Headlines About California Highways – August 2024

Ah, August. The waning days of summer. But between vacations with crappy Internet (Welk Resort, in Escondido, I’m looking at you), dealing with medical issues (my wife’s knee replacement, plus hassles with PBMs), it has been far from quiet. Again, I’ll recommend to folks the excellent Arm and a Leg podcast,  which explores the cost of healthcare, and what you can do about it. But there have been good things happening in August: there’s been a lot of positive energy, and indicators that I care about are trending in the right direction. As always, if you feel the same, feel free to follow me on Facebook (I only friend folks I know in real life).

The Westhost issues have calmed down. I’m still interested in changing hosting sites, but the issue is on the back burner right now as things are already paid for a while, and things are working.

But the heat is on. It’s getting to be the hot part of summer here in Southern California. The political silly season is heating up, as we get barraged with campaign ads, texts looking for political donations, and back and forth on many issues. But stay cool. I save politics for FB; this post focuses on headlines about California Highways that I’ve seen over the last month. It also serves as fodder for the updates to my California Highways site, so there are also other pages and things I’ve seen that I wanted to remember for the site updates. Lastly, the post also includes some things that I think would be of peripheral interest to my highway-obsessed highway-interested readers. Speaking of updates to the California Highways site: These are almost done: I just need to finish incorporating this headline post and review AARoads, and they should be able to generate and post.

I’m also still looking for opinions on Medicare Advantage plus Medicare Supplement Plans: specifically, the Anthem Medicare Plus PPO with Senior Rx Plus Medicare Advantage Plan (as Implemented for Aerospace Retirees: See (1) Get to Know Your Group Plan; (2) Plan Summary; (3) last year’s Open Enrollment Guide) vs. a Medicare Supplement Plan.

The podcast continues apace. I’m still writing the Season 3 episodes, and once I’m done with the highway page updates, I’ll pick up writing again with the episode on US 6. Our bonus episode on Auto Trails went up in mid-August. Please tell your friends about the podcast, “like”, “♥”, or “favorite” it, and give it a rating in your favorite podcatcher. Yes, the sound quality of the episodes does get better — we were learning. As always, you can keep up with the show at the podcast’s forever home at https://www.caroutebyroute.org (once it comes back) , the show’s page on Spotify for Podcasters, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcatching app or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Podcasters) . The following episodes have been posted this month:

• CA RxR 2.15: Bonus – Auto Trails.  In this episode, we explore the auto trails that were in California before we started having signed numbered highways. Auto Trails discussed include (a) trails that are maintained today—El Camino Real, De Anza Trail, Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, and the Pony Express National Historic Trail. We spends most of the time on the major historic auto trails: Lincoln Highway, Pacific Highway, National Old Trails Road, Old Spanish Trail, and the Arrowhead Trail. Other trails discussed include the Atlantic-Pacific Highway, Bankhead Highway, California to Banff Highway, Dixie Overland Highway, Lee Highway, Lone Star Trail, Midland Trail, New Santa Fe Trail, National Park to Park Highway, Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, Santa Fe Trail, and the Victory Highway.  (Spotify for Podcasters)

Well, you should now be up to date. Here are the headlines that I found about California’s highways for August. The summer doldrums appear to be here, as there aren’t as many articles as usual.

Key

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls, ＄＄ really obnoxious paywalls, and ∅ other annoying restrictions. I’m no longer going to list the paper names, as I’m including them in the headlines now. Note: For ＄ paywalls, sometimes the only way is incognito mode, grabbing the text before the paywall shows, and pasting into an editor. See this article for more tips on bypassing paywalls. ☊ indicates an primarily audio article. ↈ indicates a primarily video article. ]

