California State Route 30.
The History.
LRN 190 added to the State Highway System in 1933, but it was not given signed numbers until the 1952. Forming an 'L' shape at the base of the San Bernardino and San Gabriel Mountains, LRN 190 ran from US 66 (LRN 9) in San Dimas to SR 18 (LRN 43) in Big Bear. The western section of the road, from San Dimas to Highland, was signed as Route 30. The eastern section, running from Redlands to Big Bear was signed as part of Route 38 and the final section from Highland to Redlands was most likely left unsigned at the time. In 1937, LRN 207 was added running from Highland (at the northern elbow of LRN 190) to SR 18 in Big Bear. Originally unsigned, it was signed in the 1950's as a part of SR 30. This route follows the path of City Creek Rd to Running Springs where it joins SR 18 (LRN 43) and continues through the mountain to the western tip of Big Bear Lake. There, the routes separated. SR 18 went around the north shore while SR 30 went along the southern shore. Route 30 then wrapped back around to meet SR 18 on the eastern tip of the lake and ultimately ended there.
In the Great Renumbering of 1964, LRN 207 was truncated to Route 18/LRN 43 in Running Springs and was changed legislatively to Route 30. SR 18 took over SR 30's alignment east of Running Springs, including the road around the southern shore of Big Bear. The road around the northern shore (formally SR 18) was transferred to Route 38. The unsigned portion of LRN 190 was also given a route number: SR 106. In 1971, two stub freeways were built and Route 30's western termination was pushed from US 66 (later SR 66) in San Dimas, to I-210 at the Glendora Curve. The two stubs included the aforementioned Glendora Curve alignment to Foothill Blvd/US 66/SR 66 in San Dimas, and from I-15 (later I-15E, modern I-215) to Highland Ave in San Bernardino.
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In 1972, with legislators hearts set on making SR 30 a freeway through the northern edge of the Inland Empire and fulfilling the plan that dated back to the 1940's, the portion from Highland to Running Springs was transferred to the newly created SR 330. SR 106 was deleted, with it's route being transferred entirely to SR 30, as well as the southern-most portion of SR 38 from Lugonia Ave to I-10 via Orange St.
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The SR 30 freeway, locally known as the 'Crosstown Freeway', was built in three primary segments. The first was the 1971 stub from unsigned SR 259 to Highland Ave. The second ran from I-10 to 5th Street which opened in 1984, and the final section from 5th St to Highland Ave opened in 1992. The last section also included a freeway stub for SR 330, running from SR 30 to the base of the mountain where it terminates back into a two lane highway. A direct connection to Northbound I-215 was added in 1989, with the SR 259 (most likely signed as TO SR 30) acting as the connection to Southbound I-215. (SR 259 itself is a long forgotten freeway. It was created to give SR 18 a direct connection to the San Bernardino Freeway when it was routed on that freeway. California terminated SR 18 to it's current terminus in 1964. At it's longest point, it ran to Long Beach). The reconfigured interchange was signed as part of TEMP SR 30 and allowed the freeway to be ready for the final connection to it's stub in San Dimas. It also gave a direct connection to it's remaining surface street alignment, as TEMP SR 30 ended at Highland Ave instead of SR 259.
In 1998, after the approval to build the final section of the Foothill Freeway, California transferred I-210's connection from the Glendora Curve to the Kellogg Interchange (I-10) to SR 57, and transferred all of Route 30 (including surface street alignments) to Route 210. The plan was submitted to AASHTO for approval of the Interstate designation but was declined due to the incomplete freeway. This didn't stop California, and as such the portion of the 210 east of the Glendora Curve became State Route 210 legislatively. Out in the field however, it was still signed as SR 30.
As the first part of the Foothill Freeway project opened, it was signed as SR 30 to avoid local confusion (or a screw up at the print shop, but Caltrans would like you to believe the former). Old signs between Day Creek Blvd and Cherry Ave show a 210 cramped into a 2 digit spade, and a lot of the signage that warned of the end of the freeway was just removed leaving large, open signs. By 2004, Caltrans intentions became clear and upon completion of the segment from San Dimas to Rancho Cucamonga it changed the route numbering to SR 210, except for the original Crosstown Freeway which maintained the 30 numeral until the bitter end.
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2007 marked the end of California's flirtation with freeways. With most of the important planned routes completed, Caltrans closed the book on brand new freeways in Southern California with the completion of SR 210. With ROW being purchased before the area was heavily developed, Caltrans was able to make a straight shot of a freeway from Upland to Rialto, perhaps one of the straightest for the LA Metro area, and it was done all below grade. The SR 30 shields came down shortly thereafter and were replaced with SR 210 shields on both overhead signs and for reassurance shields. The only sign that SR 30 ever existed in the occasional mile marker on the surface route and freeway route, as well as sporadic shields along relinquished segments.
It's worth noting that also in the 1950's, a portion of Foothill Blvd in Pasadena, Monrovia and Sierra Madre, was signed as SR 30 at the same time as the alignment from San Dimas to Big Bear. I'm unsure if this alignment made a connection to the remainder of SR 30 via US 66, or if it was discontinuous.