Historic Roads
Explore surviving highway alignments, abandoned pavement, bridges, bypassed roads, and other remnants of Southern California’s transportation past. Historic Roads documents individual surviving alignments, pavement, bridges, and roadside remnants. For complete historic highway routes and driving tours, visit Historic Highway Tours.
FEATURED HISTORIC ROAD
Old US 60 in eastern Moreno Valley
A surviving section of the original US 60 alignment can still be found in eastern Moreno Valley. The old roadway preserves a tangible piece of Southern California’s highway history.
Explore Historic Roads by County
Select a county to jump directly to historic roads and highway remnants from that area.
Imperial County
Brawley Bypass
A new bypass highway was completed a couple years ago by Caltrans around Brawley. Signed as State 78 and State 111, it forms a…
Calexico Update
Today, the Historic Highway 99 Association of California with the City of Calexico, posted new Historic Route signs at the south end of old…
Highway 99 Update
Big news for the Historic Highway 99 Association of California! They are getting ready to complete their first project, replacing the old and faded…
Historic 99 in the News
The Historic Highway 99 Association of California just got its first newspaper article. Come check it out! Desert Review – E-Edition of April 13,…
Image of the Week – 12/27/2015
Inyo County
Image of the Week – 10/26/2016
Image of the Week – 11/30/14
Old State 136 near Keeler, CA
The Owens Valley in Inyo County, California is home to many fascinating highway relics. One road in particular toward the southern end of the…
US 6 on US 6
In mid-October, I went on a road trip, part of which covered a section of US 6. It was the first time I had…
Kern County
Featured Image – 12/11/2018
This is a section of abandoned roadway, paved in 1919, within Grapevine Canyon, near PM 8.0 on the east side of the canyon. This…
Featured Image – 12/23/2019
Here at Grapevine, a small section of concrete is visible adjacent to the southbound lanes of I-5. This is a section of former US…
Featured Image – 12/4/2020
US 99 parallels the Southern Pacific Railroad for a significant portion of its journey across the Great Central Valley. At times, it has to…
Featured Image – 8/14/2019
Completed in 1876, this loop still stands as an engineering marvel and a unique way of keeping the grade steady while climbing over the…
Image of the Week – 12/27/2016
Image of the Week – 2/9/2017
Image of the Week – 9/13/15
New History Video
The Historic Highway 99 Association of California is starting a new series on the history of US 99, historic sites along the way, and…
Out of the Lake: Old Highway 178 and the town of Isabella
Long before the Isabella Reservoir was built in the 1950’s, State Highway 178 passed through the Kern River Valley on an alignment much different…
Storm Damage Updates – Tejon Pass Area
This weekend, I had the opportunity to survey the damage from the recent storms in the Tejon Pass / Grapevine area. I took my…
Los Angeles County
A ride in the San Gabriel Mountains
On my way home from a friends in Los Angeles on January 8, 2013, I decided to take the long way home. It was…
East Los Angeles Interchange Signage
In 1958, when the East Los Angeles Interchange started to be built, the routes that were planned to go through it were a little…
Featured Image – 1/19/2020
Featured Image – 11/23/2020
Near Valyermo, California, outside of Palmdale, the locals have placed signs where Pallet Creek Road crosses the San Andreas Fault. They picked a really…
Featured Image – 2/20/2020
Looking toward South Mount Hawkins in the West Fork San Gabriel Canyon from State 39. This road was planned to be improved but landslides…
Featured Image – 2/8/2021
To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the February 9, 1971 M6.6 Sylmar / San Fernando Earthquake, our featured image shows the construction work in…
Featured Image – 4/7/2021
Today’s featured image is a video. This was taken just a few days ago on the Old Ridge Route near Swede’s Cut. A rockfall…
Featured Image – 7/22/2021
In 1955, the first section of the Golden State Freeway opened. It was a short section, running from near Weldon Summit to Foothill Blvd.…
Featured Image – 8/21/2022
Hidden below I-5 just north of Valencia Blvd next to a drainage basin, a bit of US 99 history remains in Santa Clarita, California.…
