Northern CA lack of freeway connection, doesn't get much state funds? (Los Angeles: transplants, home)

[Radaghast]

Originally Posted by unseengundam

I am surprised that north of Sacaremento there is hardly any freeway connection when the central and southern part of the state littered with tons of freeways / tollways. There isn't even any freeeways the connect larger cities such as Yuba City, Chico, or Eureka to rest of CA. Compared to down in SoCal there 4 entire freeways going westward through completely desolate deserts...

Seems like all of the state highway funds are allocated to the central and southern part of the state while the northern part just gets leftovers.

I prefer it the way it is. Besides, there are plenty of freeways up here: Highway 99, Highway 32, Highway 70, 162, 45, 191, 149, 36, 44, 299, 147, 89...the list goes on and on.

With Chico off the beaten path (meaning, away from I-5) I think it helps keep the population down a bit. Not much, but a little. 99 and 32 are enough. Any more connection to Sacramento and we'd be getting more people than we already do up here (which is already too much).

Originally Posted by roadwarrior101

Well, north of Sacramento, I don't think there's even a city of 100,000 people. I think Redding has like 90k, Eureka has like 25-30k, etc. I realize if you add the surrounding communities they're slightly larger, but there is no major metropolis north of Sacramento.

Compare this to LA/OC having like 19M people, Bay Area around 8-9M, San Diego over 3M and Sacramento over 2M. With something like 99% of the state's population from Sacramento southward, yeah, not surprising there aren't major freeways to the North.

Chico's at about 112,000 people since the Camp Fire. Highway 99 is four lanes from the 149 junction until north Chico and it still gets really jammed up. Especially during peak hours.

[roadwarrior101]

Originally Posted by Radaghast

Chico's at about 112,000 people since the Camp Fire. Highway 99 is four lanes from the 149 junction until north Chico and it still gets really jammed up. Especially during peak hours.

Ok, but you can't honestly be comparing freeways in a city with 112k to one of several million people.

[Fastphilly]

The state has more important priorities than building muti-lane freeways north of Sacramento.

Two points I'll make that need to be done first.

1. They need to make Hwy 152 East of Gilroy a four lane divided highway from Hwy 101 to I-5. It is a major artery for commerce out of the southern half of the greater Bay Area and for motorists to get to Los Angeles.
We shouldn't have to drive over a two lane road.

2. Hwy 58 should be a freeway all the way from I-5 to the I-15/I-40 junction. A MAJOR trucking corridor and a route for any truck or car from the Northern half of California trying to reach the southern half of the country.

[BeauCharles]

Originally Posted by Fastphilly

The state has more important priorities than building muti-lane freeways north of Sacramento.

Two points I'll make that need to be done first.

1. They need to make Hwy 152 East of Gilroy a four lane divided highway from Hwy 101 to I-5. It is a major artery for commerce out of the southern half of the greater Bay Area and for motorists to get to Los Angeles.
We shouldn't have to drive over a two lane road.

2. Hwy 58 should be a freeway all the way from I-5 to the I-15/I-40 junction. A MAJOR trucking corridor and a route for any truck or car from the Northern half of California trying to reach the southern half of the country.

They're widening Hwy 70 because its a "blood alley" with numerous deaths every year because of the crush of cars and semi-trucks on it between Marysville and Oroville. It was studied for years before they decided to expand it to four lanes. Regardless, its not some zero sum game. I'm sure the state would like to widen 152 but there are other things holding it up (property rights/topography/rerouting traffic). It will be widened, but its decades away from what I've read. I've also read that I-5 will be widen to six lanes between Sacramento and Los Angeles, but that's about twenty years away.

[Hawk J]

Originally Posted by Fastphilly

The state has more important priorities than building muti-lane freeways north of Sacramento.

Two points I'll make that need to be done first.

1. They need to make Hwy 152 East of Gilroy a four lane divided highway from Hwy 101 to I-5. It is a major artery for commerce out of the southern half of the greater Bay Area and for motorists to get to Los Angeles.
We shouldn't have to drive over a two lane road.

2. Hwy 58 should be a freeway all the way from I-5 to the I-15/I-40 junction. A MAJOR trucking corridor and a route for any truck or car from the Northern half of California trying to reach the southern half of the country.

Originally Posted by BeauCharles

They're widening Hwy 70 because its a "blood alley" with numerous deaths every year because of the crush of cars and semi-trucks on it between Marysville and Oroville. It was studied for years before they decided to expand it to four lanes. Regardless, its not some zero sum game. I'm sure the state would like to widen 152 but there are other things holding it up (property rights/topography/rerouting traffic). It will be widened, but its decades away from what I've read. I've also read that I-5 will be widen to six lanes between Sacramento and Los Angeles, but that's about twenty years away.

It's going to take a lot of long hard work to widen Hwy 152 along The Pacheco Pass...

[jcp123]

Caltrans is challenged enough with the urban areas that I’m not surprised it isn’t keeping up with other areas.

I kind of lament how the Camp Fire was subordinated to the Malibu fires. The Camp Fire was really a more devastating moment.

As a trucker and former Californian, though, I gotta say that California has a pretty good road network. You should be fairly proud.

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by Fastphilly

2. Hwy 58 should be a freeway all the way from I-5 to the I-15/I-40 junction. A MAJOR trucking corridor and a route for any truck or car from the Northern half of California trying to reach the southern half of the country.

No argument here. They're working on the Kramer Junction Bypass.

All of us who often travel east on Highway 58 will be happy to know that the contractor building the Kramer Junction Bypass Project plans on finishing the 12.9-mile freeway this coming November. However, the absolute completion date where all traffic lanes are open for us motorists is scheduled for completion in April 2020.

This stretch of new expressway will make Highway 58 a four-lane road all the way from Bakersfield to Barstow, where drivers can connect with Interstate 15 and Interstate 40. Until the job is completed, however, traffic is still funneled down to that dangerous two-lane nightmare of a road on either side of Kramer Junction.

http://www.tehachapinews.com/opinion...e7c251c42.html



"Dangerous two-lane nightmare of a road" indeed. No one will be happier than me when this section is completed.

I have no idea how they're planning to connect to I-5 or even if they are. 58's still a two-lane high-speed road from Buttonwillow into Bakersfield on the Rosedale Hwy. Bakersfield itself is an unholy snarl of construction at the 99/58 interchange.

[fluffythewondercat]

Originally Posted by Hawk J

It's going to take a lot of long hard work to widen Hwy 152 along The Pacheco Pass...

Sure, but in its current state it's dangerous as heck, too, with cars darting around slow-moving semis lumbering up the pass.

[Hawk J]

Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat

Sure, but in its current state it's dangerous as heck, too, with cars darting around slow-moving semis lumbering up the pass.

1989/1990 we often drove over The Pacheco Pass going fishing/camping at San Luis O'Neill Forebay/CA Aqueduct/Delta/Mendota canal. At that time there were cars darting around slow semis on the pass.

[Fastphilly]

Originally Posted by fluffythewondercat

No argument here. They're working on the Kramer Junction Bypass.




Letter to the editor: Kramer Junction update | Opinion | tehachapinews.com



"Dangerous two-lane nightmare of a road" indeed. No one will be happier than me when this section is completed.

I have no idea how they're planning to connect to I-5 or even if they are. 58's still a two-lane high-speed road from Buttonwillow into Bakersfield on the Rosedale Hwy. Bakersfield itself is an unholy snarl of construction at the 99/58 interchange.

Truer words have never been spoken. I got confused coming off the 58 to go north on 99. I got stuck having to go south on 99. Got off at next exit and got back on north 99.