Rockatansky]

I was under the impression that the cyclist numbers per day on the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge was somewhere in the neighborhood of 200?  I'm getting paywalled everywhere I look for solid data.  Can somehow confirm the published figures?

[cahwyguy]

I also question the article about the demise of streetcars as much as I hate them(with few exceptions). Metro is building a glorified streetcar on Van Nuys BLVD(already U/C), Orange County is about to open one, there are several streetcar expansion projects underway in cities around the country, Oklahoma City is planning to essentially extend it's recent streetcar network to the airport, and IIRC the BQE project in NYC is pretty much a streetcar being at grade light-rail unless I am mistaken.

I included that article out of personal interest, being a member of Orange Empire Railway Museum (and I'll keep calling it that -- SCRM, what a dull name]

My understanding is that the line along Van Nuys will be more light rail, like the Expo Line (I'll keep calling it that), not a traditional streetcar style. I can't speak to Orange County. Didn't San Diego just extend their line as well, although I also think that's technically light rail.

[Plutonic Panda]

I also question the article about the demise of streetcars as much as I hate them(with few exceptions). Metro is building a glorified streetcar on Van Nuys BLVD(already U/C), Orange County is about to open one, there are several streetcar expansion projects underway in cities around the country, Oklahoma City is planning to essentially extend it's recent streetcar network to the airport, and IIRC the BQE project in NYC is pretty much a streetcar being at grade light-rail unless I am mistaken.

I included that article out of personal interest, being a member of Orange Empire Railway Museum (and I'll keep calling it that -- SCRM, what a dull name]

My understanding is that the line along Van Nuys will be more light rail, like the Expo Line (I'll keep calling it that), not a traditional streetcar style. I can't speak to Orange County. Didn't San Diego just extend their line as well, although I also think that's technically light rail.

Well, at least the expo line has several portions that are fully grade separated except a few at grade segments in the middle and obviously in Santa Monica(from I what there was vocal opposition to it being elevated) and then around USC/Jefferson Park area. I believe Metro is launching a feasibility study to bury the Pico/Flower stations where the Expo and Blue lines are. That would help a lot. I agree about the names I still refer to them as such except for the K line.

I'm not sure about San Diego but I think I have an idea what you're talking about but Orange County seems to be a streetcar as it's branded the OC Streetcar. I think it opens next year.

Only reason I call the Van Nuys line a glorified streetcar is because technically it's not a streetcar the entire thing runs at grade or most of it does. It's going to be very interesting to see how that changes the corridor.

And I haven't even heard of the Orange Empire Railway Museum I'll need to check that out.