Featured Image – 8/9/2021
The old Ridge Route is my favorite roadway. Each trip is an adventure and I always seem to find something new. Sometimes those “new”…
Featured Image – 9/17/2020
A look back to happier times in the San Gabriel Mountains. Taken on August 22, 2009, just a few days before the Station Fire…
Featured Image – 9/4/2021
In 1949, La Cienega Blvd was extended through the Baldwin Hills. This roadway was eventually to become a part of the State Route 170…
Fire on the Ridge Route
There is currently a fire, #RouteFire, burning on the Ridge Route near Templin Highway. I-5 is closed both directions and the Old Ridge Route…
From the Archives – 1923
The Ridge Route on US 99 between Castaic and Gorman was a very twisty roadway when it first opened. All told, there was about…
Historic Sign Revealed in Los Angeles
Either through heavy wind, corrosion, or a combination of the two, a section of “greenout” fell off a sign on the eastbound Ventura Freeway…
Image of the Week – 1/31/2016
Image of the Week – 10/18/2016
Image of the Week – 12/21/14
Image of the Week – 2/16/15
Image of the Week – 2/23/15
Image of the Week – 2/9/15
Image of the Week – 3/15/15
Image of the Week – 3/9/15
March 12, 2015 will mark the 87th anniversary of the collapse of the St Francis Dam in San Francisquito Canyon, Los Angeles County, California.…
Image of the Week – 4/2/2017
Image of the Week – 4/9/2016
Image of the Week – 5/2/2016
Image of the Week – 7/11/15
Image of the Week – 8/15/15
New History Video
The Historic Highway 99 Association of California is starting a new series on the history of US 99, historic sites along the way, and…
New Video – Garvey Ave in Alhambra
Join the Historic Highway 99 Association of California and explore a section of Garvey Avenue, which was part of the first “freeway” in California.
New Video – Piru Gorge and Pyramid Lake
Former US 99 followed a very scenic path over the mountains north of Los Angeles. Follow the Historic Highway 99 Association of California on…
New Video – Ridge Route Basics
The Historic Highway 99 Association of California, in conjunction with the Ridge Route Preservation Organization, has produced a video on the basics of the…
New Video – The Three Ridge Routes
Did you know that three roads have held the title of “Ridge Route” between Los Angeles and Bakersfield? Check out this video which shows…
North Burbank UP – Videos
On Tuesday, May 13, 2014, I took the opportunity to ride up to Burbank and get some videos of the North Burbank UP with my…
Old US 99 at Weldon Summit
US 99, known as “The Old Road” in the Santa Clarita area, has had a varied past. It was first built through this area…
Original pavement remaining at Castaic Junction, CA on old US 99
Castaic Junction, located just north of Six Flags Magic Mountain in the Santa Clarita Valley was an important stop along US 99 and State…
Ridge Route Preservation Organization Begins Pothole Project
From the Ridge Route Preservation Organization: The Ridge Route Preservation Organization was cleared by the Angeles National Forest to repair potholes along the north…
Road Building in San Gabriel Canyon
In the early 1930’s, Los Angeles County began construction of an additional roadway over the San Gabriel Mountains via the East Fork of the…
September 2021 Presentation
Join the Historic Highway 99 Association of California for a presentation on the history of US 99 and the Newhall Pass on September 14,…
Storm Damage Updates – Tejon Pass Area
This weekend, I had the opportunity to survey the damage from the recent storms in the Tejon Pass / Grapevine area. I took my…
US 6 – Santa Clara River Bridge – A Closer Look
US Highway 6, now known as Sierra Highway, crossed the Santa Clara River near Solemint, California. The bridge it originally used, constructed in 1938,…
US 99 in Alhambra, CA
While much of the 1934 Garvey “Superhighway”, former US 60 / US 70 / US 99, has been either built over or completely modified,…
Views From The Ridge Route
In December 2019 and January 2020, I had the chance to take a couple of trips over the Ridge Route. Once this current situation…
Western Terminus of US 66
The west end of US 66, at least in popular culture, has always been at the Pacific Ocean, or at least close to it.…
Orange County
Brea Canyon – Old Highway 57