Highway Headlines

• Highway 41 reopens with new Kings River Bridge completion (Tracy Press). A project five years in the making that required the closure of a vital travel route for six months is officially complete. In a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Aug. 1, County Board of Supervisors, Caltrans directors, and the California Highway Patrol christened the brand new Kings River Bridge and announced the reopening of State Route 41, which ferries traffic from Stratford and the surrounding communities to the Central Coast. The bridge project was necessary to repair failing supports and a road surface that was showing signs of deterioration that presented a significant risk to vehicular traffic, according to authorities.
• Heading to the Central Coast? Highway 41 is open! (MSN/KMPH). Highway 41 is back open to travelers driving between the Central Valley and the Central Coast. The highway has been closed since February while crews replaced the Stratford Kings River Bridge and did pavement rehabilitation from Quail Avenue to Nevada Avenue and from Nevada Avenue to State Route 198. A detour was in place, but it added about 30 minutes to travel time. The Stratford Kings River Bridge replacement was needed to address the aging infrastructure to ensure the safety and reliability of Highway 41. A news conference and ribbon-cutting ceremony was held on the bridge Thursday morning with speakers from Caltrans, California Highway Patrol, and Kings County Supervisors.
• Ħ 1935 Map showing Route 740 (FB/Chuck Jones). A rare map that seems to be from the short period in late 1934/1935 that shows some short lived State Sign Routes.
• $92M Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing takes shape in Agoura Hills (Urbanize LA). The $92-million Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing continues to make progress in Agoura Hills. A new aerial tour from Caltrans shows where construction now stands for the project, which will be the world’s largest wildlife crossing when completed. The Los Angeles Times reports that ongoing work includes the assembly of wood forms and reinforcing rods to prepare for concrete pours. Rebar is also in place for the sound walls which will wrap the sides of the bridge.
• Ħ Historic California Maps at Univ of Alabama. A link to the above 1935 Map at the University of Alabama, among others. It is slow to load.  Choose the “No Plugin” or “No Plugin with DHTML”.
• Bay Area Express Lanes Generate Millions Above Projected Revenue. Where is it all going? (NBC Bay Area). Over the past 14 years, more than 300 miles of express lanes have been introduced or are under construction on Bay Area freeways, providing solo drivers with the option to bypass rush-hour gridlock for a fee and carpoolers at a discount or for free. Express lanes were designed to relieve congestion and provide reliable travel times to get to that important meeting, catch a flight or pick-up your kids from daycare on time. But with the increasing use of these toll lanes, the question arises: how much revenue are they generating, and where is it going?
• ＄ Resolution introduced to name SF stretch of I-80 after Mays (Daily Republic). Bay Area legislators, including state Sen. Bill Dodd and Assemblywoman Lori Wilson, have introduced a resolution that would name a 2-mile section of Interstate 80, from the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge to the U.S. 101 South exit, after Willie Mays. “Willie Mays’s career was nothing short of extraordinary,” Dodd, D-Napa, said in a statement. “He was arguably the greatest player of all time and left an indelible mark on the sport while breaking barriers for other Black players. I met Willie Mays when I was a kid and that cemented me as a lifelong San Francisco Giants fan. He was my idol. He made us all proud to live in the Bay Area so it is fitting that we name this highway in his honor,” Dodd added. “I’m pleased to see that not only does this have bipartisan support, it has the backing of my colleagues to the south who are lifelong Dodgers fans.”

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Changes to the California Highway Website covering June – August 2024

The third highway page update for 2024 is done. It was delayed a bit while I was working on the scripts for the podcast.

This update covers June, July and August 2024, depending on how long it takes me to finish the last little bits. Before we dive into the updates to the California Highways site, an update on the California Highways: Route by Route podcast. As always, you can keep up with the show at the podcast’s forever home at https://www.caroutebyroute.org , the show’s page on Spotify for Podcasters, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcatcher or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Podcasters) . The following episodes have been posted since the last update:

