Skip to main content

Signed County Route J4 and un-built California State Route 239

This past Fourth of July Weekend I drove most of Signed County Route J4 from California State Route 4 southeast towards Interstate 5.  J4 is a unique County Route which incorporates the corridor of un-built California State Route 239 in addition to small portions of the original alignments of US 48 and Lincoln Highway.


The route of J4 is signed from CA 4 in Contra Costa County southeast through Alameda County and San Joaquin County to Signed County Route J3 east of Banta.  J4 is a somewhat moderate length Signed County Route at 27.99 miles which was designated in 1960 according to CAhighways.org.

CAhighways.org on County Route J4

Between CA 4 southeast to I-205 in Tracy the route of J4 is along the planned corridor of CA 239.  Before the 1964 State Highway Renumbering the planned route of CA 239 was added to the State Highway System as a extension of Legislative Route Number 110 west from LRN 5 (US 50) to LRN 75 (CA 4) in 1959.

CAhighways.org on LRN 110

The extension of the planned route of LRN 110 to LRN 75 can be first seen on the 1960 State Highway Map.

1960 State Highway Map

As noted above the portion of LRN 110 from CA 4 to I-205 was swapped to CA 239 during the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.  This change can be seen on the 1964 State Highway Map.

1964 State Highway Map

According to CAhighways.org the planned route of CA 239 seems to still have traction as far as potential for being built in the future.  The planned route of CA 239 was incorporated into the failed plans for the Mid-State Tollway between Sunol and Vacaville.  In the recent two decades the planned route of CA 239 has had localized political support to be built as a freeway next to Byron Highway.

CAhighways.org on CA 239 

My approach to J4 south was from CA 4 east on Byron Highway in Contra Costa Highway.  CA 4 is briefly signed on the Byron Highway for about a quarter mile south of Marsh Creek Lane.  CA 4 continues east towards Stockton at Post Mile CC 44.369 whereas J4 begins heading southward on Byron Highway.  J4 oddly isn't signed with a reassurance shield from CA 4.








J4 south of CA 4 quickly enters the community of Byron on Byron Highway.





J4 southbound is fairly well signed with reassurance shields.  This shield below I barely captured entering Byron displays "Contra Costa" in the crest.


At Holway Drive J4 south cuts left to stay on Byron Highway and avoid a crossing of the Union Pacific tracks.


On the opposite side of the Union Pacific railroad tracks is a historic marker for the community of Bryon alongside an older Southern Pacific Railroad car.   Byron was founded in 1878 as a siding of the San Pablo and Tulare Railroad by the Central Pacific Railroad.  The San Pablo and Tulare Railroad was a line routed between Martinez to Los Banos which remains in service in modern times.  The Central Pacific Railroad as a whole became an operating subsidiary of the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1885.




J4 in Byron Highway in downtown Byron is routed east of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks.  One of the warehouse buildings has a mural of Byron as it was in 1878.



J4 southbound continues on Byron Highway towards the Alameda County Line.  At Byron Hot Springs Road there is signed access for Byron Airport.





J4 southbound crosses over to the western flank of the Union Pacific tracks and enters Alameda County just beyond the California Aqueduct.









J4 southbound is only in Alameda County for approximately a mile before it enters San Joaquin County on Byron Highway.


J4 southbound on Byron Highway enters the planned community of Mountain House which is presently only partially completed.  J4/Bryon Highway briefly expands to four-lanes but the traffic count alone illustrates the need (at least I thought so) for CA 239 to actually be built.  The bridge in the last photo below is Central Parkway and presently doesn't connect anywhere west of J4.





Mountain House takes it's name from a Gold Rush era stopover that was located roughly in the same area as the modern community.  The original Mountain House was founded in 1849 by Thomas Goodall for travelers heading from San Francisco Bay east over Altamont Pass towards the mines of the Sierra Nevada Range.  Mountain House grew into a small community but it heavily declined by the 20th Century into a ghost town.  The last remaining buildings from the original Mountain House were apparently demolished in the 1940s.  The modern community of Mountain House was named by San Joaquin County in late 1994.  Mountain House Parkway is one of the major roadways in the community and connects J4 southward towards I-205.


J4 southbound on Byron Highway continues south to Grant Line Road.  At West Grant Line Road J4 southbound briefly picks up the original alignment of the Lincoln Highway, US 48 and even early US 50.








