U.S. Route 50 in California
Route information | ||
---|---|---|
Maintained by Caltrans | ||
Length | 108.624 mi[1] (174.813 km) | |
Existed | 1926–present | |
Tourist routes | US 50 between SR 49 in Placerville and SR 89 near South Lake Tahoe[2] | |
Major junctions | ||
West end | I-80 in West Sacramento | |
| ||
East end | US 50 at Nevada state line in Stateline, NV | |
Location | ||
Country | United States | |
State | California | |
Counties | Yolo, Sacramento, El Dorado | |
Highway system | ||
|
U.S. Route 50 (US 50) is a transcontinental
The US 50 corridor is a historic one, used by many
Route description
US 50 begins in
At the US 50/Business 80/SR 99 interchange, Business 80 splits to the north, SR 99 heads south, and US 50 continues east as the El Dorado Freeway
Leaving Placerville, the expressway through town starts, only to end several miles later. The final section of freeway begins near Camino, where the Lincoln Highway splits from US 50, and ends at the east end of Pollock Pines. Just east of Pollock Pines, US 50 continues as an undivided conventional highway with one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes, entering the river canyon of the South Fork American River near Riverton and crossing to the north side of the river near Ice House Road.
As the highway continues ascending the Sierras, US 50 regularly gets snow at higher elevations from fall to spring. The
From Ice House Road to the crest of the Sierras, US 50 is a steadily rising mostly two-lane road, staying just north of the river except for a 1995 cutoff that crosses the river twice in quick succession west of
From Echo Summit down to the
US 50 has been added to the California Freeway and Expressway System by the state legislature,[15] and is part of the National Highway System,[16] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[17] The highway east of SR 49 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System,[18] and has been recognized as such except within the South Lake Tahoe city limits,[19] meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.[20]
History
Emigrant trails and wagon roads
The earliest roads used by Europeans to cross the
John Calhoun Johnson of Placerville surveyed and cleared a shorter, lower (and thus less snow-covered) trail east from that town in 1852, completing the work by the summer. Rather than following the ridge to the Sierra's crest as the Mormons had, Johnson headed eastward to the South Fork American River, crossing to its north side near the present Pacific Ranger Station in order to follow Peavine Ridge around a rocky stretch of the river. Returning to the river between Kyburz and Strawberry, he then continued alongside it to the crest at Johnson Pass, where a steep slope descended to Lake Tahoe. Within Nevada, his route generally followed the lake to Glenbrook, where it turned inland and crossed the Carson Range over Spooner Summit into the Carson Valley near Carson City. This trail, known as Johnson's Cut-off, generally followed the present US 50, with notable deviations only just east of Placerville (via Carson Road), over Peavine Ridge (roughly following Peavine Ridge Road, some trails, and Wrights Lake Road), just east of Strawberry (via Slippery Ford Road), over the crest of the Sierra (via Johnson Pass Road and Meyers Road), south of Lake Tahoe (via Pioneer Trail), east of Lake Tahoe (via Genoa Peak Road[22]), and from Spooner Summit into the Carson Valley (via Kings Canyon Road). By 1854, Bartlett's Bridge had been built at the trail's westernmost crossing of the American River, allowing wagons to follow the cutoff;[23] it was soon washed away by a freshet on March 7, 1855, and replaced by Brockliss Bridge, several miles to the east.[24] Due to an improvement of the road through Carson Canyon on the old Carson Route, most travelers ended up turning southeast from Johnson Pass over Luther Pass (present SR 89) to join the older route northeast of Carson Pass rather than following the cutoff along Lake Tahoe.[25][26]
