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 .

Western Terminus of US 66

Sort of correct, Santa Monica is the end, just not Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean Ave.

The west end of US 66, at least in popular culture, has always been at the Pacific Ocean, or at least close to it. Santa Monica Pier, at times, touts itself as the western end. The intersection of Ocean Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd also does the same. While both are scenic and somewhat obvious ends, they simply are not correct.

Will Rogers Highway plaque at Santa Monica Blvd and Ocean Ave

As US 66 was by California standards, a State Highway, it falls under a specific standard. All signed routes, be they a State, US, or even Interstate Highway, ran along specified roadways which were all State Highways and maintained by the State. Signage for such routes would not have been on any other roadway, for a multitude of reasons. This may seem confusing to the layperson, but it does make sense. There is, as the saying goes, method to the madness. Think of it from a legal standpoint. If a highway is signed as a State, US, or Interstate route, the layperson (generally the public) would assume it be maintained by an agency above the city it passes through. Liability for such a roadway goes to the State. If the State has no interest in the roadway, there is no reason to push this perceived liability upon it. Therefore, only roadways maintained by the State get signed. Seems simple enough.

Now, how does this pertain to the western end of US 66 you ask? Both the pier and the intersection of Ocean and Santa Monica are not State Highways nor part of a State Highway The true end of the road was at a place that was far less extravagant and scenic. The end of US 66 was at the intersection of Lincoln Blvd and Olympic Blvd, which was the junction of US 66 (Lincoln Blvd north of Olympic), US 101 Alternate (Lincoln Blvd south of Olympic), and State Highway 26 (Olympic Blvd). Today, this intersection is at Lincoln Blvd, Olympic Blvd, and the Santa Monica Freeway. The western end of Olympic was subsumed by the Santa Monica Freeway (originally to be named the Olympic Freeway) in 1965. This western end existed from 1935 until 1964, when US 66 was cut back to Los Angeles.

1935 Los Angeles – US 66 ends at US 99 near Glendale at Fletcher Dr / San Fernando Road
1950 USGS map showing US 66 ending at Olympic Blvd / Lincoln Blvd

Eventually, US 66 was cut back even further. Initially to Downtown Los Angeles, it was further reduced as time passed, and by 1984 the route was entirely gone. Today, the highway is marked by Historic Route signs across most of its journey through the Los Angeles area.

So, when visiting the west end of US 66, do it right. Visit the intersection of Lincoln Blvd and Olympic Blvd. Any other location is incorrect. If you do visit the pier, make sure to check out their exhibit on Bob Waldmire near the west end of Pacific Park, who helped promote old US 66 with his very intricate and detailed artwork.

At Lincoln Blvd and Olympic Blvd, heading north on Lincoln Blvd
BEGIN signage at Olympic Blvd / Lincoln Blvd
Signage at Lincoln Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd showing US 66 heading east on Santa Monica Blvd
Former State 1 / State 2 junction signage. This marks the end of State 2 and US 66.

Old State 136 near Keeler, CA

Map of Dolomite Loop Road and current State 136. Stars at center mark the former railroad crossing locations. Photos below show the southern crossing.

The Owens Valley in Inyo County, California is home to many fascinating highway relics. One road in particular toward the southern end of the Owens Valley southeast of Lone Pine, State Highway 136, had a very unique and rare feature – old railroad grade crossing markings. Until 1964, it was known as State Highway 190 and was realigned quite a bit between the Owens River and Keeler in the late 1940’s and early 1950’s as travel to Death Valley became more popular. Most of the old alignments are still traversable today, complete with original paving. The longest intact section is known as Dolomite Loop Road and runs between the Owens River bridge to just north of Swansea.

Former SPRR (Carson and Colorado Railway) grade crossing near Dolomite mine. Remains of rails and ties can be seen here at the darker asphalt patch.

These crossings were still in use until the whole line was abandoned in April 1960. The markings themselves likely date to the 1940’s. They are made of a large X and an arrow pointing to the crossing itself.

Looking southerly toward the northern Dolomite mine grade crossing.
Northerly view at the Dolomite mine crossing. The former railroad grade can be seen low berm to the left of the roadway.

Original pavement remaining at Castaic Junction, CA on old US 99

Castaic Junction, located just north of Six Flags Magic Mountain in the Santa Clarita Valley was an important stop along US 99 and State 126 until the 1980’s. A Standard Oil gas station, one of the largest and busiest at the time, was located here in addition to Tip’s Restaurant. The restaurant was reported to be the last stop for James Dean before he died on September 30, 1955. A Beacon station also existed here at the south side of the junction, though it didn’t last as long as the Standard station. The gas station closed sometime in the 1980’s and the restaurant persisted as the Castaic Junction restaurant a bit longer.

A Brief History of the Roadway Changes

Map of the original version of Castaic Junction before the 1948 widening.
1944 view of Castaic Junction looking southerly. SR-126 enters from the right. Courtesy – Caltrans

The roadway through the junction has also undergone many changes since it was first paved. In 1917, a 15′ concrete slab was laid down. This was widened in 1922 by adding two 2.5′ slabs on either side of the existing concrete. At the time, Castaic Junction was a “wye” intersection, with US 99 making up the east side and State 126 on the south side. The west side was a connector road from SB US 99 to WB 126. In 1931, the 1917/1922 pavement was removed and replaced with a wider two-lane section along the same route. By 1933, an additional lane was added making it a three-lane “suicide lane” setup.

Looking northerly at Castaic Junction in 1948 just after widening. Photo Courtesy – Caltrans

In 1948, yet more changes were made to the junction. US 99 was realigned a bit to the east and made a four-lane expressway. State 126 was also widened, though just at the junction itself. The former west leg of the junction was removed as the Standard Oil gas station was augmented. This configuration lasted until 1964 when I-5 was constructed and the whole intersection was bypassed.

1969 aerial photo showing the 126 Freeway and I-5 Freeway adjacent to the original Castaic Junction. Courtesy – Caltrans

Today, little remains of any of the structures that existed at the junction. A new shopping center and Caltrans maintenance yard occupy the area east of the junction. The original traffic signals were replaced and additional curbs were added.

Surprisingly, the original 1917 wye junction remains nearly completely intact. The west and east legs of the junction are still visible, despite a major realignment, the construction of the Standard Oil gas station in 1948, and its subsequent demolition. How long any of this will last is unknown as development is likely to erase these traces in the near future.

Further Reading:

US 99 – Castaic Junction

Current photos of the intersection

Aerial view of Castaic Junction from May 2022. Black lines denote remaining wye intersection. Courtesy – Google Earth
Looking north toward the west leg of the wye. The slight rise and banking can be seen here to the left.
Looking north along the west leg of the wye intersection. Pavement still visible after all these years.
Southerly view along the west leg of the wye. This is roughly where the east and west legs merged.
South end of the east leg of the wye. The lines of plants are 10 feet apart, making this the 1931 paving, likely the southbound lane.

Ridge Route Work Event – May 20, 2023

Event announcement from the Ridge Route Preservation Organization. Please go to their website to sign up and get additional information.

We are planning our first CUTRR – Clean Up The Ridge Route â€“ 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!

For additional information on our CUTRR events:

CUTRR – Clean Up The Ridge Route

Clothing Requirements:

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.

Historic Sign Revealed in Los Angeles

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.

For more information about US 99:

Enjoy it while it lasts!

Sign bridge on eastbound 134 showing the US 99 sign.
US 99 revealed! A State 134 EAST sign remains covered on the left side of the sign.