Historic US 395 in San Diego County

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Inland Route

Introduction

US 395 came to Southern California in 1935.  Prior to the route being signed as US 395, it was State Highway 71. Through San Diego County, US 395 followed a few different alignments. The first version of the highway passed through Fallbrook, Bonsall, and Vista before heading to Escondido. In 1947, the highway was realigned to follow the current I-15 route between Escondido and Rainbow. In 1949, 395 was realigned again south of Escondido to Miramar. The period following the major realignments, the 1950’s to 1969, saw mostly improvements to the existing highway. US 395 was upgraded to freeway and expressway south of Escondido with the portion north of Escondido to Riverside County remaining a two-lane roadway.

In 1969, US 395 was decommissioned south of where it met I-15 near Phelan. The route was then designated as I-15 and I-215. With the new Interstate designation, more upgrades would be constructed, this time as a full freeway. These would be slow in coming, however, as the last sections of freeway along the I-15 corridor wouldn’t be completed until the early 1980’s.

Today, what remains of former US 395 is still traversable and quite a fun road to travel. North of the Escondido area, the roadway is known as “Old Highway 395” and retains most of its original pre-freeway features. This website will focus on the remaining roadway and some of its historic alignments before the major realignments in the late 1940’s in San Diego County.

Origin of Pomerado Road

1903 USGS Map showing Merton and Poway

Pomerado Road is a portmanteau of sorts. It combines the names POway, MERton, and BernArDO. Merton is a former settlement located near the present intersection of Pomerado Road and Poway Road. This road name is similar to nearby Espola Road, which was the “EScondido – POway – LAkeside Road”.

Alignments and Maps

US 395 had a few different alignments in the San Diego area. The first, in 1935, started at the intersection of 12th Ave and Market St. By 1948, the start was shifted to Market Street and Harbor Dr. Around 1969, just before US 395 was cut back to Phelan, it ended at Harbor Dr and Pacific Highway. Alignments varied quite a bit from that point until 1948, when it was routed onto the Cabrillo Freeway through Balboa Park and Kearny Mesa.

1939 map showing the original alignment of US 395 in San Diego County.
1939 map showing US 395 in San Diego
Screenshot from City of San Diego video in early 1970. This is looking northbound on Pacific Highway at Harbor Dr from the southern terminus of US 395. Both 395 and 163 are signed here to help the transition between the two routes.
1953 USGS map of downtown San Diego showing the routes as they pass through town. Harbor Dr south of Pacific Highway has been realigned to more closely follow the railroad tracks.

Photographs

Northbound on the Cabrillo Freeway approaching the Robinson Ave bridge.
Northbound on the Cabrillo Freeway approaching the Robinson Ave bridge.
Washington Street Overcrossing viewed from Robinson Avenue.
Washington Street Overcrossing viewed from Robinson Avenue.
Former alignment of the US 395 expressway/freeway between Miramesa Blvd and Mercy Road.
Former alignment of the US 395 expressway/freeway between Mira Mesa Blvd and Mercy Road.
1928 bridge on Old Pomerado Road in Poway.
1928 bridge on Old Pomerado Road in Poway.
Section of alignment along the north shore of Lake Hodges.
Section of alignment along the north shore of Lake Hodges.
US 395 expressway in Escondido crossing Escondido Creek. Note the 395 postmile marker on the right side.
US 395 expressway in Escondido crossing Escondido Creek. Note the 395 postmile marker on the right side at the bridge.
Mileage and direction sign at the old junction of US 395 and SR-78 in Escondido. Sign dates from 1962.
Mileage and direction sign at the old junction of US 395 and SR-78 in Escondido. Sign dates from 1962. Covered area likely showed mileage to Del Mar.
Mileage along Centre City Parkway in Escondido.
Mileage along Centre City Parkway in Escondido.
Route 395 Milepost just north of Escondido.
Route 395 Milepost just north of Escondido.

Related Pages

8 thoughts on “Historic US 395 in San Diego County”

  1. I lived on Sunset Dr in Escondido for 50 years!! Just found an old map that has Sunset Dr as Hwy 71 !! I had no idea, no one around knew it was the main highway to Escondido. Thanks for the great site.

    1. Thank you. Yeah, the Sunset Dr alignment between Escondido Blvd and Bear Valley Pkwy didn’t last long, but was a part of the “Inland Route”. So unassuming a road too.

  2. This was exciting to read about . I pass by it every 3 weeks from Riverside to San Diego . Always wondered what ” old highway 395 ” was/ is .. neat !!!

    1. In the 1950’s my family traveled from Redondo Beach (Los Angeles) down to Mount Palomar and up to the Walker River using US 395. . . and points in between. Warm thoughts. Many fond memories..

  3. I really enjoyed the history on this page. Is there anyone who could tell me, or are there any old maps showing, the whole Old Highway 395 route(s) from the Mexican border to Victorville?
    I would love to see that route in detail, even if it was a few different routes over time.

    I am mostly interested in visible maps.

    Thank you!
    Michael Haywood

    1. Here’s a link for a 1940s Auto Club map showing the alignment of 395 about six years after it was created out of the previous CA 71. Runs through San Marcos, Vista, Bonsall and Fallbrook before heading out to Rainbow and the alignment that eventually became I-15. North to Elsinore where 395 and 71 split with 395 heading east to Perris and the eventual alignment of I-215. The original route of 395 in San Diego was considerably different from the one we all remember through Balboa Park. http://www.garbell.com/US395-old/highwayman/SDCoACSCmap101-395-0-3.jpg

      1. These maps alone were a treasure to see, not just for Hwy 395 but for the cool perspective it gave on old Hwy 101! Remarkable how separated cities were and how they had designations for having Hotels, Gas and Food… exactly what you’d expect from Auto Club if the era!

    2. US 395 never went to the border. The furthest south it went was the intersection of Market St and Harbor drive in downtown San Diego.

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