California State Route 39
State Route 39 (SR 39) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that travels through Orange and Los Angeles counties. Its southern terminus is at Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1), in Huntington Beach. SR 39's northern terminus is at Islip Saddle on Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2) in the Angeles National Forest, but its northernmost 4.5-mile (7.2 km) segment (including the connection with SR 2) has been closed to public highway traffic since 1978 due to a massive mud and rockslide.
State Route 39 | |
|---|---|
SR 39 highlighted in red | |
| Route information | |
| Maintained by Caltrans | |
| Length | 50.017 mi[1] (80.495 km) SR 39 is broken into pieces due to an unconstructed portion, and the length does not reflect the gap. Also, portions of SR 39 have been relinquished to or are otherwise maintained by local or other governments, and are not included in the length. |
| Existed | 1934[2]–present |
| Restrictions | The segment from north of Crystal Lake Road to its northern terminus at SR 2 is closed indefinitely to public highway traffic |
| Orange County section | |
| South end | SR 1 in Huntington Beach |
| Major intersections |
|
| North end | Whittier Avenue, Harbor Boulevard in La Habra (official Caltrans designation) |
| Los Angeles County section | |
| South end | I-10 / CR N8 in West Covina (official Caltrans designation) |
| Major intersections | I-210 in Azusa |
| North end | SR 2 in Angeles National Forest |
| Location | |
| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| Counties | Orange, Los Angeles |
| Highway system | |
Officially, the highway is broken into pieces. Caltrans has not adopted or signed the segment between La Habra and West Covina. Caltrans has also relinquished a portion of SR 39 in Buena Park from Stanton Avenue in Buena Park to Interstate 5 in 2013, as well as those segments within the cities of Azusa by 2010, Covina by 2010, and West Covina by 2013. Since 2001, a portion of SR 39 that runs through the city of Stanton has been considered for relinquishment to the city.[3] If so, the portion that runs through the city of Anaheim will still be state controlled.
Major places of interest along SR 39 are Knott's Berry Farm, an amusement park, Adventure City, another amusement park targeted for children, Huntington Beach, a local beach, a Medieval Times location, the Buena Park Auto Center, and the Westridge Golf Course in La Habra.
Route description Edit
SR 39 begins at SR 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) in Huntington Beach and runs north along Beach Boulevard to Whittier Boulevard in La Habra, with the exception of the segment between the southern city limit of Buena Park and Interstate 5, which was relinquished to the city in 2013. SR 39 then turns east along Whittier Boulevard to Harbor Boulevard, taking over a former segment of SR 72, while the remaining segment SR 72 remains on Whittier Boulevard west of Beach Boulevard.
The segment from the Whittier–Harbor intersection to the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10) in West Covina is not officially designated by Caltrans (as indicated by an "END 39" sign at the Whittier–Harbor intersection). Under California Streets and Highways Code § 339 (d), the traversable route takes SR 39 along Harbor Boulevard north, Fullerton Road north, and then Colima Road west to Azusa Avenue in Hacienda Heights. SR 39 would then continue north on Azusa Avenue through the City of Industry to Interstate 10.[4][disputed ]
Adopted SR 39 then resumes and signs for SR 39 appear on Azusa Avenue from its junction with Interstate 10 in West Covina, and through Covina to First Street in the city of Azusa just north of Interstate 210. The route then runs as a couplet (composed of two one-way streets), with northbound traffic on Azusa Avenue, and southbound traffic on San Gabriel Avenue, to Sierra Madre Avenue where the two one-way streets converge to form San Gabriel Canyon Road. Although relinquished in the cities of West Covina, Covina, and Azusa, SR 39 shields remain on this segment of the highway.
State maintenance of SR 39 begins again along San Gabriel Canyon Road at the north limit of Azusa. The highway winds through the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest for 22.6 miles (36.4 km) until it reaches a gate barring the road 0.25 miles (0.40 km) north of Crystal Lake Road in the Crystal Lake Recreation Area. The last few miles of the route, including the connection to SR 2, are closed to public highway traffic, as the roadbed has been closed since 1978, due to major rock slides that year and again in 2005 which damaged more of the remaining roadbed. Although Google Maps and other mapping services may list this section of the road as an "available" route to connect to SR 2, this section actually remains closed.
