California Observations

[roadman65]

I was noticing that on GSV for Katela Avenue in Anaheim, CA that since Disney added the California Adventure Theme Park, that is currently where the former parking lot was for the Disneyland Theme Park that was relocated, palm trees line the whole Avenue in front of the attraction.

I do, though, have a question to anyone who lives nearby or frequents Disneyland and it would be about the power lines I once remembered as a kid.  I do remember that upon entering the parking lot from whatever street we used, that power lines were situated between the parking area and the street.  These here were the truss type of towers and not the mast poles they use now.  I could not find these at all on GSV, as I am trying to figure out where it was we entered the park back in the late 60's.  I again was there back in 88, but forgot the layout even though I was 23 at that particular time as well.  I know that I did enter off the side street through and unofficial entrance as I was lost and ended up in the lot without paying the toll to park.  I was following some other tourist and before I knew it I was in the parking lot.

Anyway, I would probably assume that was Katela Avenue where the power lines once ran as I do see mast pole transmissions between it and the new theme park.  However, does anyone know what the pre second them park layout was of the area?

[jrouse]

I was noticing that on GSV for Katela Avenue in Anaheim, CA that since Disney added the California Adventure Theme Park, that is currently where the former parking lot was for the Disneyland Theme Park that was relocated, palm trees line the whole Avenue in front of the attraction.

I do, though, have a question to anyone who lives nearby or frequents Disneyland and it would be about the power lines I once remembered as a kid.  I do remember that upon entering the parking lot from whatever street we used, that power lines were situated between the parking area and the street.  These here were the truss type of towers and not the mast poles they use now.  I could not find these at all on GSV, as I am trying to figure out where it was we entered the park back in the late 60's.  I again was there back in 88, but forgot the layout even though I was 23 at that particular time as well.  I know that I did enter off the side street through and unofficial entrance as I was lost and ended up in the lot without paying the toll to park.  I was following some other tourist and before I knew it I was in the parking lot.

Anyway, I would probably assume that was Katela Avenue where the power lines once ran as I do see mast pole transmissions between it and the new theme park.  However, does anyone know what the pre second them park layout was of the area?

The main entrance to the park was located at what is now Harbor Blvd and Disney Way.   This entrance remains but is now only for a service road that wraps around the south side of California Adventure.  The main entrance to the Disneyland complex is now a little bit further north up Harbor Blvd.    If you have Google Earth, you can track these changes using the historical imagery.

As you noted, the transmission lines used to run through the middle of the parking lot.  There was a 220-kV line and a 110-kV line.  When California Adventure and the Downtown Disney district were built, the lines were removed through that area.  It appears the 110-kV line was simply undergrounded; you can see the transition structure just west of I-5 at the Disney Way/Anaheim Blvd interchange.  The 220-KV line was rerouted onto the steel monopoles and relocated around the park south on Harbor, then south and west along the aforementioned service road, continuing west alongside Katella, then north on Walnut back to its original right of way.  The other transition structure to bring the 110-kV line back above ground is located at that point.

[roadman65]

Back in 88 I flew into Ontario Airport in Southern California.  I distinctly remember that Vineland Avenue was the main road leading into the Airport Complex from I-10 and Holt Boulevard also was an alternate to and from the east on I-10.

Now I noticed that the terminals and entrance are now located further east of its location then.  Now the airport is located at Archibald Avenue's southern terminus with a nice, what appears to be, brand new SPUI interchange over I-10.  In addition braided ramps now exist between Holt and Archibald as before you could enter I-10 from EB Holt and then exit at Archibald.  Now new flyovers take the EB exit for Archibald Avenue over the EB on ramp from Holt Boulevard on typical Caltrans reinforced concrete bridges.

It is interesting to see things change and that even in Southern California that SPUIs are making it there.

[Occidental Tourist]

Back in 88 I flew into Ontario Airport in Southern California.  I distinctly remember that Vineland Avenue was the main road leading into the Airport Complex from I-10 and Hoyt Boulevard also was an alternate to and from the east on I-10.

Now I noticed that the terminals and entrance are now located further east of its location then.  Now the airport is located at Archibald Avenue's southern terminus with a nice, what appears to be, brand new SPUI interchange over I-10.  In addition braided ramps now exist between Hoyt and Archibald as before you could enter I-10 from EB Hoyt and then exit at Archibald.  Now new flyovers take the EB exit for Archibald Avenue over the EB on ramp from Hoyt Boulevard on typical Caltrans reinforced concrete bridges.