J4 southbound splits off Byron Highway at East Grant Line Road.  US 48, US 50 and the Lincoln Highway continued south on Byron Highway into Tracy.



Upon crossing the Union Pacific tracks J4 southbound enters the City of Tracy on East Grant Line Road.



J4 south meets I-205 in Tracy along East Grant Line Road.





My intent on my drive on J4 was to only cover the un-built CA 239 portion between CA 4 and I-205.  That being the case I jumped on I-205 eastbound but immediately found the traffic to be a disaster.  That being the case I rejoined J4 south on East Grant Line Road via Tracy Boulevard which is a block east of the junction with CR J2 on Corral Hollow Road.


J4 south on East Grant Line Road crosses a set of railroad tracks and exits the City of Tracy.




J4 south on East Grant Line Road enters the community of Banta and crosses a set of railroad tracks where it again picks up the early Lincoln Highway alignment at G Street.




The Lincoln Highway eastbound traversed Banta originally by way of F Street, 7th Street and G Street to East Grant Line Road.  Banta was a siding of the First Transcontinental Railroad built by the Central Pacfic.  The community of Banta still has some structures dating back to it's heyday such as the 1879 Banta Inn.






East of G Street in Banta the route of J4 south on East Grant Line Road is co-signed as the Historic Lincoln Highway to I-205 Business.





Back in March of this year I tracked the early alignments of the Lincoln Highway, US 48 and US 50 in San Joaquin County.  Said blog can be found on the link below.

Hunting the early Lincoln Highway, US 48 and US 50 from French Camp west over Altamont Pass


J4 south traverses the roundabout at I-205 Business onto Kasson Road.  Via Kasson Road J4 south reaches I-5 where I turned south.






Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Old River Lock & Control Structure (Lettsworth, LA)

  The Old River Control Structure (ORCS) and its connecting satellite facilities combine to form one of the most impressive flood control complexes in North America. Located along the west bank of the Mississippi River near the confluence with the Red River and Atchafalaya River nearby, this structure system was fundamentally made possible by the Flood Control Act of 1928 that was passed by the United States Congress in the aftermath of the Great Mississippi River Flood of 1927 however a second, less obvious motivation influenced the construction here. The Mississippi River’s channel has gradually elongated and meandered in the area over the centuries, creating new oxbows and sandbars that made navigation of the river challenging and time-consuming through the steamboat era of the 1800s. This treacherous area of the river known as “Turnbull’s Bend” was where the mouth of the Red River was located that the upriver end of the bend and the Atchafalaya River, then effectively an outflow

Interstate 10S and the original Interstate 110 in California

Interstate 10S is a short spur of Interstate 10 along San Bernardino Freeway in downtown Los Angeles.  Interstate 10S begins at the Santa Ana Freeway (US Route 101) and extends east to Interstate 5 where it merges into mainline Interstate 10.  Interstate 10S is one of the oldest freeway segments in Los Angeles having been part of US Routes 60, 70 and 99 when it was part of the corridor of the Ramona Expressway.  The current corridor of Interstate 10S was assigned as Chargeable Corridor H following the passage of the 1956 Federal Highway Aid Act.  Interstate 110 was a short-lived designation which comprised the segment San Bernardino Freeway from US Route 101 to Interstate 5 between 1964-1968.  The original Interstate 110 was dropped as a Chargeable Corridor during 1965 and consolidated as Interstate 10S during 1968.   The original Interstate 110 can be seen as the blog cover photo as it was featured on the 1964 Division of Highways Map.  Below the entire 0.65-mile length of Interstate

Vicksburg Bridge (Vicksburg, MS)

  Located a few hundred feet downriver from the Old Vicksburg Bridge, the Vicksburg Bridge, or the “New” Bridge, serves as the city’s vehicular crossing of the Mississippi River on the main highway connecting Vicksburg with northeastern Louisiana to the west and the state capital of Jackson to the east. The completion of the original Vicksburg Bridge in 1930 was seen as a huge success and the bridge proved to be a profitable entity for both road and railroad interests along the path of the Dixie Overland Highway and the subsequent US Highway 80 corridor. In the years after the creation of the National Interstate Highway System, planning commenced on a new bridge at the site that would relieve the congestion on the existing bridge while providing for a more modern crossing of the river that would be safe for all vehicles. The construction of the new bridge at Vicksburg was completed in 1973 and its design intentionally mimics that of its predecessor nearby. This was due in large part