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California State Route 66

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California State Route 66 is a segmented former portion of US Route 66 located in the Inland Empire area of Southern California.  Presently California State Route 66 exists in two segments which are largely aligned on Foothill Boulevard.  The first segment of California State Route 66 exists on Foothill Boulevard between California State Route 210 near San Dimas east to the eastern city limit of Pomona.  The second segment California State Route 66 exists from the eastern city limit of Rialto via Foothill Boulevard and 5th Street to Interstate 215 in San Bernardino.  Despite the much of California State Route 66 being relinquished it does remain signed in places such as the photo above in Upland at the intersection of Foothill Boulevard Euclid Avenue.  The below map provided courtesy of cahighways.org depicts the current routing of California State Route 66.  


Part 1; the history of California State Route 66

The history of California State Route 66 (CA 66) begins during the 1964 California State Highway Renumbering.  The 1964 Renumbering had numerous objectives which would simplify the State Highway System.  The 1964 State Highway Renumbering involved eliminating the Legislative Route Numbers, removing long highway multiplexes and eliminating highway numbers which would be duplicate to the relatively new Interstate Highways.  The initial route definition of CA 66 defined in 1963 during the lead up to the 1964 State Highway Renumbering was "Route 30 near San Dimas to San Bernardino."

US Route 66 was approved to be truncated from Los Angeles to US Route 95 in Needles by the American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO) on November 14th, 1963.  US Route 66 was effectively immediately removed from the Pasadena Freeway (the Arroyo Seco Parkway) with signage being truncated to downtown Pasadena.  This measure left only CA 11 as the only signed highway on the Pasadena Freeway.  Despite the approval to truncate US Route 66 to US Route 95 in Needles signage remained in place to Pasadena due to Interstate 40 in the Bristol Mountains not having been yet constructed.





US Route 66 appears truncated to Pasadena on the 1964 Division of Highways Map.  CA 66 is shown be legislatively designated over US Route 66 from CA 30 east to San Bernardino through the communities of: La Verne, Claremont, Upland, Rancho Cucamonga, Fontana and Rialto.  From San Bernardino east to the Arizona State Line US Route 66 is shown to exist what was legislatively defined as Interstate 15 and Interstate 40.



The last Division of Highways Map to display US Route 66 signed over the corridor of CA 66 is the 1970 edition.  


US Route 66 would remain signed over the corridor of CA 66 until the completion of Interstate 40 in the Bristol Mountains during 1972.  Thusly CA 66 appears signed as a State Highway for the first time on the 1975 Caltrans Map.  


The truncation of US Route 66 from US Route 95 in Needles to US Route 666 in Sanders, Arizona was approved by the AASHO Executive Committee on June 27th, 1979.  It is unclear what (if any) US Route 66 signage California was maintaining at the time the highway was truncated to Sanders.










1986 Legislative Chapter 928 changed the eastern terminus of CA 66 in San Bernardino to Interstate 215.  The eastern terminus of CA 66 thusly appears as Interstate 215 in San Bernardino on the 1988 Caltrans Map.  The eastern terminus of CA 66 was changed to reflect the reassignment of Interstate 15E on hidden CA 194 simply to Interstate 215. 



1999 Assembly Bill 1650, Chapter 724 change the western terminus of CA 66 to CA 210 near San Dimas.  The western terminus of CA 66 was changed to reflect the reassignment of CA 30 as CA 210 during 1998.  Strangely during 2002 Senate Bills 246 and 857 accidentally changed the western terminus of CA 66 back to CA 30.

2002 Senate Bill 246 permitted the relinquishment of CA 66 in the city of Rancho Cucamonga.  The relinquishment of CA 66 in Rancho Cucamonga came with the stipulation that through signage be maintained to direct traffic to the continuation of the highway.  2002 Senate Bill 251 also placed a similar stipulation for relinquishment of CA 66 in Fontana.  The city of Rancho Cucamonga considered the relinquishment of CA 66 during April 2003, it is not clear when the city of Fontana did.  Thusly, the 2005 Caltrans Map displays CA 66 as being relinquished in the cities of Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana.  



2006 Assembly Bill 3030, Chapter 507 permitted the relinquishment of CA 66 in the city of Upland.  The relinquishment of CA 66 in Upland became effective with the California Transportation Commission during December 2007. 

2008 Senate Bill 1366, Chapter 717 permitted the relinquishment of CA 66 in the city of Rialto.  The California Transportation Commission approved the relinquishment of CA 66 during April 2009.  

2010 Senate Bill 993, Chapter 499 changed the definition of CA 66 reflect the relinquishments during the previous decade.  CA 66 was split into the two segments with the continuous relinquishment of between the Los Angeles County-San Bernardino County line at the western city limit of Upland to the eastern city limit of Fontana.  The definition of CA 66 included a stipulation that through signage remain in the cities where the highway was relinquished.  

2012 Assembly Bill 2679, Chapter 769 amended the definition of CA 66 to reflect the relinquishment of the highway in Rialto.  During May 2012 the city of Claremont came to an agreement to take over maintenance of CA 66/Foothill Boulevard from Caltrans.  The California Transportation Commission approved the relinquishment of CA 66 in Claremont during June 2012.  2013 Senate Bill 788, Chapter 525 changed the definition of CA 66 to its current form:

1.  Route 210 near San Dimas to the eastern city limit of the City of Pomona. 
2.  The eastern city limit of the City of Rialto to Route 215 in San Bernardino.

As per previous changes to the definition of CA 66 Senate Bill 788, Chapter 525 stipulated that signage of the highway be maintained in the cities where it had been previously relinquished.  The present two segments of CA 66 can be observed in the Caltrans Postmile Tool.  







Part 2; exploring California State Route 66

Despite CA 66 being present no signage can be found on CA 210 eastbound directing traffic onto Foothill Boulevard at Exit 47 in La Verne. 


As noted in the intro a CA 66 shield can be found in Upland as Foothill Boulevard approaches Euclid Avenue.  Notably CA 83 has not been present in Upland since it was relinquished from the community during 2010.  Notably the CA 66 and CA 83 shield assembly in Upland are on what is known as a uni-sign which is not Caltrans specification. 


CA 66 is signed approaching Interstate 215 Exit 44 towards 5th Street in San Bernardino. 


The CA 66 shield below was observed during 2011 on H Street in San Bernardino approaching 5th Street.  As noted in the Caltrans Postmile Tool in Part 1 CA 66 terminates at the intersection of 5th Street and H Street. 


The US Route 66 and CA 66 shields below were on display at the First McDonald's Museum in San Bernardino during 2011.  


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