It is interesting to see things change and that even in Southern California that SPUIs are making it there.

It's also cool to see how many TV shows and movies that old Ontario terminal makes it into:  24, Catch Me If You Can, Confidence . . .

[sdmichael]

BTW - It's HOLT not HOYT. Holt Blvd is also former US 70/99 in that area.

[roadman65]

BTW - It's HOLT not HOYT. Holt Blvd is also former US 70/99 in that area.

I fixed it in my original post.

Anyway, interesting as that means that Valley Boulevard is part of former US 70 & 99 into Colton as well as Ontario Mills Parkway as part of that historic routing?

[sdmichael]

Valley Blvd is also former US 70/99 from Colton to just east of Etiwanda Ave. Ontario Mills Pkwy is just another roadway.

[TheStranger]

Valley Blvd is also former US 70/99 from Colton to just east of Etiwanda Ave. Ontario Mills Pkwy is just another roadway.

Is the Y interchange at I-10 Exit 59 the point where the San Bernardino Freeway subsumes old 70/99?  Holt Boulevard doesn't start until Exit 55A.

[sdmichael]

The San Bernardino Freeway covers the "newest" old alignment of US 70/99 from Archibald to just east of Etiwanda Ave. There is an earlier alignment through Guasti meeting with the 10 halfway between Archibald and Haven.

[roadman65]

The San Bernardino Freeway covers the "newest" old alignment of US 70/99 from Archibald to just east of Etiwanda Ave. There is an earlier alignment through Guasti meeting with the 10 halfway between Archibald and Haven.

That would explain the slight bend just before Holt's eastern terminus. Obviously pre I-10 Holt Boulevard had two intersections at two different times with Archibald Avenue.  The later one is now where the current SPUI is and the original is just to the south in line with Holt's E-W alignment after the curve.

[sdmichael]

It was a rather early realignment as well. There is still three-lane concrete where Holt Blvd curves toward the 10. It started as a two-lane section with a third lane added about 1929.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

Driving down US-101 south in San Jose today and I noticed little numbers painted on the side of the concrete barriers in the median. I made a little sketch of what I saw:


Anyone know about these?

[myosh_tino]

Driving down US-101 south in San Jose today and I noticed little numbers painted on the side of the concrete barriers in the median. I made a little sketch of what I saw:


Anyone know about these?

Yep, they're post-miles that are normally found on those little white paddle signs on the right shoulder.  In the case of your drawing, you are 19.7 miles from the Santa Clara/San Benito county line.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

Driving down US-101 south in San Jose today and I noticed little numbers painted on the side of the concrete barriers in the median. I made a little sketch of what I saw:


Anyone know about these?

Yep, they're post-miles that are normally found on those little white paddle signs on the right shoulder.  In the case of your drawing, you are 19.7 miles from the Santa Clara/San Benito county line.

Thanks! I figured it was those. Although it's quite a weird placement for them...

[kurumi]

That's a really nice sketch. Sets a complete scene with clean, pleasing lines and colors.

[Henry]

Driving down US-101 south in San Jose today and I noticed little numbers painted on the side of the concrete barriers in the median. I made a little sketch of what I saw:


Anyone know about these?

Yep, they're post-miles that are normally found on those little white paddle signs on the right shoulder.  In the case of your drawing, you are 19.7 miles from the Santa Clara/San Benito county line.

Thanks! I figured it was those. Although it's quite a weird placement for them...

I'll bet they are new too!

[sdmichael]

Painted or otherwise, I've seen postmiles on median barriers going back to the early 1980's. They aren't a new concept.

[roadman65]

When I was 5 years old, my family took a trip to California.  I remember staying at a Holiday Inn near Disneyland that I thought I recalled a span wire assembly near the hotel that was a high rise.  Then later on in 1972 on return to LA, I noticed that no span wire existed then and that even to this day California uses mast arms exclusively along with back plates for all signal heads even side mounted signals.

I was wondering, if California ever used span wires whether normal practice or even temporary as many states have changed over the years from one installation to another and the fact many will install a span wire assembly during construction projects even if the state uses mast arms totally?