A replacement of the section north of East Fork Road, in the next canyon to the east, was partly built in 1936 and 1961, but was never completed. The section includes one bridge and two tunnels; it was never used by automobile or truck traffic. In one local hiking guide the section is identified as the "Road to Nowhere" and the "Convict Road", although the official name is the Shoemaker Road and was planned to be an escape route in times of nuclear warfare.[5] A ca. 1967[6] replacement, much closer to the existing alignment, was also stopped prematurely, and so the middle of the segment between East Fork Road and the closure gate, with its many hairpin curves, still exists.
SR 39 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[7] and the urban portions of SR 39 are part of the National Highway System,[8] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[9] SR 39 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System,[10] but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation.[11]
History Edit
La Habra to West Covina connection Edit
Although defined to be a continuous route in the California Streets and Highway Code, the segment from Whittier Boulevard in La Habra to West Covina is not officially adopted or signed by Caltrans. This is indicated at the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Harbor Boulevard, where an "END 39" sign appears.
Prior to the present before reaching Harbor Boulevard, SR 39 continued north from Whittier Boulevard along Hacienda Road to the Los Angeles/Orange County line then north on Hacienda Boulevard and Glendora Avenue to US 60, 70, and 99 (Garvey Avenue, now Interstate 10) in West Covina.[12] It then continued east with US 60, 70, and 99 to Azusa Avenue where it turned north to follow the present alignment as described beginning in the fourth paragraph of the preceding section. The Hacienda Glendora segment can still be seen as Route 39 on some maps.
Prior to 1991, Harbor Boulevard became Fullerton Road northbound from the Los Angeles/Orange County Line, through the Puente Hills as a one-lane winding road into Rowland Heights. However, due to complaints of nearby residents due to the increased volume of traffic, a straighter, wider stub was built slightly to the east, and was named Harbor Boulevard. This route is under consideration to become part of SR 39 to complete the gap.
The new Harbor Boulevard was opened to the public early in 1992, and is now the primary corridor between Orange County and Rowland Heights, although the original winding Fullerton Road segment still exists as a strictly residential street.[13]
The definition of Route 39 in the California Streets and Highway Code was thus changed accordingly, and the traversable route to fill the Route 39 gap would be via Harbor Boulevard north, Fullerton Road north, and then Colima Road west to Azusa Avenue in Hacienda Heights. Route 39 would then continue north on Azusa Avenue through the City of Industry to Interstate 10 in West Covina.[4][14] This segment however has yet to be officially designated by Caltrans.[15]
Closed northern segment to Islip Saddle Edit
The northernmost 4.5-mile (7.2 km) stretch of SR 39, from Snow Springs north of Azusa to SR 2 at Islip Saddle, has been closed to public vehicle traffic since 1978 due to a massive mud and rockslide. While the road is passable to emergency vehicles for the entire closed length, sections near recurring rock slides have become narrow dirt roads which are not suitable for passenger vehicles. According to Caltrans officials, it will take three years to complete the repairs.
People heading to nearby Mount Waterman must instead travel west to Pasadena and join SR 2 in La Cañada Flintridge - a nearly two-hour trip. Reopening SR 39 would cut the drive-time to the Waterman ski area in half and shorten the trip east to Wrightwood.
The segment was opened to emergency crews in February 2003 after a Caltrans study showed reopening it would not harm wetlands, air and water quality, natural vegetation or threatened plants and animals.
On July 10, 2006, the Pasadena Star-News reported that the state provided funding for an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in June 2006 to assess the feasibility of reopening the highway in the Angeles National Forest.
According to the Caltrans District Seven "Inside Seven" newsletter, work was to continue through 2009 and 2010 on reconstruction and installation of features to prevent future slides from damaging the roadway:[16]
Two projects that will address those issues and get the highway reopened are scheduled for construction soon. The first, building two retaining walls near the city of Azusa from Old San Gabriel Canyon Road to approximately four miles south of SR-2, could begin in mid-2009. The second, a $45 million project to reconstruct the roadway, construct soldier pile retaining walls, repair drainage systems, install rock fall protection, and provide asphalt concrete overlay and traffic striping, should begin in fall 2010.
