All posts by Michael F Ballard

Michael F Ballard is the author and administrator of the Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads website, 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. Founder of the Historic Highway 99 Association of California, https://historic99.org .

General Updates – May 2020

The last couple of months have definitely been interesting in many ways. I had planned to hold a Clean Up The Ridge Route event this weekend, but those plans were delayed. I had hoped to travel a bit more, including flying out to Phoenix to be at my husband’s graduation ceremony. Well… as the whole planet is aware, things have gone awry in many ways. Some of them have been a bit more positive on my end at least. Instead of coming home after graduation, my husband came home in early April and completed his schooling online. Now, he has a Master’s in Computer Engineering. I have been working at home as well, which has been somewhat nice. I say somewhat, as it was nice to at least get out more often. I can’t beat the commute though!

The one thing this whole situation has allowed me to do has been to get some much needed work and updates done to this site. I’ve been adding photos, maps, and some pages to my US 6, US 99, and Ridge Route tours. The Grapevine Canyon page on the US 99 tour has had quite a bit added to it. I’ve also added quite a few photos to my Southern California Highways pages. My geology pages have also been getting a bit of attention. This situation has given me a bit more opportunity to go through my archives in a bit more detail and add them to the site when possible. In time, I plan to add a lot more maps to the site overall, as it is one thing it is really lacking.

I did want to say that this situation, while frustrating at times, is temporary. We may not go back to whatever we called normal for some time, but do we really want to? This is an opportunity to make some real and positive changes to how we handle so many things. If nothing else, it has taught us that we really need to upgrade our digital infrastructure. I do look forward to returning to some level of normalcy, such as a monthly trip over the Ridge Route, going to wineries, and visiting the Wisteria Candy Cottage for some of the best chocolates and fudge in San Diego County. All will need our support and more after this is over. If you have a favorite business that is presently closed, be sure to tell them via e-mail or phone how you feel. They need to hear it!

East Los Angeles Interchange Signage

In 1958, when the East Los Angeles Interchange started to be built, the routes that were planned to go through it were a little different that what is there today. I-10 was originally to be State 26 and I-5 was a part of US 99. US 101 remained the same. State 60 was to be State 26. The routing of the interstates through cities wasn’t quite settled yet and many of the roads were planned to be State or US routes.

After the signs were installed, some of them were temporarily overlaid until the Pomona Freeway connections were completed. A portion of the original route planned for that freeway, State 26, was visible. While some have speculated it was actually US 60 underneath there, reverting to State 60 after the 1964 route renumbering, these plans show otherwise. How far east the State Route 26 signage would have gone does remain unknown. It is likely it would have gone at least as far as the 57, if not all the way to the 71, as US 60 was effectively terminated at the present junction of I-10 and State 71 about 1960.

1958 plans for signage at the I-5/I-10/US 101/SR-60 Interchange (58-7vc41)
1958 plans for signage at the I-5/I-10/US 101/SR-60 Interchange (58-7vc41)
Plans in 1960 reflecting the shift to more Interstates routes (60-7vc5)
Plans in 1960 reflecting the shift to more Interstates routes (60-7vc5

For additional photos and information about the interchange, head on over to the East Los Angeles Interchange page.

From the Archives – 1956

Looking south toward Mission Bay. Courtesy – Caltrans

The first section of the San Diego Freeway in San Diego (US 101 at the time) to be constructed was the Mission Bay Bypass in 1954. Elements of this construction can still be seen today, such as some older curbing at the intersection of Damon Ave and Santa Fe St. North and south of this small section of freeway, it was still a narrower four-lane roadway with some expressway sections. Between 1966 (north) and 1969 (south), the adjacent sections were constructed, completing I-5 in the City of San Diego.

US 99 Tour Extension

It has taken a while, but I have finally extended my Virtual Tour of US 99, again. This extension adds another 40 miles to the tour, bringing the northern terminus to just south of Tulare, California. A friend of mine helped getting some of the photos as well. In time, I will extend the tour yet further to Fresno, but it will take a while as I am missing photos at this time. If anyone is willing to help, let me know and I can tell you what I will need.

So why not take a tour of one of California’s more historic roadways?

Highway Videos

A friend of mine has been posting some really good videos on roadways throughout Southern California and Arizona. I highly recommend them as they offer an opportunity to travel some of the roads without leaving the comfort of your home during this time. Roads such as US 66 across the Mojave Desert, I-10 from Los Angeles to Phoenix, I-8 across the Imperial Valley, and more are covered. Check it out!

Forgotton Hwy

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCh5_CsGFLl-Iyf79dKw6VSA