Johnson's Cut-off was the only trail that could be used year-round, but it still had problems, as it had been built without use of earth-moving equipment, and thus did not always take the optimal route. The state adopted a survey by Sherman Day in September 1855, but failed to make use of it. Two years later, the counties of Yolo, Sacramento, and El Dorado, all of which would be benefited by further improvements, began planning and carrying out work. The state legislature created a "Board of Wagon Commissioners" on March 8, 1858, and it completed the improvements by the end of that year. This new route had better grades than the old cutoff, deviating from it in several places: it followed the present Smith Flat Road rather than Carson Road east of Placerville, traversed Peavine Ridge much further down the slope, returning to the river west of Kyburz (roughly via the present White Meadows Road, Ice House Road, and Weber Mill Road to US 50 at Granite Springs Road), and crossed into Carson Valley via Luther Pass. By 1860, the immense traffic over the road and lack of maintenance had worsened it to the point that it could no longer be used by stagecoaches.[26][27]
To provide for better maintenance, improvements funded by
West of Placerville, the wagon road headed south to
State maintenance and reconstruction
At the dawn of the
With the passage of the first state highway
The
Extension to San Francisco
By the early 1930s, US 50 had been extended to San Francisco via the former
to Sacramento.Freeway and expressway upgrades
Location | Sacramento, California |
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Length | 6 mi[62][6] (9.7 km) |
When the
In 1980, California submitted to the
For many years, the four lanes from Sacramento stopped at Riverton, where the original two-lane road continued through the canyon and over Echo Summit.[71][72] The state rejected a proposed $133 million total realignment between Riverton and Kyburz in 1985, instead opting for a less expensive program of spot improvements including new bridges and passing lanes.[73] Portions of the work were completed by 1987, including a four-lane bridge at Riverton (though two lanes are used by traffic turning at Ice House Road at the east end of the bridge).[74] Between White Hall and Kyburz, a pair of four-lane bridges over the South Fork American River, carrying a realignment across a bend in the river, were dedicated on May 31, 1995, as the El Dorado County Veterans Bridges.[75]
The route through the South Fork American River Canyon remains vulnerable to
Major junctions
Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary ( ).[1] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
County | Location | Postmile [1][66][79] | Exit [80][81] | Destinations | Notes | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US 99W north | ||||||
0.35 | 1A | I-880 east; I-80 exit 82 | ||||
1.20 | 1B | Harbor Boulevard | Signed as exit 1 eastbound | |||
2.50 | 3 | US 99W south | ||||
Jefferson Boulevard (SR 84) / South River Road | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||||
Sacramento River | 3.16 0.00[a] | Pioneer Memorial Bridge | ||||
Los Angeles | Western end of SR 99 concurrency; I-5 exit 518 | |||||
0.61 Downtown Sacramento Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; former SR 99 | | |||||
10th Street – Downtown Sacramento | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||||
1.37 | ||||||
16th Street | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former | |||||
2.48Eastern terminus of unsigned I-305; eastern end of I-80 BL/SR 99/I-305 concurrency; eastbound exit and westbound entrance; US 50 east follows I-80 BL exit 6A | | |||||
L2.30 | 6A | 26th Street | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
R0.00 | 6B | SR 99 south (South Sacramento Freeway) – Fresno | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
R0.14 | 6C | I-80 BL east (Capital City Freeway east) – Reno | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former I-80 east | |||
R0.57 | 7 | 34th Street | Eastbound exit only | |||
Stockton Boulevard | No eastbound exit | |||||
R2.13 | 8A | 59th Street | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | |||
R2.63 | 8B | 65th Street | Signed as exit 8 westbound | |||
R3.47 | 9 | SR 16 east (Howe Avenue) / Power Inn Road – Cal State University Sacramento | Cal State Univ. Sacramento not signed westbound | |||
R5.34 | 11 | Watt Avenue | ||||
Rancho Cordova | R7.75 | 13 | Bradshaw Road | |||
R9.51 | 15 | Mather Field Road – Mather Field, Rancho Cordova | ||||
R10.92 | 17 | Zinfandel Drive – Rancho Cordova | ||||
12.50 | 18 | Sunrise Boulevard ( CR E2) – Fair Oaks | ||||
15.76 | 21 | Hazel Avenue ( CR E3 ) | ||||
| 16.10 | 22 | Aerojet Road | Eastbound exit only | ||
Folsom | 17.01 | 23 | Folsom Boulevard | Former US 50 | ||
