Skip to main content

Paper Highways; unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz

By


This edition of Paper Highways examines the unbuilt California State Route 100 in Santa Cruz.



The History of Unbuilt California State Route 100

The route that became CA 100 was added to the State Inventory in 1959 as part of the Freeway & Expressway System as Legislative Route 287.  According to CAhighways.org the initial definition of LRN 287 had it begin at LRN 5 (CA 17) and was defined over the below alignment to LRN 56 (CA 1) through downtown Santa Cruz.

-  Ocean Street
-  2nd Street
-  Chestnut Street

For context the above alignment would required tearing down a large part of the densely populated Santa Cruz.  A modern Google imagine immediately reveals how crazy an alignment following Ocean Street, 2nd Street, and Chestnut Street would have been.


LRN 287 first appears on the 1960 Division of Highways State Map.



In 1961 the definition of LRN 287 was generalized to; from LRN 5 via the beach area in Santa Cruz to LRN 56 west of the San Lorenzo River.  This new more generalized route description of LRN 287 can be first seen on the 1962 Division of Highways State Map.



During the 1964 State Highway Renumbering LRN 287 became CA 100.  The 1964 Division of Highways Map shows a similar route definition to what LRN 287 had in 1961.



CA 100 never had a formal route adoption but somehow it ended up being rescinded anyways in 1975 according to CAhighways.  One of the proposals for a freeway bypass of downtown Santa Cruz was building a parallel route to CA 1 north of Mission Street but it was highly contended locally.  Following U.C. Santa Cruz being established in 1965 some of the proposals for CA 100 had the corridor routed north of downtown and by the School Campus in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains.

Despite the numerous proposals for CA 100 the route has never been Legislatively deleted.  CA 100 still appears on the 2005 Caltrans State Map with the same route definition it had in 1964.



Assuming CA 100 was constructed to the 1964 definition it would likely split from the CA 1 freeway/CA 17 expressway junction south via the corridor of Ocean Street.  The theoretical split in CA 100 would likely occur at a shared interchange with CA 17 as seen below from current CA 1.


The reverse view from CA 1 south approaching the junction of CA 17.  The split for CA 100 would likely be a right hand exit had it been constructed.


Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Petroleum Club Road (former California State Route 33 and US Route 399 past the Lakeview Gusher)

By
Petroleum Club Road is an approximately 5.3-mile rural highway located in the Sunset Oil Field of western Kern County.  This corridor was constructed as a frontage road of the Sunset Railroad and would be the site of the Lakeview Gusher in 1910.  Petroleum Club Road was the original alignment of California State Route 33 and US Route 399 between 1934-1938.  In 1938 the West Side Highway was constructed west of Lakeview Gusher and still serves as the current alignment of California State Route 33.   Part 1; the history of Petroleum Club Road Petroleum Club Road is the original highway which linked the oil communities of Maricopa and Taft.  Both cities were developed around the early boom of the Sunset Oil Field.  The early Sunset Oil Field can be seen centered along Cienega Canyon Road southwest of Buena Vista Lake in Township 11 North, Range 23 West on the 1898 Kern County Surveyors map .  In 1901 Post Office Service would be established at the Su...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kuakini Highway (former Hawaii Route 11 in Kailua-Kona)

By
Kuakini Highway east of Palani Road in Kailua-Kona is the original alignment of Hawaii Route 11.  The highway upon being commissioned in 1955 began at the Palani Road (then Hawaii Route 19) and followed Kuakini Highway southeast towards Holualoa.  Hawaii Route 11 was shifted to an extension of Queen Kaahumanu Highway during the late 1970s which bypassed downtown Kailua-Kona.   This page is part of the Gribblenation Hawaii Roads series.  A compellation of all Hawaii-related media from both Gribblenation and RoadwayWiz can be found by clicking  here .  Part 1; the history of Hawaii Route 11 and Kuakini Highway in Kailua-Kona Hawaii Route 11 is part of Mamalahoa Highway (the Hawaii Belt Road) and is the longest Hawaiian State Route at 121.97 miles.  The highway begins at the mutual junction of Hawaii Route 19 and Hawaii Route 190 in Kailua-Kona.  From Kailua-Kona the routing of Hawaii Route 11 crosses the volcanic landscapes of southern side of ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Did Caltrans just kill the G26 cutout US Route shields?

By
The US Route System was formally created by the American Association of State Highway Officials during November 1926.  Through the history of the system the only state to which has elected to maintain cutout US Route shields has been California.  The G26 series cutout US Route shields have become a favorite in the road enthusiast hobby and are generally considered to be much more visually pleasing than the standard Federal Highway Administration variant.  However, the G26 shield series appears to have been killed off on January 18, 2026, when Caltrans updated their Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices.  This blog will examine the history of the US Route shield specifications in California and what is happening with the 2026 changes.  The blog cover photo is facing towards the terminus of California State Route 136 and at a G26-2 specification US Route 395 shield.  In the background Mount Whitney can be seen in the Sierra Nevada range.   ...
3 comments
Read more