The former surface alignment of California State Route 1 in Watsonville and Pajaro

The initial alignment of California State Route 1 was commissioned in Watsonville and Pajaro area when the Sign Routes were announced in August 1934. The northbound highway originally followed Salinas Road, Porter Drive, Main Street and Freedom Boulevard through the two communities. The first realignment came in 1942 when highway north of downtown Watsonville was realigned onto an expressway to Rob Roy Junction. The highway would be modernized into a full freeway bypass during the 1960s. Former surface segments of California State Route 1 in the Watsonville/Pajaro area have since been recycled into County Route G12 and California State Route 152.

Pictured as the blog cover is the then new three lane alignment of California State Route 1 between Watsonville and Rob Roy Junction as seen in the November 1942 California Highways & Public Works.

The original surface alignment of California State Route 1 in Watsonville and Pajaro (shown as Watsonville Junction) can be seen below in bolded red on the 1935 Division of Highways map of Santa Cruz County.

Part 1; the history of California State Route 1 in Watsonville and Pajaro

The town site of Watsonville was laid out on the northern bank of the Pajaro River in 1852. The community's name is intended to honor one of the original founders John Watson. Watsonville would incorporate as a town during March 1868 and later as a city in 1889. Watsonville is located across the river from the Monterey County community of Pajaro. Pajaro was founded as Watsonville Junction when the Southern Pacific Railroad Coast Line was being constructed and originally obtained Postal Service in 1872.

The Coast Highway north from Moss Landing (shown as Moss Log) can be seen passing through Watsonville on the 1882 Bancroft's map of California. The highway is shown passing through Watsonville Junction via what is now Salinas Road and Porter Drive towards Main Street in Watsonville. North of downtown Watsonville the highway is shown departing towards Freedom and Santa Cruz.

Watsonville was omitted by the First Three State Highway Bond Acts in 1909, 1916 and 1919. However, the Riverside-Watsonville Road west from San Benito County (near Betabel siding) via the Pajaro River to Watsonville and the Coast Road south to Castroville was surveyed as an alternative alignment of Legislative Route Number 2 (future US Route 101). The May 1913 California Highway Bulletin featured the alternative Watsonville alignment and detailed the rationale behind why the routing through San Juan Bautista to Salinas was chosen. The primary reasons for the chosen San Juan Bautista routing were that it was more efficient and closely served the San Benito County seat of Hollister. The slide prone terrain along the Pajaro River was also noted to be undesirable for a primary through highway.

The same volume references the California Highway Commission having an expectation that Santa Cruz County would modernize the Riverside-Watsonville Road.

During 1915 Santa Cruz County and Monterey County would an arch concrete span over the Pajaro River on the Coast Road. This 1915 era structure served as part of Main Street in Watsonville and was featured in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works.

State Highway service didn't come to Watsonville until Legislative Route Number 67 was defined by 1921 Legislative Chapter 836. The then new State Highway annexed the Riverside-Watsonville Road from Legislative Route Number 2 west to the Pajaro River Bridge at Chittenden Station.

The extent of planned Legislative Route Number 67 (shown as the Pajaro River Road) appears for the first time on the 1922 California Highway Commission map.

The September 1924 California Highways & Public Works featured the completed construction of Legislative Route Number 67 through Chittenden Pass of the Santa Cruz Mountains. The original 3.04-mile scale of the highway was completed by August 2, 1924. Legislative Route Number 67 was extended west to Watsonville during 1933 and was reassigned as California State Route 129 during the 1964 State Highway Renumbering. The modern road depicted in the photo still carries California State Route 129 through Chittenden Pass whereas the road on the left is presently signed as Old Chittenden Road.

The Coast Highway through Watsonville and Pajaro was added to the State Highway System in 1933. During said year the definition of Legislative Route Number 56 was extended north from Carmel to Fernbridge. Salinas Road, Porter Drive, Main Street and Freedom Boulevard were all annexed as State Highway. The entirety of Legislative Route Number 56 was be announced as California State Route 1 in the August 1934 California Highways & Public Works.

The March 1941 California Highways & Public Works announced construction of the three-lane short cut to Watsonville had commenced on February 13, 1941. The corridor was to be a new 6.2-mile-long alignment near Rob Roy Junction connecting to northern Main Street in Watsonville. The completed corridor would bypass the then existing alignment through Freedom and on Freedom Boulevard.

The July 1941 California Highways & Public Works featured the nearly completed grading the Watsonville-Rob Roy Junction cutoff alignment of California State Route 1.

The November 1942 California Highways & Public Works featured the new alignment of California State Route 1 between Watsonville and Rob Roy Junction. The then new three lane alignment opened to traffic on October 17, 1942. The new alignment moved California State Route 1 onto an extension of Main Street north of downtown Watsonville and removed Freedom Boulevard from the State Highway System

The Watsonville-Rob Roy Junction alignment of California State Route 1 appears on the 1944 Division of Highways map.

The upcoming freeway alignment California State Route 1 between Santa Cruz and Rob Roy Junction via Aptos is depicted in a sketch which was featured in May/June 1947 California Highways & Public Works. The new freeway alignment of California State Route 1 is stated to include two Southern Pacific Railroad underpass structures and a new bridge over Aptos Creek.

