California State Route 60 and Historic US 60
The Badlands Expressway.
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During the 1930's, it was becoming clear that the Jackrabbit Trail was not going to be able to handle the traffic from US 60 for much longer with it's lack of room and hairpin turns. Left without options for a wider, straighter road, California decided to make one. After blasting through the Badlands Mountains, the state was able to put down roadbed that allowed for expansion if needed and allowed for a higher speed, safer and shorter travel. Jackrabbit Trail was turned back to local authorities but was picked back up in the 1950's while the Badlands shortcut was expanded to an expressway. Dubbed the Badlands Expressway, it gave US 60 four lanes (two in each direction). The road remains relatively intact since it's expansion. Jackrabbit Trail has been left to deteriorate at the hands of Mother Earth as the county stopped maintaining it decades ago.
I am unsure of what the milage count green out is covering on these signs, but part of me thinks it might be from when the US tried switching to metric and the sign was given in both miles and kilometers. Or it could just be covering a "NEXT EXIT" or "NEXT RIGHT" since Caltrans loves to green-out signs.
Yeah it's probably that last one. |
So, you place two new advance signs for the exit, but don't bother replacing the overhead signage? WTF Caltrans? Anyway, it's button copy as I'd rather see it stay in place and survive another 30 years of service then have it replaced every 10 because retroreflective signs are cheap pieces of cr@p.
Can you tell I hate retroreflective signs? I really do. |
Approaching exit 68, Gilman Springs Rd towards Hemet and San Jacinto. Gilman Springs Rd was former SR 79 until it was realigned to terminate in Beaumont in 1963, as it does today. This route become the short lived SR 177, which was turned back to local authorities in 1965. This sign probably carried both route numbers, although neither for very long. My guess is this sign dates to the early 1960's, after US 60 was expanded to four lanes.
(Note: 177 was reassigned in 1972 to a different route). |
A relatively short range of mountains, the 60 has traversed the Badlands since it was extended into California. Originally, it was along the Jackrabbit Trail which was similar to the ridge route for US 99. It was a narrow 2 lane road that clung onto the side of the mountains and followed them. Traffic rises in the 1930's called for the route to be straightened out and shorter, so the old alignment was bypassed by the current route. A flat, traversable roadbed was carved out of the rocks and allowed for safer travels to and from Beaumont into Riverside. It was later upgraded to a four lane expressway, which remains almost unchanged to this day. This became known as the Badlands route, and later the Badlands Expressway.
Caltrans is proposing to build truck lanes through the Badlands to alleviate the truck traffic on the aging route, but until that is completed signs like this bar trucks from leaving the number two lane. |
Our first exit along I-10 is signed here: Beaumont Ave/modern SR 79. The 3/4 MILE is most likely covering a 'NEXT EXIT' or 'NEXT RIGHT'. This sign most likely dates from when US 60 was cosigned with I-10 in Arizona, at which point that wording would have made sense. 6th Street offramp is seen merging onto I-10's 6th Street offramp before becoming 6th Street.
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END SR 60.
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On June 11th, 2016 I was in the middle of typing this photo essay up. I had just finished with the photo upon entry to Beaumont when I got a news alert on my computer. 'Mass shooting at Orlando Gay Club'. I spent the rest of the night staying up to date with what was going on and I didn't have the energy or will power to complete it until days later. How could someone do something like this?
Forty-nine people lost their life that night. This entry is dedicated to the victims and their families. Rest in Peace.
Forty-nine people lost their life that night. This entry is dedicated to the victims and their families. Rest in Peace.