However, due to budgetary issues, by 2012 Caltrans was instead trying to transfer responsibility for the entirety of SR 39 north of postmile LA 17.81 (including the closed section) to either the U.S. Forest Service or Los Angeles County, both of which declined, also for financial reasons, even though both the USFS and the county deem the route "essential". Abandoning the route would also not be cost-effective for Caltrans due to, among other reasons, federal environmental restoration requirements related to the presence of bighorn sheep.[17] The proposal was abandoned after opposition by local residents and the county, as well as substantial legal pressure by the Forest Service, who threatened to enforce an old contract that requires Caltrans to completely deconstruct the highway should it refuse to maintain it.[17] There are proposals to move the closed gate north two miles to a popular trailhead.[citation needed]
On December 15, 2022, Caltrans held a meeting to consider several proposed plans to reopen SR 39. Proposals include a full restoration, minimal restoration for emergency services, a single-lane road, or recreational use. Under the recreational use proposal, the restored route would be closed to general traffic, but would allow for hiking, biking, and other recreational activities.[18]
Major intersections Edit
Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary ().[1] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
| County | Location | Postmile [1][6][19][20][14] | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Orange ORA 0.00-17.26, 18.44-22.66 | Huntington Beach | 0.00 | SR 1 (Pacific Coast Highway) – Long Beach, Newport Beach | Southern terminus; former US 101 Alt. | |
| Huntington Beach–Westminster line | 5.80 | I-405 (San Diego Freeway) – Long Beach, Irvine, San Diego | I-405 exit 16; former SR 7 | ||
| Westminster | 8.48 | SR 22 (Garden Grove Freeway) – Long Beach, Santa Ana, Orange | SR 22 exit 8 | ||
| Anaheim | 12.71 | Lincoln Avenue | Former SR 214 | ||
| Anaheim–Buena Park line | 12.91 | Stanton Avenue | North end of state maintenance | ||
| Buena Park | 14.38 | SR 91 (Artesia Freeway) – Riverside, Artesia, Beach Cities | SR 91 exit 23B | ||
| 15.07 | I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway) – Los Angeles, Santa Ana, San Diego | Interchange; south end of state maintenance; I-5 exit 116; access to and from northbound I-5 via Auto Center Drive | |||
| 15.08 | Auto Center Drive | Formerly Manchester Avenue and former SR 10[21] | |||
| 15.57 | To I-5 north / Artesia Boulevard | Alternate southbound access to I-5 north via Artesia Boulevard west[22] | |||
| 15.63 | Stage Road / Cascade Way | Stage Road was formerly SR 26 | |||
| 16.38 | La Mirada Boulevard (CR N8) / Malvern Avenue | Southern terminus of Los Angeles County Route N8 | |||
| La Habra | 19.17 | SR 90 east (Imperial Highway) – Brea, Yorba Linda | Western terminus of SR 90; Imperial Highway was former SR 90 west before being relinquished to local jurisdictions | ||
| 20.72 | SR 72 north (Whittier Boulevard) – Whittier | Former US 101; Whittier Boulevard was former SR 72 south before being relinquished to local jurisdictions | |||
| 22.66 0[N 1] | Whittier Boulevard east / Harbor Boulevard south | North end of Orange County segment, as adopted and signed by Caltrans;[4][disputed ] former US 101 south; former SR 72 south | |||
| Los Angeles LA 10.70-44.40 | Rowland Heights | 4.0[N 1] | Fullerton Road north / Colima Road east | [disputed ] | |
| Hacienda Heights–City of Industry line | 5.5[N 1] | Colima Road west ( CR N8) / Azusa Avenue south | South end of CR N8 overlap | ||
| City of Industry | 5.9[N 1] | SR 60 (Pomona Freeway) – Los Angeles, Pomona | SR 60 exit 18 | ||
| 6.8[N 1] | Chestnut Street | Interchange; northbound exit and entrance only | |||
| 6.9[N 1] | Valley Boulevard | Interchange; access via connector roads | |||
