The City of Atwater is located Merced County and presently part of one of the
fastest growing micropolitian areas in California. Present day California State
Route 99 traverses Atway via a freeway through whereas US
Route 99 originally could be found on Atwater Boulevard.
Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Atwater
Atwater was settled in the early 1870s as a siding of the Southern Pacific
Railroad. Atwater is named after a wheat farmer who's land the railroad siding was built upon. The Southern
Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for
development of San Joaquin Valley. Previous to the Southern
Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended
to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.
The Stockton Los Angeles Road lied to the east of San Joaquin Valley in
the Sierra Nevada Foothills and was less subject flooding. Before the
Southern Pacific Railroad most of San Joaquin Valley was a sparsely
inhabited wetland which made travel by road difficult. Upon the emergence of the Southern Pacific Railroad the community of Atwater would quickly develop. Atwater incorporated as a City in August of 1922.
The
emergence of the automobile in the early 20th Century in California led to the 1909 First State
Highway Bond Act which was approved by voters during 1910. The majority
of the highways approved as part of the First State Highway Bond Act
were largely well established routes of travel. One such highway was
Legislative Route Number 4 ("LRN 4") which was defined as a highway from "Sacramento to Los Angeles."
The
1924 Rand McNally Highway Map of California
provides more detail on the alignment LRN 4 and the Inland Route in Atwater. Just as with the 1917
CSAA Highway Map LRN 4 can be seen following Atwater Boulevard through Atwater on a frontage of the Southern Pacific Railroad.
The initial draft of the US Route System was approved by the Secretary
of Agriculture during November of 1925. The US Route System with in
California was approved by California Highway Commission with no changes
recommended by
January 1926.
The initial alignment of US Route 99 ("US 99") was planned to follow LRN 4 from Sacramento to Los Angeles. US 99 is shown on a map
published in the 1926 California Highways & Public Works following
LRN 4 south from Sacramento through Atwater.
The May/June 1957 California Highways & Public Works cites the Atwater Freeway as one of several US 99/LRN 4 realignments nearing completion between Sacramento-Los Angeles.
The January/February 1958 California Highways & Public Works discusses the opening of the Atwater Bypass (retitled from Atwater Freeway). The Atwater Bypass is cited as being a 4.5 mile reroute of US 99/LRN 4 through the City of Atwater which opened to traffic on October 14th, 1957.
The AASHO
Renumbering database shows that US 99 was approved to be truncated out
of California by the AASHO Executive Committee on June 29th, 1965. This measure was put Atwater on what is now California State Route 99 ("CA 99").
Part 2; a drive on former US Route 99 in Atwater on Atwater Boulevard
From the current CA 99 Freeway northbound Former US 99/Atwater Boulevard can be accessed via Exit 194.
Former US 99/Atwater Boulevard follows east of the CA 99 Freeway in a generally northwestern direction. Former US 99/Atwater Boulevard has a significant intersection at Winton Way.
Former US 99/Atwater Bouelvard intersects and crosses under the CA 99 Freeway where it terminates near Atwater Canal.
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