California State Route 77; the real "Shortest Signed" State Highway

Over the last two weeks I visited almost every State Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area. The shortest State Highway by a large margin in the Bay Area is California State Route 77.

CA 77 is presently only 0.45 miles in length and is located entirely within the City of Oakland. CA 77 begins at Interstate 880 and heads eastward on 42nd Avenue to CA 185 on 14th Street.

As presently completed CA 77 would rank as the fourth shortest State Highway only behind CA 225, CA 275 and CA 283.

CAhighways.org list of Shortest State Highways

CA 77 presently has a 13.4 mile portion that has not been constructed. CA 77 as originally envisioned would have continued northeast towards Concord and would have junctions with; I-580, unbuilt CA 93, CA 24, I-680 and CA 242. According to CAhighways.org the present route of CA 77 was designated as Legislative Route Number 233 which was approved by the State Legislature in 1953. The legislative description of LRN 233 was changed to LRN 235 by 1957.

CAhighways.org on CA 77

CAhighways.org on LRN 235

The path of LRN 233 first appears on the 1954 State Highway Map City Insert.

The designation of LRN 235 replaces LRN 233 on the 1958 State Highway Map City Insert.

By 1963 the portion of LRN 235 between CA 17 on the Nimitz Freeway (current I-880) and LRN 105 (present CA 185) is shown completed.

During the 1964 State Highway Renumbering LRN 235 was reassigned as CA 77.

According to CA 77 the planned route of CA 77 was cut back to CA 24 in Layayette by 1975. This is reflected on the 1977 State Highway Map City Insert.

Note; as completed in 1963 the configuration of LRN 235/CA 77 was a freeway with free flowing ramps to/from CA 17/I-880 northbound. Said ramps were reconfigured in 2012 into the at-grade ramps present at the western terminus of CA 77.

Access to CA 77 can be obtained from I-880 via Exit 38. Oddly High Street is signed from I-880 and not 42nd Avenue even though that is the direct connection. From I-880 there is not CA 77 signage, the downpour was about as miserable as it looks.

From the exit ramp CA 77 begins with a left hand turn onto 42nd Avenue. Again there is no CA 77 shields to be found.

CA 77 east travels under both travel lanes of I-880 and essentially is limited access (albeit not a freeway).

Between the northbound lanes of I-880 and on-ramp from Coliseum Way the first CA 77 reassurance shield appears. CA 77 east even features an off-ramp to 12th Street which can be seen in the second photo below.

The CA 77 reassurance shield makes it the real "shortest" signed State Highway and not CA 153 which is often proclaimed as such. My previous blog entry on CA 153 can be found below.

California State Route 153; the supposedly shortest State Highway

CA 77 east even has a second reassurance shield before it terminates at CA 185 at 14th Street.

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California. Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada. The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926. Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938. A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947. Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association. Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe. Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the September 1950 California Highways & Public Works during its Centennial Edition. The or...

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush. The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway. In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50. The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County. That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848. During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...

Angus L. Macdonald Bridge

At 1.3 kilometers (or about 0.84 miles) in length, the Angus L. Macdonald Bridge is one of two bridges crossing over the Halifax Harbour between Halifax, Nova Scotia and Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, with the other bridge being the A. Murray Mackay Bridge . Opened in 1955 and named after former Nova Scotia Premier and Canadian Minister of Defense for Naval Services Angus L. Macdonald, the Macdonald Bridge was the first bridge that crossed Halifax Harbour that was opened to traffic. The Macdonald Bridge was also the subject of the Big Lift, which was only the second time in history that the span of a suspension bridge were replaced while the bridge was open to traffic. Planning began in 2010 for the Big Lift, while construction took place between 2015 and 2017. Similar work occurred on the Lion's Gate Bridge in Vancouver, British Columbia before the project took place on the Macdonald Bridge. At this time, much of the bridge infrastructure is new, leaving only the towers, main cables and...

Littledots said…

Hi, I was researching the 42nd Ave freeway entrance for my blog and came across your page. Great photos. I am writing a page on the "Bancroft Parkway" which began at the San Leandro border on Bancroft and ended at 42nd Ave with entrance to the Nimitz (880) Freeway. Bancroft Parkway - Oakland Tribune November 25, 1956 -https://www.newspapers.com/clip/67723058/bancroft-parkway-nov-25-1956/
Littledots@yahoo.com

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