Skip to main content

Unconstructed California State Route 234

By


California State Route 234 is a three-mile unconstructed State Highway which was planned near the southern city border of Stockton near French Camp.  The corridor which was adopted into the State Highway System by way of 1959 Legislative Chapter 1062.  The traversable routing of California State Route 234 is noted by Caltrans as French Camp Road despite it not matching the planned corridor routing displayed on State Highway Maps.  During 1983 San Joaquin County adopted a resolution to adopt French Camp Road formally California State Route 234.  The state never acted on the resolution and San Joaquin eventually lost interest.  Modern Arch Airport Road was completed in 2010s along the planned corridor of California State Route 234.  Arch Airport Road facilitates traffic to newer industrial construction at Airpark 599 near Stockton Metropolitain Airport.  

Planned California State Route 234 can be seen straddling the southern city border of Stockton on the blog cover as displayed on 1964 Division of Highways Map.  




The history of California State Route 234

What was to become planned California State Route 234 was added to the State Highway System during 1959 as Legislative Route Number 261 (LRN 261).  LRN 261 was adopted into the Freeways & Expressways System which was also created during 1959.  LRN 261 was defined by Legislative Chapter 1062 with the following description:

"LRN 238 (Interstate 5) near French Camp to LRN 4 (US Route 99"

LRN 261 appears for the first time on the 1960 Division of Highways Map as a planned State Highway.  The planned but unadopted routing of LRN 261 is shown to be aligned north of French Camp near the southern boundary of the city of Stockton.  The planned alignment of LRN 261 included a crossing of French Camp Slough approaching Interstate 5/LRN 238. 



The Legislative Route Numbers were dropped as part of the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.  LRN 261 was subsequently renumbered as "California State Route 234."  California State Route 234 retained the definition of LRN 261 and appears on the first time on the 1964 Division of Highways.  



Unconstructed California State Route 234 roughly aligned with then existing Sperry Road between McKinnley Avenue and Airport Way (County Route J3).  The corridor appears to have been intended to service Sharpe Army Depot Field Annex which was located at Stockton Municipal Airport.  Sperry Road can be seen as originally configured on the 1968 United States Geological Survey Map of Stockton.  The regular Army would withdraw from Stockton Municipal Airport during 1973 and the holdings of Sharpe Army Depot Field Annex were relinquished to San Joaquin County. 


California State Route 234 never had a formal alignment adoption.  In 1983 San Joaquin County passed resolution 8-83-1461 for procedures to be followed to add French Camp Road as California State Route 234 and Eight Mile Road as California State Route 235.  French Camp Road (County Route J9 and former US Route 99) is listed as the traversable routing of California State Route 234, but no State Highway map has ever shown the planned corridor following it.   During 1993 San Joaquin County adopted Eight Mile Road as arterial roadway and dropped interest in California State Route 235.  San Joaquin County never opined on continued interest with California State Route 234.

Sperry Road by the 1980s was extended east from Airport Way to California State Route 99 (former US Route 99) by San Joaquin County via the planned corridor of California State Route 234.  This extension appears on the 1989 United States Geological Map of Stockton.  


The corridor of Sperry Road was extended west to Interstate 5 and renamed as "Arch Airport Road" during the latter half of the 2010s.  Arch Airport Road is aligned directly over the planned corridor of California State Route 234.  The intent of Arch Airport Road is to increase access to Stockton Metropolitain Airport and the Airpark 599 (which broke ground in 2021).  

Arch Airport Road as it is configured now appears on the 2015 United States Geological Map of Stockton.  



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former California State Route 180 in Centerville

By
Centerville is one of the oldest communities in what is now Fresno County having been founded as Scottsburg in 1854.  The Centerville community has historically been tied to the history of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road and the Squaw Valley Road.  The Squaw Valley Road would later be known as Dunlap Road and became a component of California State Route 180 in August 1934.  By the 1940s the corridor was renamed Kings Canyon Road in reference to Kings Canyon National Park.  For the majority of the life of California State Route 180 in Centerville, it has not strayed far from Kings Canyon Road.  This changed in 2020 when California State Route 180 was relocated onto the Kings Canyon Expressway.  This blog serves as an overview of the history of California State Route 180 and general evolution of highways in Centerville.  California State Route 180 can be seen passing through Centerville and Minkler below on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Fresno Count...
Post a Comment
Read more

New River Gorge National Park & Preserve - Thurmond

By
New River Gorge National Park and Preserve is best known for whitewater rafting and other forms of adventure tourism.  Yet, found in the hollows and isolated valleys are quiet farms and former coal mining towns.  Well off the beaten path and isolated from much of its surroundings, Thurmond provides a unique view into Central West Virginia's industrial past. Thurmond began as a railroad town in the late 1800s.  Sparked by the arrival of the Chesapeake & Ohio Railroad and the local coal industry, Thurmond quickly grew into a sizeable transportation and coal center.  When it incorporated as a town in 1903, Thurmond was a full-fledged community - home to two banks, two hotels, and many other services and stores. A CSX freight train passes the old coaling tower in Thurmond.  It was here that many steam locomotives would refill and refuel. Thurmond was home to a C&O railyard which serviced the numerous steam engines passing through the narrow valley.  Thu...
Post a Comment
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 ...
1 comment
Read more