• June | CA RxR 2.13: Bonus – Fastrak and Tolling (Part 1). In this episode, we have the first half of an interview with Joe Rouse of Caltrans, talking about HOV Lanes, Express/Toll Lanes and Bridges, and Fastrak. (Spotify for Podcasters)
• July | CA RxR 2.14: Bonus – Fastrak and Tolling (Part 2). In this episode, we have the second half of an interview with Joe Rouse of Caltrans, talking about HOV Lanes, Express/Toll Lanes and Bridges, and Fastrak. (Spotify for Podcasters)
• August | CA RxR 2.15: Bonus – Auto Trails. In this episode, we explore the auto trails that were in California before we started having signed numbered highways. Auto Trails discussed include (a) trails that are maintained today—El Camino Real, De Anza Trail, Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, and the Pony Express National Historic Trail. We spends most of the time on the major historic auto trails: Lincoln Highway, Pacific Highway, National Old Trails Road, Old Spanish Trail, and the Arrowhead Trail. Other trails discussed include the Atlantic-Pacific Highway, Bankhead Highway, California to Banff Highway, Dixie Overland Highway, Lee Highway, Lone Star Trail, Midland Trail, New Santa Fe Trail, National Park to Park Highway, Pikes Peak Ocean to Ocean Highway, Santa Fe Trail, and the Victory Highway. (Spotify for Podcasters)

Turning to the updates to the California Highways pages: Updates were made to the following highways, based on my reading of the (virtual) papers and my research for the podcast in June, July, and August 2024 (which are posted to the roadgeeking category at the “Observations Along The Road” and to the California Highways Facebook group) as well as any backed up email changes. I also reviewed the the AAroads forum (Ꜳ). This resulted in changes on the following routes, with credit as indicated [my research^(ℱ), contributions of information or leads (via direct mail or ꜲRoads) from Tom Fearer^(τ), gonealookin^(Γ), The Ghostbuster^(Θ), TBD: Route 1^(ℱ), Route 2^(ℱ), Sign Route 3^(ℱ), Sign Route 6^(ℱ), I-8^(τ), I-10^(ℱ), I-15^(ℱ), Route 16^(τ), Route 17^(ℱ), Sign Route 26^(ℱ), Route 27^(ℱ), Route 36^(ℱ), Route 41^(ℱ), US 50^(Γ), US 66^(ℱ), Route 79^(ℱ), I-80^(ℱ,τ,Θ), US 80^(τ), Route 82^(ℱ), Route 84^(ℱ), Route 92^(ℱ), Route 99^(ℱ), US 101^(ℱ,τ), Route 108^(ℱ), Route 109^(τ), Route 118^(ℱ), Route 120^(ℱ), Route 156^(ℱ), Route 163^(τ), Route 209^(τ), Route 213^(ℱ), LRN 223^(τ), Former Route 225^(ℱ), Route 260^(ℱ), US 395^(ℱ,τ), I-605^(ℱ), Sign Route 740^(ℱ), I-880^(ℱ), County Sign Route A13^(ℱ), County Sign Route N9^(ℱ).
(Source: private email through 9/2/2024, Highway headline posts through the August 2024 Headline post, AARoads through 9/2/2024)

Added a link to a newly-discovered Caltrans resource: A Historical Context and Methodology for Evaluating Trails, Roads, and Highways in California. 2016. This looks to be an extremely interesting summary of the history of state highways. I’m going to need to print it out and go over it in detail.

Made updates to routes as part of the research for the Season 2 Bonus Episodes and Season 3 of the podcast. This included changes to: the Auto Trails page, Route 4, I-5, LRN 5, US 6, Sign Route 10, Route 14, Route 16, LRN 19, Route 39, US 40, Alt. US 40, Route 42, US 50, LRN 50, LRN 62, US 66, I-80, Route 89, US 91, US 99, US 101, Route 113, LRN 166, LRN 171, US 199, US 395. A large number of highways were updated to add or correct auto trail information.

Reviewed the Pending Legislation page, based on the California Legislature site, for bills through 2024-09-02. As usual, I recommend to every Californian that they visit the legislative website regularly and see what their legis-critters are doing. As many people are unfamiliar with how the legislature operates (and why there are so many “non-substantive changes” and “gut and amend” bills), I’ve added the legislative calendar (updated for 2024) to the end of the Pending Legislation page. We are nearing the end of the legislative session, so things should be more active, as committees have finished their business and the last day for the legislature to pass bills is August 31. Noted the passage of the following bills and resolutions:

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