California State Route 4
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State Route 4 |
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Defined by S&HC § 304, maintained by Caltrans | |||||||||||||||||
Length: | 197 mi[1] (317 km) | ||||||||||||||||
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Formed: | 1934[2] | ||||||||||||||||
West end: | I-80 in Hercules | ||||||||||||||||
Major junctions: |
SR 242 in Concord SR 160 in Antioch I-5 in Stockton SR 49 in Angels Camp |
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East end: | SR 89 near Markleeville | ||||||||||||||||
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State Route 4 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, routed from Interstate 80 to State Route 89. It passes through Ebbetts Pass and contains the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway.
This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System[3] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System[4].
Contents |
[edit] Route description
Major cities Bolded cities are officially-designated control cities for signs |
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Route 4, an east-west highway, begins in Hercules at San Pablo Avenue next to the Interstate 80 junction as part of John Muir Parkway. (The actual parkway extends a bit past the western terminus.) The road is an expressway between from its starting point until it approaches Martinez, at which point it becomes a full freeway (the California Delta Highway) passing Concord, Pittsburg, and Antioch. BART tracks run in the median of the freeway from the Port Chicago Highway interchange in Concord to the Bailey Road interchange in Bay Point, where the line currently ends at the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station. Access to that station is provided by a pedestrian bridge crossing over the eastbound lanes of Highway 4. After Antioch, the freeway turns northward toward the Antioch Bridge to become State Route 160, and Route 4 separates to become a suburban and rural road passing through the Bay Area's outermost eastern suburbs (Oakley and Brentwood). Route 4 continues to Stockton, where it briefly joins I-5 and then enters a separate freeway routing almost directly through downtown Stockton. The route then runs concurrent with State Route 99 before running eastward into the Sierra through Angels Camp and Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The route runs through the 8,050 ft. (2,454 m) Pacific Grade Summit on its way up to the 8,730 ft. (2,661 m) Ebbetts Pass and ends at State Route 89 ten miles west of Topaz Lake, on the California–Nevada border. The portion from Arnold to its terminus is designated the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway.
Through the mountains, Route 4 is not suitable for large trucks, buses, or RVs, as it becomes very steep and narrow, with no center dividing line shortly after the Mount Reba Turnoff to Bear Valley Ski area, with tight switchbacks. The pass is not plowed for snow, and thus closes during the winter months often from November through as late as May. Thus, no passage between the Mount Reba Turnoff and Markleeville is possible. The western slope is plowed and rarely closes, even for a few hours, but often has chain restrictions during and immediately following storms, usually just east of Arnold. The eastern slope is not plowed.
As of April 2006, a freeway extension from the route 160 junction bypassing Oakley and Brentwood to the south and west is in the various stages of planning and construction. [1] [2]
[edit] History
Although segments of SR 4 were part of the state highway system since 1909, SR 4 was officially designated as such between Interstate 80 and State Route 99 in 1934. Prior to that date, the then existing segment was officially known as the "Borden Highway", and the bridge over the San Joaquin River is still referred to as the "Borden Highway Bridge" in tidal tables. Construction of SR 4 did not finish until 1935, however.[2]
The portion of SR 4 from Interstate 80 to State Route 24 was added to the highway system in 1933 as LRN 106. East of the concurrency with State Route 24 to State Route 49, SR 4 was designated as LRN 75 from 1931-1934. Finally, the segment from State Route 49 to State Route 89 was signed as LRN 24 from 1909 to 1934.[2]
[edit] Points of interest
To meet Wikipedia's quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup because it is in a list format that may be better presented using prose. You can help by converting this section to prose, if appropriate. Editing help is available. (December 2007) |
Listed in order of west to east.
- The John Muir National Historic Site is California Historical Landmark #312, located directly north of Route 4 on Alhambra Avenue in Martinez. Additionally, Route 4 is also known as John Muir Parkway between I-80 and I-680.
