Skip to main content

Pole Line Road (Fresno County and Merced County)

By

Pole Line Road is an approximately 7.5-mile rural highway which fronts the California Aqueduct and Interstate 5 in Fresno County and Merced County.  Pole Line Road was originally constructed in the early 20th century as a roadway from the Oil City near Coalinga to Oil Pump Station #5 west of Mercy Springs Road.  The highway was truncated to Nees Avenue and Mercy Springs Road (California State Route 165) as part of the construction of the Dos Amigos Pumping Plant circa 1963-1966.  




Part 1; the history of Pole Line Road

Pole Line Road was constructed sometime between 1914 and 1920 as a western flank of San Joaquin Valley.  The Pole Line Road originated in the Oil City north of Coalinga in the Kettleman Hills of Fresno County.  From the Kettleman Hills the highway fronted utility lines and an oil pipeline towards an oil pumping station located a short distance west of Mercy Springs Road (now California State Route 165) in Merced County.  

The Pole Line Road can be seen branching in both directions of Nees Avenue (denoted by blue pin) west of Firebaugh on the 1921 United States Geological Survey map of Laguna Seca Ranch.


The Pole Line Road can be seen on the 1922 United States Geological Survey map of Charleston School continuing northwest of the Fresno/Merced County line to Mercy Springs Road (denoted by blue pin). 



The same 1922 map shows Pole Line Road continuing northwest of Mercy Springs Road and crossing Ortigalita Creek (denoted via blue pin).


The 1920 United States Geological Survey map of Carrisalito Spring displays the Pole Line Road terminating near Oil Pump Station #5 of the Central Valley Pipeline.  This pump station is located at the intersection of what is now Mervel Avenue and Arburua Road.  


The 1935 Division of Highways map of Fresno County displays Pole Line Road originating at California State Route 33 (Derrick Avenue) near the Oil City in Township 18 South, Range 15 East.  The corridor is shown to largely follow a straight northwest trajectory towards the Merced County line at Township 12 South, Range 11 East.




Pole Line Road was truncated to the most traveled portion of the corridor between Nees Avenue-Mercy Springs Road circa 1963-1966 amid construction of the Dos Amigos Pumping Plant.  Said pumping plant is part of the California Aqueduct and provides fluid head for water to flow 95 miles south towards Coastal Branch split near Kettleman City.  Modern Pole Line Road is one of the few reliably maintained frontage roads of Interstate 5 in San Joaquin Valley.  



Part 2; a drive on Pole Line Road

Northbound Pole Line Road begins via a right-hand turn from Nees Avenue approaching the California Aqueduct in Fresno County.  


Northbound Pole Line Road quickly enters Merced County.  






Pole Line Road crosses over the California Aqueduct and intersects Eagle Field Road.  What is now Eagle Field was activated on June 24, 1943, as an Army Airfield.  Eagle Field was assigned to the West Coast Training Center and had three turf runways.  The airfield would be deactivated before World War II ended in December 1944.  Following the war the field was repurposed numerous times and recently was purchased by Eagle Field LLC during early 2025. 






Pole Line Road crosses the California Aqueduct again within view of the Dos Amigos Pumping Plant. 








The Dos Amigos Pumping Plant from Interstate 5. 


Pole Line Road continues north to a terminus at California State Route 165.  Traffic can make a left-hand turn to take a short jog to Interstate 5.  






Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Grand Loop Road of Yellowstone National Park

By
  Grand Loop Road is a 140 mile loop highway which traverses the interior of Yellowstone National Park.  Grand Loop Road connects all of the major attractions and geological features of Yellowstone National Park along with the entrance roads.  Grand Loop Road is a seasonal highway and despite some conjecture never has been part of the US Route System.   Part 1; the history of Grand Loop Road The majority of history pertaining to Grand Loop Road was taken from the below National Park Service article: Historic Roads - Yellowstone National Park (U.S. National Park Service) (nps.gov) Yellowstone was declared the first National Park of the United States on March 1st, 1872.  The first real highway to access Yellowstone National Park came in 1873 when a tolled facility was constructed from Bozeman, Montana via Yankee Jim Canyon to Mammoth Hot Springs.  Numerous attempts were made to fund construction of roadway infrastructure during the early years of Yellows...
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 ...
Post a Comment
Read more

California State Route 156

By
Over the past couple years I've taken about every single conceivable noteworthy road in and out of the California Coast as far south as Malibu northward towards Point Reyes.  Generally I try to avoid the more popular routes due to the high traffic capacity which often overwhelms existing highways.  That being the case I've often found myself in need of getting to the Monterey Peninsula from San Joaquin Valley in a hurry which often means a trip on California State Route 156.   CA 156 is a 25 mile route from CA 152 in Santa Clara County west to CA 1 near the mouth of the Salinas River in Castroville of Monterey County. Part 1; the history of California State Route 156 All of modern CA 156 was part of Legislative Route 22 .   LRN 22 was defined during the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act between as a route between San Juan Bautista and Hollister.  During the 1919 Third State Highway Bond Act LRN 22 was extended east from Hollister to the Pachec...
Post a Comment
Read more