Skip to main content

California State Route 149

By
While traveling through Sacramento Valley earlier this month I drove the entirety of California State Route 149.


CA 149 is a short 5 mile expressway completely located within Butte County.  CA 149 starts at CA 99 near Chico and travels southeast towards CA 70 near Oroville.  CA 149 was part of Legislative Route Number 87 which was created by the State Legislature in 1933 according to CAhighways.org.

CAhighways.org on CA 149

A state maintained LRN 87 appears on the 1934 State Highway Map between Chico and Oroville.

1934 State Highway Map

During the 1964 State Highway Renumbering LRN 87 between Chico and Oroville (technically Wicks Corner) was assigned CA 149.  CA 149 does not appear to have been signed in 1964.

1963 State Highway Map

1964 State Highway Map

CA 149 first appears on the 1969 State Highway Map as a signed route.

1969 State Highway Map

CA 149 was part of what was known as the "East Valley Corridor."  The East Valley Corridor consisted of CA 99, CA 70, CA 149 and CA 149 north of Sacramento which was meant to be a full corridor alternate of I-5 consisting of freeways/expressways.  Much of the East Valley Corridor was built but some notable segments like a bypass of Marysville and a segments north of Chico were never constructed to CAhighways.org.

My path on CA 149 southward towards CA 70 from CA 99 near Chico.  CA 149 maintains a flat grade with a left exit at the junction with CA 99 and begins to head southeast towards the Sierra Foothills.  Despite appearances in the photos CA 149 isn't a full freeway and includes several at-grade intersections.





CA 149 is signed as the "Lt. Larry Estes Deputy Bill Hunter Memorial Highway."



Oroville is signed as being 10 miles to the south along CA 149.


CA 149 ends at CA 70.  The ramp for CA 70 east is signed showing the highway connects to CA 191.




The junction of CA 149 and CA 70 is signed as "Wicks Corner Interchange." 


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 70; the Feather River Highway

By
From 2017 through to early 2019 I drove the majority of the California State Route 70; the Feather River Highway from CA 89 southwest to CA 99. CA 70 is an approximately 178.5 mile state highway which starts at US 395 near the Nevada State Line and travels west through the Feather River Canyon to CA 99.  CA 70 is often referred to as the Feather River Highway" given it's close association with the river.  Historically CA 70 was previously signed as US 40A and CA 24.  The Legislative Routes prior to the 1964 California Highway Renumbering that made up the current route of CA 70 are as follows: -  Legislative Route Number 21 from US 395 westward to Oroville. -  LRN 87 from Oroville south to Marysville. -  LRN 232 from Marysville to the current junction with CA 99.  CA 70 was even dual signed with CA 99 into Sacramento on what was LRN 232 for a time. The change from US 40A/LRN 21/LRN 87/LRN 232 can be seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Ma...
Post a Comment
Read more