- Also on Alhambra Avenue at SR 4 is the Franklin Canyon Adobe (CHL #511).
- The town of Copperopolis (CHL #296) is a mining town not for gold, but for copper.
- Altaville (CHL #288), an important foundry town.
- Angels Camp (CHL #287), one of the richest quartz mining sections of the Mother Lode and home of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".
- Vallecito (CHL #273), one of California's important early-day mining towns.
- Douglas Flat (CHL #272), a roaring mining camp of the early 1850s.
- Murphys (CHL #275), one of the principal mining communities in Calaveras County, and where notorious bandit Joaquin Murietta is said to have begun his murderous career.
- Calaveras Big Trees State Park
- CHL #318, marking Ebbetts Pass, is located at postmile ALP 18.5, 18 miles southwest of Markleeville.
[edit] Major intersections and exit list
- Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
County | Location | Postmile [5][6][7] |
#[8] | Destinations | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Contra Costa CC 0.00-48.39 |
Hercules | 0.00 | 1A | San Pablo Avenue | At-grade intersection; former US 40 |
0.00 | 1B | I-80 – Oakland, San Francisco, Sacramento | No exit number eastbound | ||
0.78 | 1C | Willow Avenue | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
R1.70 | 1 | Sycamore Avenue | Eastbound exit and entrance | ||
East end of freeway | |||||
R1.70 | Carbon Way | Westbound exit and entrance; refinery traffic only[citation needed] | |||
2.70 | 3 | Franklin Canyon | At-grade intersection eastbound; interchange westbound | ||
West end of freeway | |||||
T4.89 | 5 | To I-80 east / Cummings Skyway – Crockett, Port Costa, Vallejo | |||
R5.17 | 6 | McEwen Road – Port Costa | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
Martinez | R8.55 | 9 | Alhambra Avenue – Martinez | ||
R9.19 | 10 | Pine Street, Center Avenue | |||
R10.33 | 11 | Morello Avenue, Glacier Drive | |||
12.41 | 12A | Pacheco Boulevard – Pacheco | |||
12.67 | 12B 12C |
I-680 – Benicia, Sacramento, Walnut Creek, San Jose | Signed as exits 12B (south) and 12C (north) | ||
R13.65 | 13 | Solano Way | |||
Concord | R14.67 | 15A | SR 242 – Concord, Oakland | ||
R15.42 | 15B | Port Chicago Highway | |||
R16.83 | 17 | Willow Pass Road | |||
R18.83 | 19 | San Marco Boulevard, Willow Pass Road – Bay Point | |||
R20.10 | 20 | Bailey Road | Signed as exits 20A (south) and 20B (north) | ||
Pittsburg | 23.05 | 23 | Railroad Avenue, Harbor Street | ||
24.32 | 24 | Loveridge Road – Pittsburg | |||
Antioch | 26.01 | 26 | Somersville Road, Auto Center Drive | Signed as exits 26A (Somersville Road) and 26B (Auto Center Drive) | |
26.94 | 27A | Contra Loma Boulevard, L Street | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
27.29 | 27B | G Street – Central Antioch | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance | ||
R27.79 | 28 | A Street, Lone Tree Way | |||
R28.94 | 29 | Hillcrest Avenue | |||
31.13 | 30 | SR 160 north – Rio Vista, Sacramento | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; SR 4 currently exits; freeway continues as "Bypass Road" [9] | ||
31 | Laurel Road | ||||
33 | Lone Tree Way | ||||
Brentwood | |||||
East end of freeway | |||||
Sand Creek Road | Proposed interchange[10] | ||||
Balfour Road | Proposed interchange[10] | ||||
R44.37 | CR J4 (Byron Highway) – Byron, Tracy | ||||
San Joaquin SJ 0.00-38.06 |
5.96 | CR J2 (Tracy Boulevard) – Tracy | |||
Stockton | 15.91 5 25.36 |
