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 .
Castaic, District 7, Highways, Historic Highway 99 Association of California, I-5, Los Angeles County, Meeting, Old Alignment, Old Bridge, Roads, US 99, Website News

Ridge Route Alternate Presentation

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On Tuesday, April 6 at 6pm, I will be giving a presentation via Zoom on the Ridge Route Alternate section of US 99 during the regular monthly meeting of the Historic Highway 99 Association of California. It will cover the history of the roadway from its original construction through to its replacement by I-5 from Castaic to Tejon Pass. The presentation will include some rarer photos of the route and have time at the end for questions. Come join us and learn a bit about the history of US 99 in Southern California!

To register for the presentation, use the link below:

https://zoom.us/meeting/register/tJwlf-6srDIqHdRkYBHsG8jzi8D68Gtys-dF

Website News

Site Updated

Aside

After two moves, and two more uploads, the site is now, hopefully, all up and running. All the images seems to be in place and the rest of the site seems to be functioning. If you see something out-of-order, please let me know. Otherwise, finally all moved to the new server. I had forgotten about the SFTP vs FTP limits on files which was the main cause of the problems.

Historic Highway 99 Association of California

Highway 99 Association Memberships

Membership Update
Advocacy, Calexico, District 11, Highways, Historic Highway 99 Association of California, Imperial County, Road Signs, Updates, US 99

Highway 99 Update

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Big news for the Historic Highway 99 Association of California! They are getting ready to complete their first project, replacing the old and faded signs in Calexico at the south end of US 99. It is a small project but one worth the effort and a great step forward.

Progress in Calexico
California, District 5, Highways, History, Image, Old Alignment, Old Bridge, Roads, San Luis Obispo County, SR-178, SR-58

Featured Image – 2/17/2021

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1914 Parker Truss Salinas River Bridge (49-0109)

Five miles east of Santa Margarita, State 58 crosses the Salinas River. Until 1996, the highway crossed via this 1914 Parker truss span. From 1934 to 1964, the bridge was crossed by State 178, which became State 58 in 1964. The approach to the old bridge included two sharp curves at either end, which the new concrete bridge (49-0237) and alignment eliminated. Today, it is closed to motor vehicle traffic and marked as a Historic Bridge. The new bridge is to the north of this at SLO-58-R4.8.