19.23 | 25 | Prairie City Road | ||||
21.50 | 27 | East Bidwell Street | ||||
| 28 | Empire Ranch Road | Proposed interchange[83] | |||
El Dorado ED 0.00–80.44 | El Dorado Hills | 0.86 | 30 | Latrobe Road / El Dorado Hills Boulevard | Signed as exits 30A (Latrobe Road) and 30B (El Dorado Hills Boulevard) eastbound | |
R1.83 | 31 | Silva Valley Parkway / White Rock Road | ||||
El Dorado Hills–Cameron Park line | R3.23 | 32 | Bass Lake Road | |||
Cameron Park | 4.96 | 34 | Cambridge Road – Cameron Park | |||
6.57 | 35 | Cameron Park Drive | ||||
Shingle Springs | R8.56 | 37 | Ponderosa Road | |||
| R10.31 | 39 | Shingle Springs Drive | |||
| R11.22 | 40 | Red Hawk Parkway | |||
| R12.19 | 41 | Greenstone Road | |||
Diamond Springs | R14.01 | 43 | El Dorado Road | |||
R15.06 | 44A | Missouri Flat Road – Diamond Springs | ||||
Placerville | 15.83 | 44B | Forni Road / Placerville Drive | |||
16.50 | 45 | Ray Lawyer Drive | No westbound exit | |||
16.99 | 46 | Placerville Drive | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | |||
17.42 | 46 | Central Placerville, Diamond Springs (Main Street) | Closed; former eastbound exit | |||
17.52 | Canal Street | At-grade intersection ; eastern end of freeway | ||||
17.67 | At-grade intersection | |||||
17.76 | Coloma Street | Westbound exit only; western end of freeway | ||||
18.52 | 47 | Broadway / Mosquito Road / Main Street | No eastbound entrance; signed as Broadway eastbound, Mosquito Road / Main Street westbound | |||
19.13 | 48 | Schnell School Road / Apple Hill Drive | ||||
20.30 | 49A | Point View Drive | Signed as exit 49 eastbound | |||
| 20.75 | 49B | Smith Flat | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance; eastern end of freeway | ||
At-grade intersection; connects to Lincoln Highway east; western end of freeway | ||||||
R25.95 | 54 | Cedar Grove, Camino (Carson Road) | Signed as Cedar Grove eastbound, Camino westbound | |||
Pollock Pines | R28.84 | 57 | Ridgeway Drive | Formerly signed as Pollock Pines eastbound, Cedar Grove westbound | ||
R31.30 | 60 | Sly Park Road ( US 50 Alt. east | ||||
Eastern end of freeway | ||||||
| 66.48[84] | Echo Summit, elevation 7,382 feet (2,250 m)[84] | ||||
US 50 Alt. west | ||||||
71.00 | Agricultural Inspection Station (westbound only) | |||||
Emerald Bay, Tahoe City | Eastern end of SR 89 overlap | |||||
80.44 | US 50 east – Stateline | Continuation into Nevada | ||||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
|
See also
- California Roads portal
Footnotes
- ^ a b c California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- ^ California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 27, 2019.
- ^ Martinez, Jeremiah (December 16, 2022). "Why California's capital city has a freeway sign for a Maryland resort town". Sacramento, CA: KTXL. Retrieved December 18, 2022.
- ^ "Runtime Error" (PDF). caltrans.ca.gov. Retrieved February 16, 2024.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: Sacramento, CA (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved April 26, 2021.
- ^ a b "Interstate 305 (California)".[self-published source?]
- ^ "Sacramento Office – Driving Directions". California Secretary of State. Retrieved May 5, 2018.
- USGS. ACME Mapper. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ "Chain Controls / Chain Installation". California Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ "Truck Chain Requirements". California Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 15, 2023.
- ^ Burns, Bob (July 3, 2000). "Magic Mountain". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
- ^ "U.S. begins first work at altitude". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. Associated Press. July 16, 1968. p. 13.
- ^ Payne, Bob (August 16, 1968). "Olympic camp's press 'ban' unpopular". Spokesman-Review. Spokane, Washington. p. 18.
- ^ "Vanderstock shatters record; Ryun 7th". Eugene-Register Guard. Oregon. Associated Press. September 12, 1968. p. 1B.
- ^ "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: California (North) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- ^ "Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets & Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ^ California Department of Transportation (2012). Scenic Highway Guidelines (PDF). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. p. 5. Retrieved June 8, 2017.
- ISBN 978-0-520-92621-9.
