Dedicated to the preservation of California's Main Street – former US Highway 99
Author: Michael Ballard
I am the founder of the Historic Highway 99 Association of California. I am also the author and administrator of the "Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads" website at https://socalregion.com, since 1995. I have been studying the geology and highway history throughout southern California for most of my life. I am also the President of the Ridge Route Preservation Organization.
We are planning our first CUTRR – Clean Up The Ridge Route – event to be held on May 20, 2023. The road has suffered through a lot this winter and it needs your help! Our work will concentrate on clearing drains of debris on the northern end between the Tumble Inn and Reservoir Summit. Due to conditions, we won’t be able to go over the entire roadway afterward as we have done in the past. Additionally, lower clearance vehicles are not recommended on the Ridge Route at this time.
Please RSVP so we can get a rough headcount before the event. We look forward to seeing you all out there!
Please be in sturdy shoes, pants, and shirt. Hats and protective glasses are recommended depending on what work you’ll be performing.
Tools Needed:
Bring whatever tools you have to cut branches and clear debris. Supplies such as picks, shovels, rakes, pruning saws, pole pruners, mattocks, clippers, wheelbarrows, brooms, and other items may also be needed.
Meeting Location:
We will be meeting at the Gorman Carl’s Jr, 49669 Gorman Post Rd, Gorman, CA 93243, at 0800 hrs on May 20, 2023 and will be leaving by 0830 hrs.
Either through heavy wind, corrosion, or a combination of the two, a section of “greenout” fell off a sign on the eastbound Ventura Freeway (State 134) recently at Victory Blvd. This sign, approaching the Golden State Freeway (I-5) has been there since 1961 when the freeway opened. In 1961, the Golden State Freeway was still US Highway 99. In 1965, the sign was covered over with an overlay for I-5. In early 2023, that overlay (“greenout”) fell off, revealing a portion of the original signage. The left side of the sign has a State 134 EAST sign as 134 proceeded east toward Pasadena via the Golden State Freeway and Colorado St until 1968.
It’s been a while since our last newsletter went out. Things have been somewhat busy on my end, and it isn’t easy to get these going. Help is very much needed and appreciated. We are looking for volunteers to help with the newsletter, articles, and more. Our newsletter is also now going to quarterly, albeit this one was a bit late.
Our Association breaks the state up into four regions. We’d like to put YOU in charge of one of the regions. You can be our regional contact or reporter. You can use the newsletter and website to help promote various events, businesses, and locations along Historic US 99.
Contact us if you have any questions, interested in writing for this newsletter, or giving a presentation for the Association. We’d love to hear from you!
Now onto 99 business. Winter has been a bit harsher lately, with heavy rains and snows along the route. The Ridge Route / Grapevine has been closed at times due to snow and mudslides. Lake Shasta rose quite a few feet over the course of a few days inundating long sections of historic highway. Rare avalanches were visible from I-10 in Beaumont Pass coming down from Mt San Jacinto. All this and we’re not even done yet. To this end, here are some tips for travel over The Grapevine / Ridge Route during winter.
Ridge Route / Grapevine Winter Travel Tips
Tejon Pass on February 25, 2023. Courtesy – Caltrans and Ft Tejon CHP
I-5 between Santa Clarita and the San Joaquin Valley over Tejon Pass is known as “The Grapevine” and formerly known as “The Ridge Route”. It is an important corridor in California and has been so since 1915. Travel over the route can be quite treacherous in winter due to both rain and snow. Mudslides, rockfalls, and ice can all wreak havoc on travel. Caltrans, CHP, and the County of Los Angeles work together to ensure safe travel over the route. Sometimes this can result in a full closure of the pass.
STATS:
Highest elevation – 4144′ at Tejon Pass
Normal Closure Points:
Southbound at Grapevine (Exit 215)
Northbound at Castaic – Lake Hughes Road (Exit 176B)
ALTERNATE ROUTES:
If the 5 is closed, alternate adjacent routes such as Lake Hughes Road are not advisable as they may be in worse condition or be heavily congested. Depending on closures, the best alternative to I-5 is via State 14 (Antelope Valley Freeway) and State 58 over Tehachapi Pass. In times of heavy snow, your only option may well be US 101 to State 46 in Paso Robles. Check with Caltrans and CHP prior to travel to make sure these roads are open.
SPECIAL NOTE:
The Old Ridge Route (Ridge Route Road) is never an alternate to I-5 under any conditions and is not suitable for heavy traffic nor is it open to through traffic.
To stay up-to-date on current conditions, we recommend the following sites:
Quickmap – Caltrans Traffic Map with CHP Incidents and Cameras
Be safe out there and always use caution during winter months when traveling the “Grapevine”.
