California State Route 229

California State Route 229 is a 9 mile State Highway entirely contained to San Luis Obispo County. California State Route 229 begins at California State Route 58 near the Salinas River and terminates at California State Route 41 near Creston. California State Route 229 is notable due to having a 6 mile long one-lane section and one of the lowest traffic counts in the State Highway System. The northern 3 miles of California State Route 229 from Rocky Canyon Road to California State Route 41 is largely aligned over what was US Route 466. The entirety of California State Route 229 is signed on Webster Road.

Part 1; the history of California State Route 229

What is now California State Route 229 ("CA 229") entered the State Highway System as part of Legislative Route Number 125 ("LRN 125") and Legislative Route Number 137. Both LRN 125 and LRN 137 were adopted into the State Highway System as part of 1933 Legislative Chapter 767 with the following definitions:

Both LRN 125 and LRN 137 can be seen in the vicinity of Creston on the 1934 Division of Highways State Map.

As noted above in the intro what ultimately became the approximate northern 3 miles of CA 229 was once US Route 466 ("US 466"). The first documents acknowledging the existence of US 466 in California can be found during October/November 1933 in the AASHO Database. Interestingly the document from October 25th, 1933 seems to imply the AASHO assumed US 466 was intended to utilize LRN 33 from Shandon west to Paso Robles and multiplex US 101/LRN 2 to Atascadero instead of LRN 125 through Creston. The December reply by the Division of Highways omits Paso Robles from the alignment of US 466 from Atascadero east to Shandon.

US 466 begins to appear on commercial highway maps of California beginning in 1935. US 466 is seen on the 1935 Gousha Highway Map of California multiplexing CA 41 into Shandon and splitting southwest towards Creston on an unpaved LRN 125. US 466 can seen traversing southwest from Creston via Rocky Canyon to Atascadero and terminating at CA 1 in Morro Bay.

Beginning in August of 1934 the western most segment of LRN 137 carried CA 178 into Santa Margarita where it terminated at US 101/LRN 2. CA 178 is announced in the August 1934 California Highways & Public Works along with the original run of Sign State Routes.

During 1955 CA 178/LRN 58 was shifted off Pozo Road onto Calf Canyon Highway. This shift of CA 178 truncated LRN 58 to terminate at LRN 137 via Calf Canyon Highway. The new alignment of CA 178 over Calf Canyon Highway can be seen on the 1956 Division of Highways State Map.

According to CAhighways.org LRN 137 was redefined via 1957 Legislative Chapter 37 to terminate at CA 178/LRN 58. This definition of LRN 137 appears on the 1958 Division of Highways State Map.

During June of 1958 the Division of Highways sought and obtained permission to relocate US 466 off of LRN 125 between Atascadero and Shandon via Creston. The Division of Highways noted that CA 41/LRN 33 between Paso Robles-Shandon had recently been improved and was by far the favored highway for traffic. LRN 125 between Atascadero-Shandon via Creston is noted to be substandard in design and despite being part of US 466 since 1933 was never signed as such. US 101 through Paso Robles is noted to be in the process of going through a freeway upgrade which was supplemented by existing bypasses in Templeton and Atascadero. The new alignment of US 466 would see it multiplex CA 41/LRN 33 west of Shandon to Paso Robles and US 101/LRN 2 south to Atascadero.

The March/April 1962 California Highways & Public Works notes LRN 125/Rocky Canyon Road had been given to San Luis Obipso County via a maintenance swap in exchange for Creston-Eureka Road. This measure added Creston-Eureka Road to LRN 125 and extended LRN 137 from Rocky Canyon Road north through Creston.

During the 1964 State Highway Renumbering LRN 137 was renumbered to CA 229. CA 229 first appears on the 1964 Division of Highways State Map as being aligned from CA 58 north through Creston to CA 41.

Originally CA 229 terminated at CA 41 at the Huerhuero Creek Bridge. Following the 1995 floods on the Salinas River CA 41 underwent improvements between Atascadero and Creston. This resulted in a new Huerhuero Creek Bridge being built north of Creston which by proxy extended CA 229 a short distance. The original north terminus of CA 229 at CA 41 can be seen in this drawing of the original alignment of US 466.

Part 2; a drive on California State Route 229

Modern CA 58 east from Pozo Road to CA 229 was once part of LRN 137. As CA 58 eastbound approaches CA 229 it passes by it's former alignment over the 1914 Salinas River Bridge. The 1914 Salinas River Bridge was replaced in 1997 by a new span located to the north on CA 58.

CA 58 east of the Salinas River intersects CA 229.

A look at the one lane south terminus of CA 229 at CA 58.

The same view during a very wet winter of 2017.

CA 229 northbound has an advisory sign denoting the first 6 miles of the highway as being narrow given it is one-lane. During 2017 I encountered a Caltrans maintenance crew preforming tree trimming operations on CA 229. One of the workers informed me that they were seeing only 3 cars a day on the one-lane segment of CA 229.

Despite the first 6 miles of CA 229 northbound being a single lane the roadway is relatively flat and there is enough room for vehicles to pass each other.

CA 229 expands to two lanes at Rocky Canyon Road located at Postmile SLO 5.576.

A look west on former US 466/LRN 125 reveals what Rocky Canyon Road probably looked like during it's prime as a State Maintained Highway.

Former US 466/LRN 125 followed CA 229/Webster Road northeast into Creston.

Creston was founded in 1884 on land that was part of Rancho Huerhuero. While modern CA 229 continues directly north to CA 41 the alignment of US 466/LRN 125 crossed Huerhuero Creek to La Panza Road via a bridge which would have been located at approximately Postmile SLO 8.7. A single CA 229 reassurance shield can be found north of Creston.