Skip to main content

California State Route 281

By

California State Route 281 exists as a mostly unbuilt State Highway along Soda Bay Road of the southern shore of Clear Lake. 


Present California State Route 281 ("CA 281") is a 3 mile State Highway which follows Soda Lake Road northward from CA 29 towards Konocti Bay of Clear Lake.  In terms of scale only 3 of the 17 planned miles of Soda Bay Road have been assumed under Caltrans maintenance as CA 281.

The current scale of CA 281 is observable in the Caltrans Post Mile Tool.  The 3 constructed miles of CA 281 appear in the Caltrans Post Mile Tool as Post Mile LAK 14.0-17.0 on Soda Bay Road.  Soda Bay Road northwest to CA 29 more or less is the implied connection of CA 281 beyond State Maintenance.



Part 1; the history of California State Route 281

The genesis of CA 281 as a State Highway is somewhat recent having been given a Legislative description in 1970 according to CAhighways.org.  The the definition of CA 281 was given during 1970 Legislative Chapter 1473 as:

“Route 29 south of Lakeport to Route 29 southerly of Konocti Bay and via the vicinity of Soda Bay.”

Most Legislative Routes adopted under 1970 Legislative Chapter 1473 were contingent upon a local authority building an existing highway up to State Standards before maintenance would be assumed.  CA 281 appears in it's current configuration on the 1975 Caltrans Map which suggests that Lake County was only able to fund 3 miles of building Soda Bay Road to State Standards. 

To that end Soda Bay Road has been around for a significant period of time as it can be seen on the 1917 California Automobile Association Map.  

Soda Bay Road can be seen in detail as a minor highway on the 1935 California Division of Highways Map of Lake County.  


Part 2; a drive on California State Route 281

CA 281/Soda Bay Road begins from CA 29 between Kelseyville and Lowerlake. 


CA 281/Soda Bay Road initially jogs north 2 miles and passes through Clear Lake Riviera at Postmile LAK 15.00. 







The final mile of CA 281 follows Soda Bay Road northwest towards a vista of Clear Lake and Konocti Bay.





CA 281 terminates at Postmile LAK 14.00 and has a well placed "end" placard.  There is a visible contract in Soda Bay Road as it transitions to Lake County Maintenance.  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Crescent City Connection (New Orleans, LA)

By
The Crescent City Connection is a massive dual-span steel truss bridge that spans the lower Mississippi River at downtown New Orleans, about 95 river miles upstream from the mouth of the great river at the Head of Passes Light. If counted as a single bi-directional highway bridge, the parallel spans combine to form the single busiest bridge on the Mississippi River and its importance as a linchpin in the region’s transportation network cannot be overstated. While there have been various schemes over the years to construct bridges downriver from Algiers Point, this bridge has been the southernmost bridge on the Mississippi River since its initial construction in the 1950s. The years immediately following the end of World War II were a transformational period in the history of New Orleans. Already one of the great economic and cultural centers of the American Deep South, it was recognized at this time that major changes and improvements to the city’s transportation infrastructure would b...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old US Route 99 through Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch

By
This summer I had a look into the alignment history of US Route 99 through the Tulare County communities of Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch.  While this slab below might seem like much it is one of the few remaining reminders of how US Route 99 was during the 1920s in Tulare County. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Tipton, Tulare, and Tagus Ranch Tipton and Tulare were both founded in 1872 as sidings of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of southern San Joaquin Valley.  Previous to the Southern Pacific Railroad travel via wagon or foot in Central California tended to avoid San Joaquin Valley in favor of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road.  The Stockton Los Ange...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 101 and California State Route 41 through Paso Robles

By
Paso Robles is a city located on the Salinas River of San Luis Obispo County, California.  As originally configured the surface alignments of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 converged in downtown Paso Robles.  US Route 101 originally was aligned through Paso Robles via Spring Street.  California State Route 41 entered the City of Paso Robles via Union Road and 13th Street where it intersected US Route 101 at Spring Street.  US Route 101 and California State Route 41 departed Paso Robles southbound via a multiplex which split near Templeton.   Pictured above is the cover of the September/October 1957 California Highways & Public Works which features construction of the Paso Robles Bypass.  Pictured below is the 1935 Division of Highways Map of San Luis Obispo County which depicts US Route 101 and California State Route 41 intersecting in downtown Paso Robles.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 and California State Route 41 i...
Post a Comment
Read more