Edit:  I also see that Caltrans does indeed have steel girder bridges in use.  On another note I always thought that they exclusively used box girder or reinforced concrete roadway decks on all highway bridges.  The NB car ramp from I-5 to I-405 in Irvine, CA is a steel girder bridge.

[roadfro]

California/Caltrans does sometimes use span wire traffic signals for temporary/construction purposes, but I don't think I've ever seen a permanent span wire installation there.

As to bridges: I can only speak as someone who occasionally visits California from my neighboring Nevada. My observation is that Caltrans seems to favor concrete box girder bridges, but both are in regular use. As with Nevada, I think the decision may be a function of construction cost (i.e. rising/falling prices of steel) and ease of construction (i.e. flyovers seem to be easier to build with steel girders over an open highway, but a bridge over a city street may be easier to do with concrete and falsework).

[myosh_tino]

California/Caltrans does sometimes use span wire traffic signals for temporary/construction purposes, but I don't think I've ever seen a permanent span wire installation there.

There used to be one at the intersection of Foothill Blvd and Voss Ave in Cupertino up until the late 80's.  It had an old-style controller box where you could hear the clicks and thunks of relays when the lights changed.

As to bridges: I can only speak as someone who occasionally visits California from my neighboring Nevada. My observation is that Caltrans seems to favor concrete box girder bridges, but both are in regular use. As with Nevada, I think the decision may be a function of construction cost (i.e. rising/falling prices of steel) and ease of construction (i.e. flyovers seem to be easier to build with steel girders over an open highway, but a bridge over a city street may be easier to do with concrete and falsework).

As far as I know, most, if not all, new overpasses and bridges are made of concrete either by creating wooden forms and pouring the concrete on site or by using pre-cast concrete bridge sections which are trucked to the construction site and installed (typically during the over night hours because a full-freeway closure is needed).

The last new steel girder installation I know of occurred a few years ago when the ramp to I-580 east from east I-80 in the MacArthur Maze was repaired after a gasoline tanker overturned on the ramp below and the ensuing fireball melted the girders of the 580 ramp causing it to collapse.

[gonealookin]

I was wondering, if California ever used span wires whether normal practice or even temporary as many states have changed over the years from one installation to another and the fact many will install a span wire assembly during construction projects even if the state uses mast arms totally?

Here are the photos of the temporary span wire setups I shot in South Lake Tahoe in November 2011.  Those were in place for just about two full years.  The permanent mast arm signals finally went in as they completed that project last summer.

[KEK Inc.]

The mile marker has been there since the 2002 widening of US-101 between Cochrane and CA-85.  My parents drove me to elementary/middle school on that route every day during the construction, so I'm pretty familiar with that stretch of road. 

I also got to see the HOV ramps from US-101 to CA-85 (Southern Terminus) develop as well as the new flyovers for CA-87/CA-85.

[SignBridge]

I didn't think Calif. ever used spanwire anywhere. I've never seen it on any of my visits to Calif. in the last 30 years.

[CentralCAroadgeek]

There is a permanent span wire setup in Carmel at the CA-1/Carmel Valley Road.

So I spent the weekend in Fresno and noticed some more "different" signage around the CA-41/CA-168/CA-180 interchange there. More APL signage has been added, but I noticed one new thing: the left exit signage off of CA-168:


And I've noticed that some newer BGS installations, not just in Fresno, have been using raised caps on the cardinal direction. I'm aware of this above reassurance shields, but it's only been recently that I've noticed it used on BGS (except that one sign on I-5 south near Six Flags Magic Mountain). An example is the sign i posted just above.

[pctech]

 

There is a permanent span wire setup in Carmel at the CA-1/Carmel Valley Road.

So I spent the weekend in Fresno and noticed some more "different" signage around the CA-41/CA-168/CA-180 interchange there. More APL signage has been added, but I noticed one new thing: the left exit signage off of CA-168:


And I've noticed that some newer BGS installations, not just in Fresno, have been using raised caps on the cardinal direction. I'm aware of this above reassurance shields, but it's only been recently that I've noticed it used on BGS (except that one sign on I-5 south near Six Flags Magic Mountain). An example is the sign i posted just above.

The exit# box takes up a pretty big chunk of that sign. Sure gives it a "crowded" look.