U.S. Route 66 in California
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East end | US 66 at Arizona state line | |||
Location | ||||
Country | United States | |||
State | California | |||
Counties | Los Angeles, San Bernardino | |||
Highway system | ||||
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U.S. Route 66 (US 66, Route 66) is a part of a former
History
US 66 was assigned by the
In 1977, "
Nationally, Route 66 has been a decommissioned highway since 1985, with the last section through Williams, Arizona, bypassed by I-40 in 1984. The first efforts to return the route to maps as "Historic Route 66" date to 1987 and Angel Delgadillo's Arizona Historic Route 66 Association. This initiative was soon followed in all eight US 66 states, including California.
The
Because the sections of historic Route 66 that are within urban Los Angeles (San Bernardino to Santa Monica) are still dedicated streets, they remain as the most used and heavily traveled Route 66 segments. However, because of the heavy traffic and later non-historic development along these sections, they are generally the least traveled by Route 66 enthusiasts. Modern guide books that describe how to follow historic Route 66 frequently suggest that when arriving at San Bernardino from the east, enthusiasts should enter Interstate 10 as a bypass for these segments exiting near Santa Monica to experience today's terminus.
In 2018, U.S. Bicycle Route 66 was established that follows portions of historic Route 66 within California and other areas in the country.
Old Trails Highway
From San Bernardino to the
This area is desert; towns like Amboy originated as Atlantic and Pacific Railroad stops and were sustained by Route 66 traffic during the Mother Road's heyday, then became ghost towns when I-40 bypassed them to the north. From Essex the highway was Goffs Road through Goffs until about 1931, joining I-40 at the US 95 exit. The later alignment is now I-40 east of Essex. The original highway winds around I-40 in the Needles area, before crossing the Colorado River into Arizona.
Route description
This section needs additional citations for verification. (March 2019) |
Santa Monica to San Bernardino
The original western terminus of Route 66 was in downtown Los Angeles at the intersection of 7th street and Broadway Ave.
The highway then ran northwards on SR 110 from Los Angeles to
From Downtown Pasadena, the highway continued east on Colorado Boulevard. In Arcadia, when crossing North Baldwin Avenue, Colorado Boulevard becomes Colorado Street, and after 0.3 miles (0.48 km) it changes again to Colorado Place. The highway then continues as Huntington Drive eastwards through Arcadia, Monrovia, and Duarte. After the road crosses the San Gabriel River into Irwindale, it becomes Foothill Boulevard after 5.7 miles (9.2 km). In Azusa, the highway veers away from Foothill Boulevard, becoming Alosta Avenue. The city of Glendora renamed their segment of Alosta Avenue to Route 66; the highway is known as Foothill Boulevard again when it enters into San Dimas.
Foothill Boulevard is then numbered
San Bernardino to the Arizona state line
US 66 originally exited San Bernardino on Mount Vernon Avenue and
By 1964, most or all of this part of the route had been replaced by three
Major intersections
County | Location | mi[7] | km | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
SR 1 | |||||
Los Angeles | 3.9 | 6.3 | SR 7 (Sepulveda Boulevard) | ||
11.0 | 17.7 | SR 170 | |||
14.4 | 23.2 | US 101 north (Sunset Boulevard) – Sacramento | west end of US 101 overlap | ||
15.9 | 25.6 | SR 2 east | |||
17.5 | 28.2 | San Pedro | east end of US 101 overlap; west end of US 6/US 99/SR 11 overlap | ||
18.9 | 30.4 | Figueroa Street Tunnels under Elysian Park | |||
Riverside Drive – Griffith Park, Burbank | |||||
Figueroa Street Viaduct over Los Angeles River | |||||
19.7 | 31.7 | Legislative Route 4) – Sacramento | east end of US 6/US 99 overlap | ||
24.5 | 39.4 | SR 134 west (Colorado Boulevard) – Ventura | |||
Arroyo Seco | |||||
SR 11 north (Linda Vista Avenue) | interchange; east end of SR 11 overlap | ||||
SR 118 west (Fair Oaks Avenue) – San Fernando | |||||
Broadway ( Legislative Route 205) | post-1940 US 66 west (via Arroyo Seco Parkway) | ||||
29.7 | 47.8 | Altadena Drive ( Legislative Route 9 east) | |||
East Pasadena | 31.2 | 50.2 | SR 19 south (Rosemead Boulevard) | ||
Legislative Route 9 west) | |||||
Azusa | 41.1 | 66.1 | SR 39 (Azusa Avenue) | ||
| 49.1 | 79.0 | SR 30 east (Baseline Road) | ||
| 51.6 | 83.0 | SR 71 south (Garey Avenue) – Pomona | ||
SR 83 | |||||
west end of US 91/US 395 overlap | |||||
78.5 | 126.3 | SR 30 (Highland Avenue) | |||
Devore | 84.9 | 136.6 | US 66 Bus. west (Kendall Drive) | ||
SR 138 east | |||||
SR 2 west / SR 138 west – Palmdale, Wrightwood | east end of SR 2 overlap | ||||
| 103.8 | 167.0 | US 395 north – Adelanto, Bishop | east end of US 395 overlap | |
Victorville | 115.8 | 186.4 | SR 18 east (D Street) – Apple Valley | ||
Las Vegas, Bakersfield | east end of US 91 overlap | ||||
| 294 | 473 | Las Vegas | west end of US 95 overlap | |
| 306 | 492 | US 95 south – Blythe | east end of US 95 overlap | |
| 316 | 509 | US 66 east | Arizona state line | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi |
Structures
Restaurants
Roy's Motel and Café was once the largest roadside business in what is now the desert ghost town of Amboy, California. The motel has been closed for years as the town died when Interstate 40 in California diverted traffic ten miles further north. Amboy, as a ghost town, had been used as a filming location for various movies. More recently, the Roy's filling station and café have operated at least sporadically in an attempt to preserve this landmark for tourism.