| South San Jose Hills–Valinda– West Covina tripoint | 8.1[N 1] | Temple Avenue | North end of state control, as defined by Streets and Highways Code § 339 (d)[4] | ||
| West Covina | 11.5[N 1] 10.71 | CR N8 ends | South end of Los Angeles County segment, as adopted and signed by Caltrans;[4][disputed ]; north end of CR N8 overlap; I-10 exit 36; former US 99 | ||
| I-10 (San Bernardino Freeway) – Los Angeles, San Bernardino | |||||
| Azusa | 14.05 | I-210 (Foothill Freeway) – Pasadena, San Bernardino | I-210 exit 40 | ||
| 17.81 | Bridge over San Gabriel River South end of state maintenance | ||||
| | 39.90 | Northbound road closure gate | |||
| Islip Saddle | 44.40 | SR 2 (Angeles Crest Highway) – La Cañada Flintridge, Wrightwood | Closed; northern terminus | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
See also Edit
References Edit
- ^ a b c California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- ^ "California Highways (www.cahighways.org): Routes 33 through 40". Cahighways.org. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ "Route 39 and Caltrans" (PDF). Dot.ca.gov. Retrieved May 20, 2018.
- ^ a b c d e "An act to amend Section 14556.40 of, and to repeal Section 14529.15 of, the Government Code, to amend Sections 21669.6, 24908, 29034.7, 29035.5, 99221, 99313.1, 99633, and 132820 of, and to repeal Section 132352.6 of, the Public Utilities Code, to amend Sections 149.5, 301, 302, 319, 339, 358, 371, 372, 374, 379, 383, 384, 411, 444, 451, 460, 464, 470, 560, 30914, and 30914.5 of, to add Section 575 to, and to repeal Section 301.5 of, the Streets and Highways Code, and to amend Sections 2800, 5201, 14611, 21754, 21755, 22452, 22511.55, 24400, 26100, 26101, 26505, 29004, 34518, and 40802 of, and to add Section 667 to, the Vehicle Code, relating to transportation.". Chapter 491, Section No. 17 of 2010. California State Legislature.
- ^ . Archived from the original on January 17, 2011. Retrieved April 15, 2010.
- ^ a b (PDF). Caltrans. California Department of Transportation. January 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on May 24, 2011. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
- ^ "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: Los Angeles, CA (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- ^ "Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets & Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 15, 2017.
- ^ "Map of Los Angeles and Vicinity, 1939".
- ^ "California @ AARoads - California 60 East - Interstate 605 to California 57 north". AARoads. Retrieved May 21, 2018.
- ^ a b Google (April 16, 2021). "Driving directions from Whittier Blvd to I-10, via Harbor Blvd and Azusa Ave" (Map). Google Maps. Google. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ "California Highways (www.cahighways.org): Route 39". www.cahighways.org. Retrieved April 16, 2021.
- ^ Gish, Judy (October 2008). . Inside Seven. Caltrans. Archived from the original on March 24, 2017.
- ^ a b Sahagun, Louis (January 29, 2012). "Walking away from a highway". Los Angeles Times. ISSN 0458-3035. Retrieved October 20, 2017.
- ^ "SR-39 Reopening Project". Caltrans. n.d. from the original on December 19, 2022.
- ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS July 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, 2006
- ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS July 21, 2011, at the Wayback Machine, 1996 (the last year before it was updated to remove the relinquished part)
- ^ Pak, Ellyn (October 8, 2005). "New street name isnt up their alley". Orange County Register. Retrieved June 18, 2022.
- ^ "Beach Blvd - Buena Park, California". Google Street View. Google. March 2021. Retrieved July 24, 2021.
External links Edit
- Caltrans: State Route 39 highway conditions
- Caltrans Traffic Conditions Map
- California Highway Patrol Traffic Incidents
- California @ AARoads.com - State Route 39
- California Highways: SR 39
- Michael Ballard on SR 39