Skip to main content

Patterson Pass Road

By
Recently on a day trip to the San Francisco Bay Area I traversed the Diablo Range eastbound via Patterson Pass Road.


Patterson Pass Road is an approximately 13 mile roadway which starts at Mines Road in Livermore of Alameda County.  Patterson Pass Road eastward ascends over the approximately 1,600 foot namesake Patterson Pass into San Joaquin County where it ends at Interstate 580 near Tracy.  Patterson Pass Road has an infamous reputation as being a dangerous roadway due to the lengthy one-lane section and heavy rush-hour commute traffic.

Patterson Pass is one of the earliest documented European paths of travel over the Diablo Range as it was explored during the 1775-1776 Spanish Expedition led by Juan Bautista de Anza.  The 1775-1776 Spanish expedition charted out much of San Francisco Bay which led to the founding of the Presidio of San Francisco and Mission San Francisco de Asis.  Patterson Pass Road between Cross Road east to Midway Road is part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Trail.  The Juan Bautista de Anza Trail is a 1,210 mile Auto Touring Route organized by the National Park Service which closely follows the 1775-1776 Spanish expedition from modern day Tubac, Arizona to the San Francisco Bay Area.  More information regarding the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail can be found on nps.gov and cahighways.org.

nps.gov on Juan Bautista de Anza National Historical Trail

cahighways.org on Juan Bautista de Anza National Trail in California

Patterson Pass ultimately didn't become part of the inland route of travel between the Spanish Missions on El Camino Viejo.  The route of El Camino Viejo was to the south over Corral Hollow Pass via what is now Signed County Route J2 on Tesla Road.   The earliest highway map I can find clearly showing Patterson Pass Road is a CSAA edition from 1917.

1917 CSAA State Highway Map

Patterson Pass Road can be seen on the 1935 California Division of Highways Mas of Alameda County.

1935 Alameda County Highway Map

My approach to Patterson Pass Road was from southbound Vasco Road in Livermore.  I made a left hand turn from Vasco Road onto Patterson Pass Road eastbound.



Patterson Pass Road between Vasco Road east to Greenville Road four-lanes and is directly north of Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory.



At Greenville Road the path of Patterson Pass Road drops to two lanes and exits the City of Livermore.



Patterson Pass Road east of Greenville Road to Cross Road has numerous road safety features.  Most of the traffic control measures seem to be oriented at slowing down commuter traffic.







East of Cross Road the alignment of Patterson Pass Road drops to a single lane and picks up the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail.  Patterson Pass Road is a wide single lane and quickly ascends to Patterson Past.














Patterson Pass has a wide shoulder that is worth pulling over to see as there is two wide vistas.  This view is from Patterson Pass looking west towards Livermore Valley.


The sharp descent in Patterson Pass Road eastward from the top of Patterson Pass is very dramatic to the eye.


From Patterson Pass almost all of the Altamont Pass Wind Farm can be seen.  The Altamont Pass Wind Farm was commissioned in 1981 and now consists of 4,930 wind mills which are capable of producing 576 Megawatts of electricity.


The eastward drop on Patterson Pass Road is fast and rolls through the hill side.


















As Patterson Pass Road approaches Midway Road the Altamont Pass Wind Farm sub-station can be seen at the former rail siding location Midway . Patterson Pass Road crosses under a Union Pacific rail underpass which originally part of the Western Pacific Railroad.






At Midway Road the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail splits off of Patterson Pass Road.  Patterson Pass Road expands back out to two-lanes approaching the San Joaquin County Line.



Patterson Pass Road continues eastward to I-580 as a normal two-lane roadway.





Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The case to move Interstate 73 in Southern Ohio onto US 33

By
Every decade or so, Ohio pushes to revisit the proposed Interstate 73 that would connect Michigan to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.  It's been happening since Congress legislated the route in 1991.  Within Ohio, Interstate 73 generally follows the US 23 corridor from Portsmouth through Columbus to Toledo, and into Michigan. Since High Priority Corridor Five was created , Ohio has really done nothing to move forward with Interstate 73.  Sure, there have been feasibility studies here and there.  But actual dollars and construction just haven't occurred. The US 33 Nelsonville Bypass appears to have been built to Interstate standards. However, Ohio has been slowly upgrading US 33 to a full freeway through Southeastern Ohio.  Bypasses of Lancaster and Nelsonville opened in 2004 and 2013, respectively.  Other sections of two-lane road are being twinned, some to freeway or, at a minimum, to expressway standards.  Currently, a $274 million widening project in...
Post a Comment
Read more

Local Sign Find - The last remnant of Business Interstate 95 between Kenly and Rocky Mount , NC

By
As you head north on Interstate 95 at Exit 107 for Kenly and US 301, you'll notice something odd about the overhead sign for the exit.  Peeling off the sign for all that can see is the word 'NORTH' off-center from the US 301.  This old sign (probably close to original from when this section of I-95 opened - more on that in a little bit) gives a hint to a short-lived Business Interstate Route that ran from here to Rocky Mount. The last hint of the Kenly-Wilson-Rocky Mount Business I-95 (Shaun White - August 2020) Interstate 95 in North Carolina has a unique history.  But one of the overlooked and forgotten pieces of Interstate 95 in North Carolina is the 38 mile section between Kenly and Rocky Mount.  When opened to traffic in late 1978, it was the next to last piece of Interstate 95 in North Carolina to open replacing a four lane US 301 from Battleboro through Rocky Mount and Wilson to eventually tying back into the Interstate in Kenly. Though it was not delayed in l...
Post a Comment
Read more

Nostalgia fast food with style - Returning to Rax

By
Nostalgia. It sells. It evokes, and more accurately, warps memories of days gone by.  Things were better, simpler, and we eat it up. Nostalgia can make you drive three hours and over a hundred miles out of your way just to reconnect with a dying fast-food restaurant you last enjoyed in the early to mid-90s.  That person was me - that restaurant was Rax. I could go on about Rax's history, but in short, Rax was briefly a very popular roast beef fast-food chain.  Growing up in the 80s and early 90s in Western PA, Rax was the good fast-food spot.  The milkshakes.  (Personally, the chocolate chip milkshake was heaven.)  Uncle Alligator Kids Meal with the chocolate chip cookie. Take that McDonald's Happy Meal!  The fancy salad and hot foods bar.  Going to Rax was special.  Like so many similar restaurants, various investments, management decisions, etc., led Rax to almost disappear overnight.  By the time I graduated college in late 1999, abou...
Post a Comment
Read more