The Ridge Route in Southern California needs your help. The Ridge Route Preservation Organization has put together an online petition to help get the roadway back open and in working order. It has not been fully open to traffic since 2005 and is in need of your support. Please sign this petition to get the legislators and the Angeles National Forest to fix what they did wrong. More details are on the site for the petition.
The first “major” update is an extension of my US 99 tour. I’ve decided to take it north of the Kern River. How far north I have not yet decided, but so far at least as far as Delano to the Tulare County Line. I may push it to Goshen, but we shall see. More photos are necessary as well as more research. Maybe Fresno is in the future, but it will be quite some time away. Right now, I’ve extended the tour two stops north to the Oildale OH, the northern end of the 1933 Bakersfield Bypass.
While much of the 1934 Garvey “Superhighway”, former US 60 / US 70 / US 99, has been either built over or completely modified, a small portion remains virtually untouched. In Alhambra, CA, there is a small section of original concrete paving still intact. This section, called Garvey Ave, runs from Ramona Rd to Casuda Canyon Rd.
Looking northerly from Carlos Ave.Last intact date stamps on this section, from July 18, 1934 by Jahn and Bressi Contractors.Looking southerly from Carlos Ave
At Fremont Ave and Monterey Pass Rd, there are also some grade separations from 1934 that are still intact. These weren’t photographed but videos were made. When I get my video software working again, I will post those.
Old US 99 still has some gems remaining in the Coachella Valley. On of these is a set of railroad overpasses dating from 1936 and 1956 (56-09R/L). These structures may be replaced in the near future, so I took the opportunity to take some photos of them before they are gone. Each structure is different in type of construction as well as design. The 1936 structure retains its solid concrete railing, something somewhat unique for the period. Most bridges of that era had a more open and arched railing. This bridge has a very much “Art Deco” styling which still looks quite nice today. The bridge carried all US 99 traffic until 1956, when US 99 was upgraded to an expressway through this area. At that time, a second bridge for southbound/eastbound traffic was built. The 1956 span, a steel girder structure, is longer than the 1936 span. This may be due to plans, at that time, to eventually replace the 1936 bridge with a newer and longer span. While these plans may have been initially thwarted by the construction of I-10 on a new alignment east of here, the bridges days are indeed numbered with the reconstruction of the Jefferson St interchange and eventual realignment of roadways in this area.
These bridges are located on Indio Blvd just east of the Jefferson St interchange on I-10 in Indio, CA. Enjoy them while they last.
Detail of 1936 railing and date stamp.
Recessed reflectors in the 1936 bridge end caps.
FAP (Federal Aid Primary) project sign on the 1956 bridge.
Comparison between the 1936 rail and 1956 rail.
The different lengths of each bridge is well demonstrated in this photo.
