Category Archives: Palm Springs

US 99 – Edom to Calimesa – Part 1

Part 1 – Edom to Banning

Varner Road and Garnet Road
Thousand Palms to Garnet

From Thousand Palms to Garnet, old US 99 ran along Varner Road and Garnet Road. This was the original alignment and lasted until the 1940’s when this section was upgraded to an expressway on a new alignment.

In January 1922, construction began on what would become US 99. It was paved with a 16′ concrete slab. This was done in sections, with the first being between Whitewater and Edom. In May 1926, the roadway was widened with a new 4′ slab on one side, though this varied near curves, such as around Garnet Hill, where the widening work was used to soften the curves. In 1949, the roadway was paved over with asphalt, a covering which remains east of Palm Dr. Only a short while later, in 1952, the whole section would be bypassed by the alignment now covered by I-10.

1955 USGS map showing the Garnet area.

Varner Road

West end of Varner Road with the original centerline stripe and badly degraded 1949 asphalt.
Looking west toward San Gorgonio Pass
Wider 1922 concrete at the West Branch Salvia Wash crossing. Downstream is to the right.
Looking toward Palm Drive
1930’s view of Varner Road looking west toward San Gorgonio Pass. Courtesy – Caltrans

Garnet Road

Garnet Road at the “transition” where the widening work switches sides.
White striping still visible on the 1949 asphalt overlay

In late 2019, the old and degraded asphalt covering on Varner Rd was removed from Palm Dr to the terminus near I-10, revealing nearly pristine concrete. The roadway may not last in this condition, as there is a potential for commercial development in this area.

Whitewater

At Whitewater, the original alignment bends north from I-10 to cross the Whitewater River on a 1923 bridge. This bridge remains with almost no modifications since its construction. The approaches at both ends retain their original concrete as well, dating to 1922 with widening strips from 1926.

1923 Whitewater River Bridge
Detail of bridge railing with Mt San Jacinto and I-10 in the background.
Original wooden railing and concrete paving. Asphalt shoulders date to 1935.

In 1952, the bridge was bypassed by a new alignment to the south. This new alignment was built as a four-lane expressway and was converted to an eight-lane freeway in 1967 as I-10.

1955 USGS map showing the Whitewater area.
1953 view of the “new” Whitewater River bridges, now I-10. Courtesy – Caltrans

Railroad Ave / Main St / Johnson Ln
Whitewater to Banning

Railroad Ave from about 0.25 miles west of Haugen-Lehmann Way to Cabazon follows the original alignment of US 99. The roadway today acts as a frontage road to I-10. At Cabazon, the road becomes Main St. Between Morongo Trail and Banning, old US 99 followed Johnson Ln.

This section of old 99 has a similar story as earlier. Paved in 1922 with a 16′ concrete slab, widened in 1926 with a 4′ slab. Improvements were made in 1934, such as bridge widening and resurfacing. In 1940, the highway was widened to a four-lane expressway from Beaumont with a narrow median. Much of this roadway remains, albeit heavily modified. Eastbound I-10 encompasses former northbound US 99 with some of the 1940 bridges still in use. The frontage road, Railroad Ave, is the former southbound and original roadway. Portions of the road bear the marks showing the 1922 / 1926 concrete below.

1934 East Stubby Wash bridge on Railroad Ave.
1940 East Stubby Wash bridge, now eastbound I-10.
Looking east near Cabazon. Linear cracks in the pavement mark the edge of the 1922 / 1926 concrete.

Approaching Cabazon, portions of the former 1940 roadway is still visible though abandoned. It is a small section running about 0.4 miles east of Main St where it intersects I-10 south of the east Cabazon exit.

Abandoned former northbound side of the expressway near Cabazon.
Pavement still visible approaching the east Cabazon I-10 exit.
Looking west toward Cabazon. Bridge or culvert for the northbound side of the expressway was removed after the freeway was constructed in 1964.
Detail of the east Cabazon interchange.

In Cabazon proper, the highway widens to four lanes again. While the median was modified in later years, this section retains most of the “feel” of the old 1940 expressway. Heading west from Cabazon at Morongo Trail, the old alignment follows a partially abandoned frontage road. Access at the east end can be a bit tricky but has improved in recent years. Two culverts were removed between Morongo Trail and Malki Road (formerly Apache Trail), so use caution traveling this roadway.

1956 USGS map showing the route from Banning to Cabazon prior to freeway construction.
1966 USGS map showing the route after freeway construction.

Just west of the the Malki Road interchange, the San Gorgonio Wash bridge is crossed. It was originally constructed in 1925 and widened in 1935. I-10 occupies the former northbound side of the expressway here, with the 1940 bridge still in use, albeit widened in 1970. The bridge railing for the 1925 span is unusual as, when it was widened in 1935, the original style was kept. Normally, a more modern railing is used.

1925 San Gorgonio wash bridge.
1925 date stamp on one of the support beams underneath the span.

West of the San Gorgonio Wash bridge, the roadway is diverted again for the eastbound I-10 truck scales. At the east Banning interchange, the roadway finally ends. Travel to Banning requires taking I-10 from Malki Road to Ramsey St.

Striping still visible on the old alignment near Banning.
1940 culvert over Itta Wash near the truck scales

Related Links:

Featured Image – 1/1/2021

US 99 near Garnet, CA. First paved in 1922 with a 16′ slab and widened in 1926 to a full 20′. Asphalt was added in the past few years. Today, it is known as Varner Road and this concrete is exposed from Palm Dr to near I-10 / Mission Creek.

Mystery bridge over the San Jacinto River

On Sunday, June 16, I went on a motorcycle ride out toward Palm Springs. On Hwy 74 just east of Hemet, I stopped to inspect an abandoned concrete arch bridge to the side of the current bridge. The “new” span, where Hwy 74 crosses today, was built in 1929. This makes the abandoned span most likely from the 1910’s. It appears to have been longer, though the rest is long since washed away. I originally saw this bridge on a previous motorcycle ride, having missed it on every driving trip through here. It just goes to show that you see more on two wheels – be they motorcycle or bicycle wheels.

Last remaining arch
Last remaining arch

Evidence the bridge continued west. It looks like there may have been an additional arch span.
Evidence the bridge continued west. It looks like there may have been an additional arch span.

Looking east across the bridge deck toward current Hwy 74.
Looking east across the bridge deck toward current Hwy 74.

Current 1929 bridge across the river. Abandoned span is about 50 feet to the left.
Current 1929 bridge across the river. Abandoned span is about 50 feet to the left.

Detail of the railing on the bridge. Note the 90 degree end to the railing instead of the curved ends used later.
Detail of the railing on the bridge. Note the 90 degree end to the railing instead of the curved ends used later.

After leaving the bridge, I headed east on Hwy 74 up into the mountains. The roadway was recently repaved, which was badly needed. The new pavement was quite fun to ride, even with the extra twisty passing areas. The tires seemed to grip the road better allowing me to ride faster than I did before. I didn’t originally plan to go all the way to Palm Springs, but somehow I decided “Why Not?” and did it anyway. It was rather hot while I was there, so I didn’t stay long. Leaving town was almost as difficult as dealing with the heat. Strong west winds, typical for the area, were blowing and made riding somewhat unnerving at times. The winds finally subsided once I got to the Beaumont area and temperatures decreased quite a bit as well.

Seven Level Hill on Hwy 74 heading into Palm Desert.
Seven Level Hill on Hwy 74 heading into Palm Desert.