- ^ Bauman, Sam (August 17, 2007). "Magnificent views await weary at top of Genoa Peak". Nevada Appeal. Carson City, NV. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ^ ISBN 978-0-8047-4482-9.
- OCLC 6913367.
- ^ Howard (1998), pp. 62–65.
- ^ OCLC 5338040.
- ^ Howard (1998), pp. 144–155.
- OCLC 1865416. Archived from the originalon October 15, 2012. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ Howard (1998), pp. 155–156.
- ^ Map of the State of California (Map) (1st. ed.). 1:1,520,640. Cartography by George H. Goddard. Britton & Rey. 1857. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- ISBN 978-1-56044-233-2.
- OCLC 6840396. Archived from the originalon May 12, 2008.
- ISBN 978-0-87095-001-8.
- ^ California State Assembly. "An act to authorize the state of California to secure the title to and right of way for that certain wagon-road...commencing a short distance easterly from the village of Smith's Flat...and running thence to Lake Tahoe..." Thirty-first Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 128 p. 119.
- ^ Johnston, A.J., ed. (1899). "Report of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road Commissioner, November 29, 1898". Appendix to the Journals of Senate and Assembly of the Thirty-Third Session of the Legislature of the State of California. Sacramento, CA: State Printing. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ California State Assembly. "An act declaring the wagon road extending from the western end of the Lake Tahoe state wagon road to the eastern limits of the city of Placerville to be a state highway". Forty-first Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 32 p. 41.
- ^ a b Howard (1998), p. 175.
- Department of Engineering (1908). Report of the Department of Engineering of the State of California, May 11, 1907 to November 30, 1908. Sacramento, CA: State Printing Office. pp. 107–112. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ Department of Engineering (1917). Fifth Biennial Report of the Department of Engineering of the State of California, December 1, 1914, to November 30, 1916. Sacramento, CA: State Printing Office. pp. 181–182. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ Automobile road map of California : showing principal and secondary roads connecting with and adjacent to the state highway system (Map). 1:1,160,000. Automobile Club of Southern California. 1917. Retrieved July 28, 2011.
- League of American Wheelmen (January–June 1913). "California State Highway Surveys". Good Roads. 43. New York: Burton Publishing Co.: 138.
- OCLC 2577561. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ California State Assembly. "An act to amend sections 2, 3 and 5 and to add two sections to be numbered 6 and 7 to an act entitled 'An act to provide for the acquisition of rights of way for and the construction, maintenance..." Fiftieth Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 767 p. 2036.: "Walnut Creek-Stockton Road near Antioch to Sacramento."
- ^ California State Assembly. "An act to establish a Streets and Highways Code, thereby consolidating and revising the law relating to public ways and all appurtenances thereto, and to repeal certain acts and parts of acts specified herein". Fifty-first Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 29 p. 275.: "Route 11 is from Route 75 near Antioch to the Nevada State line near Lake Tahoe via Sacramento, Folsom, Placerville and Sportsman's Hall."
- OCLC 7418943. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ Patrick, Kevin J.; Wilson, Robert E. (August 2002). "Chapter 16: Lincoln Highway in Nevada". Lincoln Highway Resource Guide (PDF). Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 6, 2006.
- .
- ISBN 978-0-528-00336-3.
- ^ Auto Road Atlas (Map). Rand McNally. 1926. Retrieved January 26, 2013.
- ^ Folsom (Map). 1:62500. United States Geological Survey. 1944. Archived from the original on October 16, 2006.
- ^ Folsom (Map). 1:62500. United States Geological Survey. 1941. Archived from the original on January 9, 2009. (road data updated later, since it shows the completed bypass)
- ^ OCLC 37787521.
- ^ California (Map). Rand McNally. 1933. Archived from the original on December 2, 2011.
- Division of Highways. 1934. Archived from the originalon July 26, 2011.
- Modesto Bee and News-Herald. December 4, 1936.
Those bound for Oakland can proceed from the distribution structure out US 50, via Thirty-eighth Street, Moss Avenue, Excelsior, Hopkins, Trenor and Foothill Boulevard or down Cypress Street to East Seventh Street.
- H.M. Gousha. 1941. Archived from the originalon June 25, 2008.
- ^ California (Map). H.M. Gousha. 1963.