The Summit Inn, a diner and filling station originally located in 1928 at the summit of the Cajon Pass, moved to Oak Hills, California when the highway was re-routed in 1952. Its visitors include Elvis Presley, reported to have kicked the jukebox and left without dining after finding none of his own records among the available selections. The building was destroyed by the Blue Cut Fire on August 16, 2016.[8] The building's current owners plan to rebuild the restaurant, as it appeared before the fire.[9]
Camps, motor courts and motels
Route 66 has attracted campers since the Great Depression era, where The Grapes of Wrath describes a large but primitive riverside campground as one of the first sights when arriving in Needles, California from Arizona. Needles later became the site of the Carty's Camp cabins seen briefly in John Ford's 1940 film version of "The Grapes of Wrath" (now a deteriorating ghost tourist court) and the later adjacent 66 Motel (which currently offers long-term rental only).
The 1924
One of three restored Wigwam Motels accommodates motorists in San Bernardino near Rialto. Based on a once-patented novelty architecture, these are tourist courts in which each cabin is a free-standing concrete wigwam. This group of motels served as an inspiration for the Cozy Cone Motel in Cars (film).
Museums
California devotes a pair of
Bridges
The
The historic 1916
still stands but is no longer open to traffic as the roadbed has since been removed to carry a natural gas pipeline.See also
- California Roads portal
- U.S. Route 80 in California
- List of landmarks on U.S. Route 66
References
- ^ "Route 66 California". RoadTripUSA.com. Avalon Travel. Retrieved November 12, 2014.
- ^ Special Committee on U.S. Route Numbering (June 25, 1979). "Route Numbering Committee Agenda Showing Action Taken by the Executive Committee" (PDF) (Report). Washington, DC: American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials. p. 1 – via Wikimedia Commons.
- ^ Felder, Don (August 21, 2012). "Interview: Don Felder on The Eagles' Classic Song, 'Hotel California'". MusicRadar (Interview). Interviewed by Joe Bosso. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Nicols, Chris (March 3, 2017). "Know Your City: Where Does Route 66 Actually End?". Los Angeles Magazine. Retrieved October 31, 2018.
- ^ "Los Angeles". usends.com. Retrieved August 11, 2019.[self-published source]
- ^ Los Angeles and vicinity map (Map). Retrieved August 26, 2012 – via California Highways.[full citation needed]
- ^ Google (August 26, 2012). "US 66" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved August 26, 2012.
- ^ Mokhtari, Todd [@Todd_Mokhtari] (August 17, 2016). "This is the Summit Inn that's now burned. The #bluecutfire is still out of control that's why we... https://www.instagram.com/p/BJMYJokA4wl/" (Tweet). Retrieved February 15, 2017 – via Twitter.
- San Bernardino Sun. Retrieved August 24, 2016.
Further reading
- Duncan, Glen; California Route 66 Preservation Foundation (2005). Route 66 in California. Images of America. Mount Pleasant, South Carolina: ISBN 9780738530376.)
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External links
- California Highways: US 66
- Historic U.S. 66 at AARoads
- Historic American Engineering Record (HAER) No. CA-2345, "U.S. Route 66, Segments, Old Trails Arch Bridge to 0.2 miles east of Park Moabi Road, Needles, San Bernardino County, CA", 30 photos, 13 data pages, 3 photo caption pages