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Tulare/Fresno County Route J19

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County Route J19 is a 25.65-mile Letter County Highway located in Tulare County and Fresno County.  County Route J19 begins at California State Route 198 in Visalia and terminates at California State Route 63 at Orange Cove.  County Route J19 currently follows Plaza Drive, Road 80, Alta Avenue through Dinuba, Manning Avenue and Hill Valley Road.  Prior to 1965 Legislative Chapter 1372, County Route J19 terminates at California State Route 180 north of Orange Cove via Hills Valley Road.  Legislative Chapter 1372 deleted California State Route 226 and extended California State Route 63 to California State Route 180.




Part 1; the history of County Route J19

County Route J19 was commissioned during early 1960s as a shortcut to connect heading towards Kings Canyon National Park from US Route 99/California State Route 198 in Visalia to California State Route 180 northeast of Orange Cove.  From California State Route 198 near Visalia northbound County Route J19 began on Plaza Drive.  From the Visalia area County Route 19 followed Road 80 and Alta Avenue to Dinuba.   North of Dinuba, County Route J19 entered Fresno County on Alta Avenue and turned eastward on Manning Avenue.  County Route J19 turned north again Hill Valley Road towards Orange Cove where it intersected the northern terminus of Legislative Route Number 132 at Park Boulevard/Sumner Avenue.  County Route J19 continued north of Orange Cove following Hill Valley Road to a terminus at California State Route 180 in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.  

County Route J19 can be seen as originally configured on the 1966 Gousha Map of California.  

As part of the 1964 State Highway Renumbering what was Legislative Route Number 132 between Orosi and Orange Cove was renumbered as California State Route 226.  California State Route 226 was a short-lived designation as it was consolidated with California State Route 63 via 1965 Legislative Chapter 1372.  Legislative Chapter 1372 also annexed County Route J19 north of Park Boulevard/Sumner Avenue as part of California State Route 63.  

The extended definition of California State Route 63 first appears on the 1966 Division of Highways Map.  California State Route 63 is shown as a planned State Highway north of Orange Cove which indicated that existing County Route J19 north of Orange Cove was not yet up to state standards. 



Hill Valley Road north of Orange Cove is shown as part of California State Route 63 on the 1969 Division of Highways Map.  The extension of California State Route 63 truncated County Route J19 to Orange Cove.  


Beginning in the 1980s Tulare County began to deemphasize the Letter County Routes.  This culminated in all Letter County Route signage in Tulare County being removed by modern times with the lone exception being County Route J37 on Balch Park Road.  Within Fresno County signage of County Route J19 lingered on but as of the publication of this blog only two known signs remain. 



Part 2; a drive on County Route J19

County Route J19 northbound begins on Plaza Drive in Visalia of Tulare County at California State Route 198.  Dinuba is signed as being 15 miles north of California State Route 198.  






Northbound County Route J19 intersects County Route J32 at Goshen Avenue.  








Northbound County Route J19 departs Visalia on Road 80 as a four-lane expressway and intersects County Route J34 at Avenue 328.  




Northbound County Route J19 intersects County Route J36 at Avenue 368.  




Northbound County Route J19 intersects County Route J38 at Avenue 384.



Northbound County Route J19 intersects California State Route 201 at Avenue 400.



Northbound County Route J19 enters the city of Dinuba at on Alta Avenue and intersects County Route J40 at El Monte Way. 







County Route J19 northbound drops to two lanes departing Dinuba and follows Road 80 to the Fresno County line.  Upon emerging in Fresno County, County Route J19 follows Alta Avenue to Manning Avenue where it turns east.  The last two County Route J19 shields on northbound Alta Avenue can be found at Dinuba Avenue and Manning Avenue.  










County Route J19 follows Manning Avenue east to Hill Valley Road and turns north again. 




County Route J19 northbound follows Hill Valley Road where it terminates at California State Route 63 at Park Boulevard/Sumner Avenue near the eastern edge of Orange Cove.  




As noted in Part 1, County Route J19 originally followed what is now California State Route 63 north of Orange Cove to a terminus at California State Route 180.  The climb from Orange Cove to California State Route 180 is the Sierra Nevada Mountains is steep and swift. 


















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