- ^ California State Assembly. "An act to add Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) to Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, and to repeal Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, the..." 1963 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 385 p. 1175.: "Route 50 is from Route 80 in Sacramento to the Nevada state line near Lake Tahoe via Placerville."
- ^ San Francisco (Map). Thomas Guide. 1967. Archived from the original on June 26, 2009.
- ^ "Highway Projects Speed Along". Modesto Bee and News-Herald. July 19, 1967.
Route 205, which will be the north Tracy Bypass linking Route 580 (the present Route 50) to Interstate 5.
- ^ San Francisco (Map). H.M. Gousha. 1968.
- ^ "Table 2: Auxiliary Routes of the Dwight D. Eisenhower National System Of Interstate and Defense Highways". Federal Highway Administration. December 31, 2016. Retrieved December 22, 2017.
- ^ California State Assembly. "An act to amend Sections 306, 320, 332, 351, 362, 365, 369, 374, 382, 388, 397, 407, 408, 409, 410, 415, 422, 435, 440, 446, 453, 456, 460, 467, 470, 476, 487, 492, 493, 494, 506, 521, 528, and 529..." 1959 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 1062 p. 3111.: "US 50 from Sacramento to the Nevada state line."
- Mountain Democrat. Placerville, CA. September 5, 1963.
- ^ "New Freeway Section Opened to Traffic". Mountain Democrat. Placerville, CA. July 16, 1970.
- ^ a b California Department of Transportation (April 2018). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
- ^ "Mountain Democrat". Placerville, CA. December 28, 1972.
The final leg of the El Dorado freeway (US 50 from Sunrise to west of Watt avenue in Sacramento county) is scheduled to open sometime next month.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (November 14, 1980). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 1. Retrieved May 2, 2018 – via Wikimedia Commons.
- ^ California State Assembly. "An act to amend...the Streets and Highways Code, relating to state highways". 1981–1982 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 292 p. 1417.: "Route 50 is from Route 80 west of Sacramento to the Nevada state line near Lake Tahoe via Placerville."
- ^ "California Log of Bridges of State Highways: District 3" (PDF). Caltrans. April 2018. pp. 14–15. Retrieved April 8, 2018.
- Sacramento Bee. November 28, 1988. p. B1.
holiday-jammed traffic was stop-and-go on US 50 from Echo Summit to Riverton, where the trans-Sierra Nevada route widens to four lanes.
- ^ Auto Road Atlas: United States, Canada, Mexico (Map). Rand McNally. 1988.
- ^ "Shifting US 50 Opposed; Improvement Plan Favored by State". Sacramento Bee. May 9, 1985. p. B1.
- ^ "Caltrans Reveals New Plan for the County". Mountain Democrat. Placerville, CA. July 29, 1988.
- ^ "Mountain Democrat". Placerville, CA. May 22, 1995.
- ^ Staff. "Storm restoration of US 50". California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on June 27, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2008.
- ^ Special Committee on US Route Numbering (1989–2007). Committee Action (Report). American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. Archived from the original on February 3, 2007.
- ^ Maillard, Zachary (July 5, 2004). End Mormon Emigrant Trail at CA 88 (US 50 Alt) (photograph).
- ^ Staff (2005–2006). "All Traffic Volumes on CSHS". California Department of Transportation.
- California Numbered Exit Uniform System. California Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- California Numbered Exit Uniform System. California Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 15, 2021.
- ^ a b Windmiller, Joel. "Elvas Freeway — US 99E (map of Sacramento showing the routing of US 99W)". Golden State Highways. Archived from the original on July 9, 2011. Retrieved July 23, 2011.
- ^ Richard, Sel (March 24, 2021). "Interchange at Empire Ranch Road proposed". The Mountain Democrat. Placerville, California. p. A1. Retrieved August 31, 2022.
- ^ a b "Elevation and Location of Summits and Passes in California". California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017.
External links
- Caltrans: US 50 highway conditions
- Caltrans Traffic Conditions Map
- California Highway Patrol Traffic Incidents
- California Highways - Routes 49 through 56: US Highway 50
- California @ AARoads - U.S. Highway 50
- 50corridor.com - US 50 traffic information in Sacramento and Folsom areas
- CalTrans District 3 chain control map
- Web cameras by region, including U.S. Route 50.