Even in heavily built up Orange County, there can still be places where old highways can be seen. One of the best examples is…
Featured Image – 12/4/2021
From the Archives – 1959 A lot has changed in southern Orange County since 1959. Gone are most of the orange groves and wide-open…
Featured Image – 2/11/2020
Back in the 1970’s, California was “all about the freeway” it seemed. Build them so that people could go anywhere using one. Anywhere, at…
Riverside County
A bit of US 60 and US 99
I went for a ride on my motorcycle today. Just needed to just get out for a bit. Part of my journey took me…
Featured Image – 1/1/2021
Featured Image – 3/30/2019
Featured Image – 5/21/2021
From the Archives – This map of the Lake Elsinore area comes to us from San Diego County dating from November 1883. At the…
Following old US 91 near Corona
I took a trip recently to the Corona area to check out some of the old alignments of US 91. I had been there…
From the Archives – 1935
In 1936, US 60 was realigned between Moreno Valley and Beaumont. This realignment took the highway off of the Jackrabbit Trail and put it…
Image of the Week
Image of the Week – 2/24/2016
Image of the Week – 2/3/2017
Jackrabbit Trail – November 14, 2013
On Thursday, November 14, 2013, I had the opportunity to travel Jackrabbit Trail for this first time in many years. I took my new…
Mystery bridge over the San Jacinto River
On Sunday, June 16, I went on a motorcycle ride out toward Palm Springs. On Hwy 74 just east of Hemet, I stopped to…
New Video – Indio Overhead Bridge
The Historic Highway 99 Association of California has posted their latest episode of History along US 99. This time, they talk about the Indio…
Old concrete near Riverside, CA
In the Belltown area of Riverside, CA, I found a rather interesting concrete roadway on 24th St. It appears to be a part of…
Old US 60 in eastern Moreno Valley
A short section of original US 60 can be found east of the intersection of Allesandro Blvd and Gilman Springs Road in the eastern…
Redlands and old US 99 – Sunday, March 20, 2011
On Sunday, I went to the Redlands area to drop off a friend. I figured, why not see some old highway in the area…
US 99 – Edom to Calimesa – Part 1
Part 1 – Edom to Banning Varner Road and Garnet RoadThousand Palms to Garnet From Thousand Palms to Garnet, old US 99 ran along…
US 99 – Edom to Calimesa – Part 2
Part 2 – Banning to Calimesa Banning and BeaumontRamsey St and 6th St Through the town of Banning, US 99 was first paved with…
US 99 in Indio, CA
Old US 99 still has some gems remaining in the Coachella Valley. On of these is a set of railroad overpasses dating from 1936…
Victoria Bridge in Riverside, CA
Built in 1928, the Victoria Bridge crosses the Tequesquite Arroyo in style. This bridge was built to carry streetcars on Victoria Avenue across the…
San Bernardino County
Blue Cut Fire Damage – Highways
On September 6, 2016, I finally got a chance to survey the damage to the roadways in Cajon Pass that were involved in the…
Featured Image – 5/31/2022
The Greenspot Road bridge, locally known as the “Erector Set Bridge” has an interesting history. It was originally built in 1912 located near Victorville…
Featured Image – 5/5/2021
This photo shows the I-10 / I-215 interchange in San Bernardino, California as it existed in 1958. At the time, those numbers didn’t quite…
From the Archives – 1964
Barstow has grown quite a bit since this photo was taken. Shown here, the original Main Street exit, which was originally built as a…
Meet the Cronese Cat
Driving across the Mojave Desert between Barstow and Las Vegas along the 15 can be a “boring” drive at times for many. The desert…
New US 99 Video
The Historic Highway 99 Association of California has posted another episode of their “History along US 99” series. This time they talk about a…
New Video – Old US 91 near Field Road
We’re starting a new series called “RoadTalk with Michael Ballard” where we’ll talk about the highways and byways of Southern California. Other topics include…
Old Rialto Ave and Arrow Route in San Bernardino, CA
Sometimes when a road gets realigned, a portion of the old roadway remains as an access road. This was the case when a small…
Redlands and old US 99 – Sunday, March 20, 2011
On Sunday, I went to the Redlands area to drop off a friend. I figured, why not see some old highway in the area…
San Diego County
A tunnel on US 80?
