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.
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.
Varner Road
Garnet Road
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
There are many historic locations in California. Many of them are marked with plaques. Over time, these have been stolen or otherwise gone missing. A group, called the California Landmark Foundation, is working toward replacing those markers. They are looking for your help.
Near Valyermo, California, outside of Palmdale, the locals have placed signs where Pallet Creek Road crosses the San Andreas Fault. They picked a really nice spot too, as you have a sag area, fault scarp, and offset streams all easily visible from there. I recommend a visit!
After doing a bit more research and speaking with other groups, I have decided to move forward with my plan to create a new Highway 99 group. This will be a great opportunity to be more active in helping revive US 99 as well as historic businesses along the route. Some of the goals include historic route signage, events, tours, and public outreach.
I will be submitting the paperwork for incorporating the association next week as a California Non-Profit Public Benefit Corporation. Once the documents are accepted and certified, I will begin the process to obtain tax-exempt status from the IRS and California FTB. This process may take a while.
A new website has also been created for the association at Historic99.Org. The site will be updated as this progresses. If you want to get involved, please head on over! Keep in mind that, until tax-exempt status is obtained, no monetary donations will be taken. In the interim, all are welcome to subscribe to the website.