Skip to main content

Former US Route 99 on Atwater Boulevard in the City of Atwater

 
 
The City of Atwater is located Merced County and presently part of one of the fastest growing micropolitian areas in California.  Present day California State Route 99 traverses Atway via a freeway through whereas US Route 99 originally could be found on Atwater Boulevard.

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.





Part 1; the history of US Route 99 in Atwater 
 
Atwater was settled in the early 1870s as a siding of the Southern Pacific Railroad.  Atwater is named after a wheat farmer who's land the railroad siding was built upon.  The Southern Pacific Railroad laid the groundwork for development of  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 Angeles Road lied to the east of San Joaquin Valley in the Sierra Nevada Foothills and was less subject flooding.  Before the Southern Pacific Railroad most of San Joaquin Valley was a sparsely inhabited wetland which made travel by road difficult.  Upon the emergence of the Southern Pacific Railroad the community of Atwater would quickly develop.  Atwater incorporated as a City in August of 1922.  
 
Atwater can be seen along the Southern Pacific Railroad on the 1873 Oregon, California, & Nevada Railroad Map.  

 

The emergence of the automobile in the early 20th Century in California led to the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act which was approved by voters during 1910.  The majority of the highways approved as part of the First State Highway Bond Act were largely well established routes of travel.  One such highway was Legislative Route Number 4 ("LRN 4") which was defined as a highway from "Sacramento to Los Angeles."
 
A very early LRN 4 in Atwater can be seen on the 1917 California State Automobile Association Map.  LRN 4 can be seen following Atwater Boulevard through Atwater.
 
 
Atwater can be seen on LRN 4, the Inland Route on the 1920 Clason Highway Map of California.   

 
The 1924 Rand McNally Highway Map of California provides more detail on the alignment LRN 4 and the Inland Route in Atwater.  Just as with the 1917 CSAA Highway Map LRN 4 can be seen following Atwater Boulevard through Atwater on a frontage of the Southern Pacific Railroad. 
 
 
The initial draft of the US Route System was approved by the Secretary of Agriculture during November of 1925.  The US Route System with in California was approved by California Highway Commission with no changes recommended by January 1926.  The initial alignment of US Route 99 ("US 99") was planned to follow LRN 4 from Sacramento to Los Angeles.  US 99 is shown on a map published in the 1926 California Highways & Public Works following LRN 4 south from Sacramento through Atwater. 
 

 
During November of 1926 the US Route System was approved by the AASHO.  US 99 can be seen aligned through Atwater via Atwater Boulevard on the 1927 National Map Company Sectional Map
 

US 99/LRN 4 can be seen in detail traversing Atwater on the 1935 California Division of Highways Map.
 
 
 
The September/October 1956 California Highways & Public Works announced the start of construction on the new 4.5 mile Atwater Freeway realignment of US 99/LRN 4.  

The May/June 1957 California Highways & Public Works cites the Atwater Freeway as one of several US 99/LRN 4 realignments nearing completion between Sacramento-Los Angeles.  


The January/February 1958 California Highways & Public Works discusses the opening of the Atwater Bypass (retitled from Atwater Freeway).  The Atwater Bypass is cited as being a 4.5 mile reroute of US 99/LRN 4 through the City of Atwater which opened to traffic on October 14th, 1957.  


The AASHO Renumbering database shows that US 99 was approved to be truncated out of California by the AASHO Executive Committee on June 29th, 1965.  This measure was put Atwater on what is now California State Route 99 ("CA 99"). 






Part 2; a drive on former US Route 99 in Atwater on Atwater Boulevard

From the current CA 99 Freeway northbound Former US 99/Atwater Boulevard can be accessed via Exit 194.  


Former US 99/Atwater Boulevard follows east of the CA 99 Freeway in a generally northwestern direction.  Former US 99/Atwater Boulevard has a significant intersection at Winton Way.  







Former US 99/Atwater Bouelvard intersects and crosses under the CA 99 Freeway where it terminates near Atwater Canal.  








Further Reading

Continuing north on US Route 99 to Livingston? 


Continuing south on US Route 99 to Merced? 

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tulare Lake returns

During the winter of 2023 California experienced one of the wettest seasons in recent decades.  Enough snow and water were deposited into the Sierra Nevada Mountains that the runoff was enough to partially reform Tulare Lake within San Joaquin Valley.  Tulare Lake was once the largest lake west of the Mississippi River by surface area.  Tulare Lake has been largely dried for the past century due to irrigation divisions and upstream impoundments.  This blog will examine the history of Tulare Lake and its recent return.  Pictured as the blog cover is Tulare Lake from 19th Avenue in Kings County during early May 2023.  Tulare Lake can be seen near its maximum extent below on the 1876 P.Y. Baker Map of Tulare County .   Part 1; the history of Tulare Lake Tulare Lake is the largest remnant of Lake Corcoran.  Lake Corcoran once covered much of the entire Central Valley due to being it being located at a in natural low point from where mountain run-off would accumulate.  Lake Corcoran is thou

Former US Route 101 through Sargent

  Sargent is a ghost town and siding of the Southern Pacific Railroad located in southern Santa Clara County.  The original alignment of US Route 101 was aligned through Sargent via what is now known as Old Monterey Road.  Sargent was bypassed gradually due to shifts of the alignment of US Route 101 which occurred during 1941 and 1950.  Pictured as the blog cover is a view on Old Monterey Road which is now no longer accessible to the general public.  Below is a scan of the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Santa Clara County which depicts the original alignment US Route 101 through Sargent.   Part 1; the history of US Route 101 in Sargent Sargent lies on land which was once part of Rancho Juristac.  During 1856 James P. Sargent purchased Rancho Juristac and plotted what was known as Sargent Ranch.  By 1869 the Southern Pacific Railroad coast line reached the relocated town site of Gilroy.  The Southern Pacific Railroad coast line would be constructed through Chittenden Pass by 1871 whic

US Route 95 in California

US Route 95 within California exists within San Bernardino County and Riverside County.  US Route 95 within California is approximately 130 miles factoring multiplexes along Interstate 10 and Interstate 40.  US Route 95 in California begins at the Arizona state line along the Colorado River near Blythe in Riverside County.  US Route 95 follows the general course of the Colorado River north through the Sonoran Desert to the Mojave Desert towards Needles of San Bernadino County.  US Route 95 enters Nevada north of Interstate 40 and the historic alignment of US Route 66.  US Route 95 was extended to Blythe, California during July 1939.  Upon US Route 95 entering California during 1939 it overlapped and deleted much of the original California State Route 195.  US Route 95 was extended from Blythe into Arizona during June 1960.   Part 1; the history of US Route 95 in California The corridor of modern-day US Route 95 in California first came to prominence during the run-up to the creation of