In the late 1940’s, plans were being drawn for improvements to US 80 in San Diego County. The highway, as it was then, had…
Bicycle Path along I-15
In the course of doing research on old US 395 and I-15 in the Miramar area, I came upon a very interesting set of…
Featured Image – 10/17/2022
Shown here, I-805 (upper) crosses the 52 freeway (lower) at San Clemente Canyon. Built in 1972, it formed the eastern terminus of the 52…
Featured Image – 11/11/2017
Featured Image – 11/30/2017
Featured Image – 12/20/2020
I acquired this postcard recently and wanted to share. It depicts Mission Valley in San Diego. While the exact date is unknown, it is…
Featured Image – 5/21/2021
From the Archives – This map of the Lake Elsinore area comes to us from San Diego County dating from November 1883. At the…
Featured Image – 6/24/2021
San Diego has a somewhat unique distinction compared to other California cities. You cannot travel north from San Diego, by freeway, without going underneath…
Featured Image – 7/27/2020
Sunrise Highway is a very scenic roadway east of San Diego. Shown here is an old alignment of the roadway, bypassed in the late…
From the Archives – 1953
San Diego’s Mission Valley has changed quite a bit over the last century. It has gone from farms to condos. Dairys to grocery stores.…
From the Archives – 1956
The first section of the San Diego Freeway in San Diego (US 101 at the time) to be constructed was the Mission Bay Bypass…
From the Archives – 1960
The view is looking east from the Taylor St ramps on I-8, then signed as US 80, in 1960. A lot has changed in…
Image of the Week – 1/11/15
Image of the Week – 10/14/14
Image of the Week – 11/16/2016
Image of the Week – 12/26/14
Photo of the Week – 12/26
Image of the Week – 2/27/2017
Image of the Week – 3/26/2017
Image of the Week – 4/25/2017
Image of the Week – 4/9/2017
Image of the Week – 7/14/2017
Image of the Week – 8/30/15
Mesa Grande – WPA Bridge
I know it has been a while since I’ve posted anything. Many things have happened. I’ve done a lot of traveling, some by train,…
New Video Posted – San Diego Freeways
I’ve posted a new episode of RoadTalk where I discuss the abandoned freeway stubs and unbuilt freeways in San Diego. Learn about the 157,…
Old Highway 78 near Oceanside, CA
State Route 78, one of the original State Highways in the region, has has undergone many changes since it was originally built. Most of…
Old Hwy 67 near Foster
Out on a ride recently, I came upon a short stretch of original concrete from old Hwy 67. This roadway leads to San Vicente…
Old State 67 near Ramona
Between 1970 and 1979, State Highway 67 was realigned between Archie Moore Rd and Mussey Grade Rd. This realignment left two sections of paving…
Old US 101 in San Diego
A reader, Mike Evans, recently contacted me regarding curb stamps along old US 101 near Middletown in San Diego. He found something which, to…
Old US 80 and a lesson
Back in July 2017, I took a trip out east, partially following old US 80 east of El Cajon, CA. One of the goals…
Old Wabash Freeway Ramp
In the 1950’s, a section of what is now the 15 in San Diego was built. Known then as the Wabash Freeway, it ran…
Ride to Campo
On Sunday, February 24, 2012, I went out for a ride to Campo on my motorcycle. I wanted to take some photos of the…
Short motorcycle ride out east
I went for a motorcycle ride today (2/7/2013) out in the eastern end of San Diego County. I bought a new leather suit and…
State 76 – Salvage Rail Bridge
Construction, or replacement, of bridges during WWII was not without its problems. As most materials were set aside for the war effort, highway departments…
Santa Barbara County
No Historic Roads articles are currently listed for this county.
Ventura County
Image of the Week – 4/5/15
New Video – Old Button Copy sign in Ventura, CA
An original button copy sign was found in Ventura near an entrance to US 101 recently. Come check it out!
Finding Old Highways
Learn how pavement, right-of-way monuments, bridges, roadway geometry, and other clues can help identify former highway alignments throughout California.
