Skip to main content

Un-constructed California State Route 235

On my frequent travels through Stockton over the years on California State Route 99 and Interstate 5 I have noted the oddity of un-constructed California State Route 235.  CA 235 was meant to connect CA 99 to I-5 via what is now Hammer Lane.


According to CAhighways.org the precursor route to un-built CA 235 was planned as LRN 260 which was adopted in 1959.

CAhighways.org on LRN 260

The planned route of LRN 260 first appears on the 1960 State Highway City Insert and is shown north of Stockton intersecting Lower Sacramento Street and Thorton Street heading west from US 99/US 50/LRN 4 to LRN 238 (future I-5).

1960 State Highway Map City Insert

When LRN 260 was initially designated it wasn't long before Signed County Route J8 had been applied over Hammer Lane west from US 99/US 50 to Thorton Street in 1960.  J8 continued northward onto a terminus in south Sacramento.

CAhighways.org on Signed County Route J8

At the time LRN 260 and CR J8 had been created Hammer Lane only existed west from US 99 to Thorton Street.  By the 1964 State Highway Renumbering LRN 260 had been re-designated as part of the future CA 235.  This change can been seen by comparing the 1963 State Highway Map City Insert to the 1964 Edition.

1963 State Highway Map City Insert

1964 State Highway Map City Insert

For reference even the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Joaquin County shows Hammer Lane extending west from US 99/US 50 to Thorton Street.

1935 San Joaquin County Highway Map

According to CAhighways.org before Hammer Lane was extended to I-5 the traversable route of un-built CA 235 was listed as Eight Mile Road.  According to CAhighways.org San Joaquin County dropped interest in CA 235 November of 1993 when Eight Mile Road was adopted as a County Maintained arterial street.  Interestingly the un-built CA 235 shows on the 1990 State Highway Map City Insert still being aligned over Hammer Lane.

1990 State Highway Map City Insert

For reference Hammer Lane appears to have been completed to I-5 was the route is shown extended west to the Interstate on Historicaerials.com by comparing the 1977 topographical map of Stockton to the 1980 edition.

Despite not being actively sought by San Joaquin County the planned route of CA 235 never has been legislatively dropped and appears on the 2005 State Highway Map City Insert.

2005 State Highway Map City Insert

For reference Hammer Lane is accessible from CA 99 Exit 258 and I-5 Exit 478.  The photos below are from CA 99 northbound approaching Hammer Lane. 




Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Abandoned Fowler Avenue in Clovis, California

Originally Fowler Avenue in the city of Clovis had a brief discontinuation approaching Herndon Avenue.  Fowler Avenue traffic heading northbound was required to detour briefly onto westbound Herndon Avenue.  During 2001 this discontinuation was removed when Fowler Avenue was reconfigured to access the Sierra Freeway (California State Route 168) via an interchange.  This led to a segment of the original alignment of Fowler Avenue just south of Herndon Avenue to be abandoned.  Despite a shopping center opening over part of the original Fowler Avenue alignment in 2016 much of the abandoned roadway remains.   The history of the abandoned original alignment of Fowler Avenue in Clovis The original alignment of California State Route 168 departed downtown Clovis eastbound along Tollhouse Road.  This original alignment did not interact with Fowler Avenue at the Herndon Avenue intersection.  Fowler Avenue north of Tollhouse Road ran north to Herndon Avenue...

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

  Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...