California State Route 251

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Route 251

Length:

mi ( km)

Formed:

Major cities:

Direction:

JUNCTION	POSTMILE
California State Routes Unconstructed - Deleted - Scenic
< Route 250	Route 252 >

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1 Probable Route
2 Probable Exits
3 Enviromental Concerns
4 References

[edit] Probable Route

Route 251 is an unconstructed state highway with two separate segments:

Route 580 near Point San Quentin to Route 101 near Greenbrae.
Unspecified area in San Rafael to Route 1 near Point Reyes Station.

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard roughly parallels the highway's length. This was probably going to be the Point Reyes Freeway, extra flyover ramps at the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard-U.S.-101 interchange suggests this.

The freeway was born due to an idea to devolop west Marin County, a tradionally rural area, into a sprawling area not usually found in Marin County. With all the new residents, local roads would have been overburdened. Chief among them was Sir Francis Drake Blvd., a two lane road from Olema to Fairfax before widening to 4 lanes as it passes through the Ross Valley.

[edit] Probable Exits

Nobody really knows where most of the exits would've been. A 4-lane parkway would have been built on Bolinas Ridge, and probably would have ended at State Route 251. It is also probable there would have been a T, trumpet, or other 3-way interchange at its junction with State Route 1. The flyover ramps suggest a 4-level stack, as opposed to a cloverleaf, at the 101-251 interchange. But besides that, it is unknown what local roads there would have been interchanges with.

[edit] Enviromental Concerns

However, the devolopment and freeway planning were stopped due to concerns about fragile ecosystems that urbanization would have damaged or destroyed. The animals, mostly egrets and the California red-legged frog ended up being the main reason the freeway and redevelopment was defeated. There was another problem though: the plan put the entire area on the San Andreas Fault. The decision to not redevelop West Marin made the freeway unnecessary, and it was therefore scrapped. The highway is probably still designated, but unconstructed and it is unlikely it will be built anytime soon.