The new Santa Cruz-Rob Roy Junction freeway alignment of California State Route 1 is cited to be nearing completion in the November/December 1948 California Highways & Public Works. The new freeway alignment is cited to span over a project zone originating from Morrissey Avenue in Santa Cruz to Rob Roy Junction south of Aptos. The Santa Cruz-Rob Roy Junction freeway is cited to have been constructed over three contracts and was expected to be open to traffic during summer 1949.

The completed Santa Cruz-Rob Roy Junction freeway alignment of California State Route 1 is featured in the November/December 1949 California Highways & Public Works. The feature article notes the new freeway was dedicated on November 4, 1949, and realigned California State Route 1 onto a fully control access highway between Watsonville and Santa Cruz. A future extension of the Santa Cruz-Rob Roy Junction freeway is stated to be planned to connect to the Los Gatos Highway (California State Route 17). An aerial photo features the new alignment of California State Route 1 bypassing Soquel Drive.

The May/June 1959 California Highways & Public Works announced that studies were underway to regarding conversion of the Rob Roy Junction-Watsonville segment of California State Route 1 from expressway to freeway standards. The article references the California Highway Commision planned to convert the corridor south of Rob Roy Junction to four-lane freeway standards and adopted an extension as a bypass of Watsonville to the Monterey County line.

The January/February 1962 California Highways & Public Works referenced a freeway alignment relocation for California State Route 152 being adopted north of Watsonville. The planned highway alignment would split from Hecker Pass Road north of downtown Watsonville and tie into the California State Route 1 freeway near Casserly Road. This corridor was ultimately never constructed.

The May/June 1962 California Highways & Public Works announced that 7.1 miles of California State Route 1 from Rob Roy Junction south to Main Street to Watsonville had been contracted for four-lane freeway conversion.

The May/June 1963 California Highways & Public Works announced funding for the Watsonville Bypass had been allocated for the 1963-1964 Fiscal Year. The new freeway bypass began at Buena Vista Drive and extended south to the Pajaro River. The corridor included an extension of Legislative Route Number 67 west of Main Street to the planned freeway alignment of California State Route 1.

The May/June 1965 California Highways & Public Works featured the partially completed Watsonville Bypass. At the time of the article grading for the freeway had been completed from the Pajaro River northwest of Watsonville approximately five miles to Main Street. The article references surfacing of the new freeway corridor as being scheduled for 1966.

The Watsonville Bypass is shown with a planned extension in Monterey County south to the vicinity of Castroville on the 1966 Division of Highways map. California State Route 1 would never be realigned as freeway from the Monterey County line south to Merritt Street in Castroville.

The Watsonville Bypass appears the new alignment of California State Route 1 on the 1969 Division of Highways map. California State Route 1 is shown to be a continuous freeway from Watsonville north to Santa Cruz. Relocation of California State Route 1 in Watsonville led to County Route G12 being extended into Santa Cruz County and Watsonville via Salinas Road, Porter Drive and Main Street. The relocation also led to the section of Main Street north of Beach Street in downtown Watsonville being reassigned as an extension of California State Route 152 to the California State Route 1 freeway.

Part 2; exploring the former surface alignment of California State Route 1 in Watsonville and Pajaro

Within Watsonville the Santa Cruz County portion of County Route G12 begins south of California State Route 129 is carried by the original alignment of California State Route 1 on Main Street. The highway crosses the Pajaro River Bridge into Monterey County and the community of Pajaro.

Pictured is eastbound California State Route 129 approaching County Route G12 at Main Street.

And westbound California State Route 129 approaching County Route G12 at Main Street.

Below County Route G12 can be seen facing south along Main Street towards the modern Pajaro River Bridge. The modern Pajaro River Bridge was constructed in 1998 as a replacement for the 1915 era span.

County Route G12 south through Pajaro follows the former routing of California State Route 1 along Porter Drive and Salinas Road before splitting left onto Elkhorn Road.

The remaining balance of the former Pajaro segment of California State Route 1 is carried via Salinas Road to the Exit 423 of the modern freeway.

At Postmile SCR T3.271L California State Route 152 westbound splits into a one-way couplet. California State Route 152 westbound continues on Lake Avenue to Main Street whereas the eastbound highway utilizes Main Street, Beach Street and Lincoln Street.

California State Route 152 westbound follows the older Main Street alignment of California State Route 1 out of downtown Watsonville to the modern freeway.

Abandoned US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon

Within the Truckee River Canyon in the Sierra Nevada range numerous abandoned portions of US Route 40 can be found alongside modern Interstate 80. This segment of highway was opened during 1926 as a bypass of the Dog Valley Grade which carried the early North Lincoln Highway and Victory Highway. The corridor of the Truckee River Canyon State Highway would be assigned as US Route 40 when the US Route System was commissioned during November 1926. During 1958 the segment of Interstate 80 between Boca, California and the Nevada state line was complete. When Interstate 80 opened east of Boca numerous obsolete portions of US Route 40 were abandoned. Some of these abandoned segments have been incorporated into the Tahoe-Pyramid Trail. Part 1; the history of US Route 40 in the Truckee River Canyon The Truckee River Canyon for centuries has been an established corridor of travel known to native tribes crossing the Sierra Nevada range. The first documented wagon crossi...