California State Routes
Considered the freeway capital of the world, it wasn't always that way. California's State Highway System dates back to 1895 when the state took control of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Rd (part of modern US 50). The State Highway Bond Act of 1909, the first of many, allocated $18 million dollars to adopt 3000 miles in the state. These routes were assigned numbers legislatively, starting from one. The Automobile Club of Southern California (ACSC) elected to take charge in signing routes, starting with route that were certified and adopted by the Federal Government for the US Highway System in 1926. It then only made sense to sign state routes as well, but instead of signing the legislative numbers, the ACSC assigned more cohesive numbers. One numerical signed route may be overlaid upon multiple Legislative Route Numbers (LRNs). They tried to keep as many Signed State Routes (SSRs) true to the LRN, but in some cases this was not possible.
California spent most of the 1940s to 1990s building up an interconnected freeway system. A majority of California's freeways are designated as Interstates, but there are quite a few remaining State Routes. Not all State Routes are freeways though; there are still many divided highways, expressways, and two lane roads that interconnect California's many cities.
Archived Roads.
- State Route 1 (1964) - Perhaps the most scenic and beautiful route in America, this road travels along the Pacific Coast, from San Juan Capistrano to Legget. (Former US 101A, SR 1, SR 3)
- State Route 2 - One of the few times a signed route was removed then reinstated on the same road, modern SR 2 was replaced by US 66 on Santa Monica Blvd in 1936, and replaced US 66 in 1964. It runs from I-10 in Santa Monica to SR 138 near Phelan.
- State Route 30 - Originally dating to the 1930's, this road was deleted by Caltrans in favor of the modern SR 210/Foothill Freeway from La Verne to Redlands, which SR 30 traversed when first built.
- State Route 31 - The lesser-known route number for TEMP I-15, this road runs from Corona to Ontario via Hamner and Milliken Ave.
- State Route 60 - Modern successor to US 60 in California, this route traverses the Pomona and Moreno Valley Freeways.
- State Route 66 - The Mother Road's truncated route, running from La Verne to San Bernardino via Foothill Blvd.
- State Route 71 (1964) - Before CalTrans upgrades the Corona Expy entirely from Corona to Pomona, we look at it and the historic bridges that date to the glory days of US 60, 70, and 99 and SR 71 itself.
- State Route 83 (1964) - Euclid Ave from Chino to Upland. This is a wide boulevard that was originally LRN 192, added in 1933.
- State Route 110 - The Harbor Fwy and Arroyo Seco Pkwy. The Arroyo Seco is the first freeway built in Southern California.
- State Route 142 - Carbon Canyon Road running from Brea to Chino Hills. The only route to directly connect San Bernardino and Orange Counties.
- State Route 259 - An unsigned route acting as a glorified connector ramp from SR 210 to I-215 in San Bernardino. This was originally part of SR 18.