Membership and Donations
We need your support for our efforts to get Historic Route signage placed in various cities and historic locations such as the Pine and Palm. You can do this by becoming a member, donating money, or by volunteering with our Association. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and your donations may be tax deductible. Why not help reduce your tax burden for 2023 / 2024 by donating prior? We can also use your help with some of our projects, website, and our newsletter. Having someone local to act as our ambassador or liaison would be of great help. Join now or renew and help us grow!
On Tuesday, December 13 at 6 pm, we will be holding a Zoom meeting to discuss the Association. We’d love to hear your thoughts on what we’ve done, what we can do, and how you can help! To sign up for our meeting, use the link below.
What is the Historic Highway 99 Association of California?
We started this Association in November 2020 to give Historic US Highway 99 in California a greater voice. So much has been lost over the years and we wanted to help preserve what we could. We have goals to get the roadway marked with Historic Route signs where possible, save sections of original paving, help revitalize businesses and towns along the route, and work to promote the highway however we can.
Those goals won’t be achieved overnight. They will take time and effort. Getting funding and permission to post signage takes a while. Each agency has different rules and methods. Funding comes from many sources, most of which is through donations and the generosity of the cities along the way. To date, we have had success with two cities, Madera and Calexico, with others on the way. Both cities have been very helpful, and we look forward to our continued success with other cities. If you’d like to help with signage in your city, let us know!
Saving sections of the original paving is another goal that isn’t easy but one that can be done. One of our recent projects has been to save a section of Roberts Road in the Calimesa area (HH99AC Region 4) which will be demolished in the near future. Thanks to the efforts of the City of Calimesa, letters from the Redlands Conservancy, and donations received by the Association, we will be able to save at least one of the remaining date stamps from the 1925 concrete. We have been in contact with the developers that own the land as well as the City of Calimesa to ensure this piece of history is preserved. The concrete isn’t particularly historically significant, but it is the last of its kind in the area. Saving it helps keep a bit of history alive.
Helping businesses and towns along the route is something that is more of a group effort. To help assist in achieving this goal, we started our “Highway 99 Adventures” pages where we highlight things to see along the route. Locations listed on the pages range from historic restaurants like the 134-year-old Saugus Cafe in Santa Clarita (HH99AC Region 4), lava tubes near Mt Shasta (HH99AC Region 1), underground gardens in Fresno (HH99AC Region 3), and even the State Capitol Building in Sacramento (HH99AC Region 2). We encourage all that use those pages to let people know where you found them. We also are looking for help with those pages in regard to locations, descriptions, and other content.
Our organization is small but growing. We can’t achieve our goals of preserving and promoting Historic US Highway 99 without your help. That help can come in many forms, such as donations or active involvement in our efforts. We have done a lot more than I had expected so far and there is much more that will happen. We are also looking for ideas of projects, fund raising efforts, website and newsletter content, and presentation ideas. Join our cause and help us grow further! Contact us for more information.
Membership and Donations
As we slowly ramp up our efforts to get Historic Route signage placed in various cities and historic locations such as the Pine and Palm, we need your support. You can do this by becoming a member, donating money, or by volunteering with our Association. We are a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation and your donations may be tax deductible. Why not help reduce your tax burden for 2023 by donating prior? We can also use your help with some of our projects, website, and our newsletter. Having someone local to act as our ambassador or liaison would be of great help. Join now or renew and help us grow!
We are working on an article about the town arches along Highway 99 and we need your help. We are seeking photos of the following arches:
Modesto
Lodi
Orland
The photos should show preferably the entire arch. If there is a dedication plaque nearby, we could use help with that as well.
December 2022 Presentation
We are still working on our final 2022 presentation. Instead of November, it will be held in early December. An announcement will be made soon with sign up information. It will also be a good time to discuss the future of the 99 Association and what you’d like to see get done. We look forward to seeing you, online, in December!
Featured Photo
Division of Highways plans for the Famoso Underpass
In 1935, the California Division of Highways was in the middle of a large campaign to eliminate grade crossings along major routes. US 99 had quite a few in the Central Valley, mostly owing to its path following the Southern Pacific Railroad from Bakersfield to Stockton. One of these underpasses, at Famoso, necessitated the abandonment of a fairly long section of roadway. The underpass, completed in 1936, was itself was replaced with an overpass in 1970. Today, only traces remain of the original route. One surprising discovery was concrete paving still intact at the site of the old grade crossing just north of Famoso. It isn’t easy to access and, as it is along an active freeway, we do not recommend stopping.