I-5 south / Charter Way – Tracy, San Francisco, Los Angeles | West end of I-5 overlap; interchange; former SR 4 east | ||
West end of freeway | |||||
5 26.19 R16.06 |
65B | I-5 north – Sacramento | East end of I-5 overlap | ||
T15.32 | Fresno Avenue | ||||
65C | Downtown Stockton (Lincoln Street) | Eastbound exit and westbound entrance (from and to Fresno Avenue only) | |||
R16.62 | 66A | El Dorado Street, Center Street – Downtown Stockton | Westbound exit and eastbound entrance | ||
R17.05 | 66B | Stanislaus Street – Downtown Stockton | Signed as exit 66 eastbound | ||
R17.71 | 67 | Wilson Way | |||
R18.77 | 68A | Filbert Street | Signed as exit 68 westbound | ||
R19.44 99 18.68 |
68B | SR 99 north – Sacramento | West end of SR 99 overlap | ||
99 18.15 | 253 | Main Street | Westbound exit only | ||
99 18.02 | 253 | Charter Way (Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard) | No westbound exit; former SR 26 west | ||
East end of freeway | |||||
99 17.22 19.75 |
SR 99 south / Farmington Road – Fresno | East end of SR 99 overlap; interchange | |||
24.87 | CR J5 (Jack Tone Road) | ||||
Farmington | 33.10 | CR J4 (Escalon-Bellota Road) | |||
Stanislaus STA 0.00-8.89 |
4.54 | CR J14 (Milton Road) | |||
Calaveras CAL R0.00-R65.87 |
R8.14 | CR E15 (O'Byrnes Ferry Road) / Rock Creek Road | |||
Angels Camp | R21.09 49 8.41 |
SR 49 north | |||
49 7.21 21.38 |
SR 49 south | ||||
Vallecito | 26.22 | CR E18 (Parrots Ferry Road) | |||
Alpine ALP R0.00-31.68 |
3.89 | SR 207 (Mount Reba Road) | |||
31.68 | SR 89 |
[edit] Other names
Route 4 is also known as:[11]
- Arnold Industrial Highway: From I-680 near Martinez to Route 242 near Concord. Runs parallel to Arnold Industrial Way.
- California Delta Highway: From I-680 near Martinez to I-5 in Stockton. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers empty into the Delta north of the highway.
- John Muir Parkway: From I-80 in Hercules to I-680 near Martinez. Named for the environmentalist John Muir.
- Ort J. Lofthus Freeway: Runs from I-5 to Route 99 within Stockton.
The stretch through Franklin Canyon was once known as "Blood Alley."[12]
[edit] References
- ^ January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
- ^ a b c California Highways: State Route 4
- ^ CA Codes (shc:250-257)
- ^ CA Codes (shc:260-284)
- ^ California Department of Transportation, State Truck Route List (XLS file), accessed February 2008
- ^ California Department of Transportation, Log of Bridges on State Highways, July 2007
- ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006
- ^ California Department of Transportation, California Numbered Exit Uniform System, SR-4 Eastbound and SR-4 Westbound, accessed February 2008
- ^ Caltrans District 4 Photography: Highway 4 Bypass Ribbon Cutting 3-13-08. Caltrans. Retrieved on 2008-05-20.
- ^ a b State Route 4 Bypass Authority: Maps, accessed December 2007
- ^ 2007 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California. Caltrans, 116-117. Retrieved on 2007-03-28.
- ^ Cabanatuan, Michael. "Project to Straighten Out Part of Highway 4", San Francisco Chronicle, June 10, 1999, pp. A - 17. Retrieved on 2008-03-14.
[edit] External links
- Caltrans: Route 4 road conditions
- Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway
- Scenic 4 - Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway
- California @ WestCoastRoads - State Route 4
- California Highways: SR 4
- Cal-NExUS: Route 4 West
- Cal-NExUS: Route 4 East