Virtual Tour of US 99
Grapevine and Grapevine Canyon
El. 1500′ – 3125′
1914 – 1933
Grapevine Canyon, or Canada De Las Uvas, was named for the wild grapes that grow on its slopes by Spaniards in the 1700′s. The town of Grapevine has been a major stop along this highway ever since the Ridge Route was built in 1914. This first alignment was one of the most torturous sections of US 99 in Southern California. It had more than a few very sharp curves, some of which ended up with names such as “The Loop” and “Deadman’s Curve”. Both of those curves still exist today, though partially removed and cutoff from the new roadways. In 1915, the grade was oiled creating a more solid, albeit temporary, roadway. Grapevine Grade received its first concrete pavement in 1919, a “full” 20 foot slab with curbing and little in the way of a shoulder. The original location of the “town” of Grapevine was at the bottom of the grade. It consisted of a motel, store, gas station, and restaurant. In 1926, work commenced to “daylight” some of the sharper curves along the grade, which increased sight-distance and did help to reduce collisions. It didn’t, however, reduce the curvature of the road.
1933 – 1943
In 1933, a new alignment of US 99 was built. It ran along the current southbound lanes of I-5 for most of the grade. Deadman’s Curve and the Loop were eliminated at that time. When the concrete was first poured, only two lanes were built. About a year later, the third lane was added making the center lane the passing lane. Since the original location of Grapevine was bypassed, it was partially relocated onto the new grade, this time in the canyon. While it was rather conveniently located, it did suffer from one fatal flaw. It was near the bottom of a very long, steep grade, and on the outside of a curve. As a result, runaway trucks smashed through on a few occasions.
Shown above, a small section of concrete is visible adjacent to the southbound lanes of I-5. A small color difference can be noticed between the two lanes that are visible. This difference is due to age. The lanes to the left were constructed in 1932 when Grapevine Grade was realigned, bypassing the original 1914 Ridge Route grade. This was built as two lanes as a temporary measure to expedite the opening of the new route. Right after it was opened, a third lane was added, the lane on the right, creating a three-lane roadway with a common passing lane in the center, or “suicide lane”. This condition persisted until 1943 when the road was widened yet again to four lanes. In 1958 – 1960, these lanes were bypassed by the current southbound lanes of I-5. Today, they remain as one of the last remnants of the 1932-1958 version of Grapevine Grade.
1943 – 1958
In 1943, the grade was widened to four lanes with a metal and wood barrier. In October 1946, a concrete barrier was installed along the grade replacing a wood and steel barrier. The reason was that trucks were using the old barrier to slow down, which would destroy the barrier. The new “parabolic concrete divider” was designed so that trucks could not use it to slow down. Drainage in the canyon was also improved to help alleviate erosion problems.
1958 – Present
All of the original alignment was redone again in 1958-1960 when the grade was reconstructed as eight-lane I-5. This eliminated a lot of the old Ridge Route alignment as well as some of the 1934 alignment of US 99. The northbound lanes were constructed first, then traffic was shifted onto them as the southbound lanes were reconstructed. On June 28, 1960, the new freeway was fully opened to traffic. To combat the continual problem of trucks losing their brakes on the grade, two runaway truck ramps were built. The first to be constructed, on the right-hand side after the freeway opened, would be the only one until the second one was added on the left-hand side in late 1990’s. Both get plenty of use.
Related Links:
Go North on US 99 to Bakersfield
Go South on US 99 to Los Angeles
Return to US 99 Introduction