Skip to main content

California State Route 281

By

California State Route 281 exists as a mostly unbuilt State Highway along Soda Bay Road of the southern shore of Clear Lake. 


Present California State Route 281 ("CA 281") is a 3 mile State Highway which follows Soda Lake Road northward from CA 29 towards Konocti Bay of Clear Lake.  In terms of scale only 3 of the 17 planned miles of Soda Bay Road have been assumed under Caltrans maintenance as CA 281.

The current scale of CA 281 is observable in the Caltrans Post Mile Tool.  The 3 constructed miles of CA 281 appear in the Caltrans Post Mile Tool as Post Mile LAK 14.0-17.0 on Soda Bay Road.  Soda Bay Road northwest to CA 29 more or less is the implied connection of CA 281 beyond State Maintenance.



Part 1; the history of California State Route 281

The genesis of CA 281 as a State Highway is somewhat recent having been given a Legislative description in 1970 according to CAhighways.org.  The the definition of CA 281 was given during 1970 Legislative Chapter 1473 as:

“Route 29 south of Lakeport to Route 29 southerly of Konocti Bay and via the vicinity of Soda Bay.”

Most Legislative Routes adopted under 1970 Legislative Chapter 1473 were contingent upon a local authority building an existing highway up to State Standards before maintenance would be assumed.  CA 281 appears in it's current configuration on the 1975 Caltrans Map which suggests that Lake County was only able to fund 3 miles of building Soda Bay Road to State Standards. 

To that end Soda Bay Road has been around for a significant period of time as it can be seen on the 1917 California Automobile Association Map.  

Soda Bay Road can be seen in detail as a minor highway on the 1935 California Division of Highways Map of Lake County.  


Part 2; a drive on California State Route 281

CA 281/Soda Bay Road begins from CA 29 between Kelseyville and Lowerlake. 


CA 281/Soda Bay Road initially jogs north 2 miles and passes through Clear Lake Riviera at Postmile LAK 15.00. 







The final mile of CA 281 follows Soda Bay Road northwest towards a vista of Clear Lake and Konocti Bay.





CA 281 terminates at Postmile LAK 14.00 and has a well placed "end" placard.  There is a visible contract in Soda Bay Road as it transitions to Lake County Maintenance.  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Cajon Pass; Cajon Pass Toll Road, National Old Trails Road, US Route 66/91/395 and Interstate 15

By
This past weekend I spent some time in Cajon Pass traversing the many historic road alignments. Cajon Pass is located in San Bernardino County, California along the San Andreas Fault.  Cajon Pass  serves the boundary line between the Mojave Desert, the San Gabriel Mountains, San Bernardino Mountains and San Bernardino Valley.  Cajon Pass is historically one of the most traveled transportation corridors in American California and presently is served by four rail lines, Interstate 15 and California State Route 138. While Cajon Pass is known mostly for carrying US Route 66 it has carried numerous other signed highways that have had a significant impact on regional and national road travel.  While this is my best attempt to compile everything from the best sources I could find into one single transportation history blog regarding road travel in Cajon Pass I suspect as time goes on this article will be frequently updated.  If you have any information that you ...
1 comment
Read more

Pardee Dam Road

By
Pardee Dam is a 358-foot-high concrete structure located near Campo Seco at the Calaveras County and Amador County Line.  Pardee Dam impounds the Mokelumne River which forms the namesake Pardee Reservoir.  Pardee Dam was completed during 1929 and is part of the East Bay Municipal Utility District.  Pardee Dam is accessed by the namesake Pardee Dam Road which crosses the structure via the one-lane road seen as the blog cover photo.   Part 1; the history of Pardee Dam Road The closest community to Pardee Dam is that of Campo Seco on the Calaveras County side of the Mokelumne River.  Campo Seco was founded in 1850 by Mexican Miners who worked placer claims in Oregon Gulch during the height of the California Gold Rush.  Campo Seco would reach a population of about three hundred by 1860 spurred by the numerous mining claims in the area.  Main Street of Campo Seco flowed directly into the Campo Seco Turnpike which had been authorized by the California L...
2 comments
Read more

The last 1956-63 era California Sign State Route Spade?

By
Along southbound California State Route 170 (the Hollywood Freeway Extension) approaching the Hollywood Freeway/Ventura Freeway interchange a white California State Route 134 Sign State Route Spade can be observed on guide sign.  These white spades were specifically used during the 1956-63 era and have become increasingly rare.  This blog is intended to serve as a brief history of the Sign State Route Spade.  We also ask you as the reader, is this last 1956-63 era Sign State Route Spade or do you know of others?  Part 1; the history of the California Sign State Route Spade Prior to the Sign State Route System, the US Route System and the Auto Trails were the only highways in California signed with reassurance markers.  The creation of the US Route System by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926 brought a system of standardized reassurance shields to major highways in California.  Early efforts to create a Sign State Route ...
Post a Comment
Read more