California State Route 94 is a 63-mile State Highway located in San Diego County. California State Route 94 begins in downtown San Diego at Interstate 5. California State Route 94 between Interstate 5 and California State Route 125 is carried by the Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway. California State Route 94 east of California State Route 125 to Via Mercado is carried by the informally named Campo Freeway. The remainder of California State Route 94 east to Interstate 8 is carried by Campo Road. Campo Road historically was part of the stage route to Yuma and once carried the Auto Trail known as the Old Spanish Trail. Pictured as the blog cover photo is a flooded portion of California State Route 94 in the mountains east of San Diego in 1939.
Part 1; the history California State Route 94
Prior to the creation of the State Highway System the corridor that would become California State Route 94 was part of a stage road between San Diego and Yuma. During 1869 a new stage road was surveyed through Campo at the behest of San Diego County by James Pascoe (Wikipedia citations #10 and #11). The Campo Road can be seen on the 1882 Bancroft's Map of California extending from San Diego east to towards the Mountain Springs Grade by way of Campo. The Campo Road largely strayed south of the Texas & Pacific Railway east of San Diego towards Imperial Valley.
During 1915 the Campo Road became part of the Auto Trail known as the Old Spanish Trail. The Old Spanish Trail originated at Horton Square in San Diego at Broadway and 4th Avenue. The Old Spanish Trail crossed the southern United States and terminated in Florida in St. Augustine. Campo Road can be seen straying south of Legislative Route Number 12 from Lemon Grove through Campo on the 1917 California State Automobile Association Map.
Campo Road can be seen as part of the Old Spanish Trail (53), Bankhead Highway (44) and Southern National Highway (45) 1924 Rand McNally Map of California.
According to the June 9, 1931, San Diego Tribune (Wikipedia citation #21) the county of San Diego submitted Campo Road to the California Highway Commission for consideration as a secondary State Highway. Campo Road was added to the State Highway System as Legislative Route Number 200 (LRN 200) by way of 1933 Legislative Chapter 767. The original definition of LRN 200 was "LRN 2 (US Route 101) to LRN 12 (US Route 80) west of Jacumba via Campo."
The April 1933 California Highways & Public Works announced Campo Road had been added to the State Highway System.
LRN 200 appears for the first time on the 1934 Division of Highways Map. LRN 200 can be seen originating at US Route 101/LRN 2 and US Route 80/US Route 395/LRN 12 in downtown San Diego at Broadway/12th Avenue. LRN 200 can be seen departing downtown San Diego via Broadway, 30th Street, F Street and Lemon Grove Boulevard (now Federal Boulevard). East of San Diego, LRN 200 can be seen passing through Jamul, Potrero and Campo.
California State Route 94 was announced as one of the original Sign State Routes in the August 1934 California Highways & Public Works. California State Route 94 was completely concurrent with LRN 200.
The 1938 Division of Highways Map displays California State Route 94 and LRN 200 extended through downtown San Diego via Broadway. California State Route 94/LRN 200 was extended west of 12th Avenue via Broadway to the new alignment of US Route 101/LRN 2 at Pacific Highway. US Route 80/US Route 395 along LRN 12 is shown to be extended south of Broadway via 12th Avenue to US Route 101/LRN 2.
Two substandard portions of California State Route 94 east of San Diego are displayed in the February 1939 California Highways & Public Works.
The September/October 1944 California Highways & Public Works announced Harbor Drive in San Diego had recently been widened to four lanes between Rosecrans Street southeast to National City. The expansion of Harbor Drive realigned US Route 101/LRN 2 onto a bypass of Market Street in downtown San Diego. The new alignment of US Route 101 along Harbor Drive saw US Route 80/US Route 395/LRN 12 extended west of 12th Avenue via Market Street. California State Route 94/LRN 200 was realigned to a new origin point at Market Street/12th Avenue. California State Route 94/LRN 200 now departed downtown San Diego via Market Street, 32nd Street and Federal Boulevard towards Lemon Grove.
The 1944 Division of Highways Map reflects the changes to the alignments of California State Route 94, US Route 101 and US Route 80/US Route 395 in downtown San Diego.
The January/February 1946 California Highways & Public Works announced an awarded contract to construct a new bridge over Campo Creek along California State Route 94/LRN 200.
The May/June 1947 California Highways & Public Works announced an awarded contract to construct a new bridge over Dulzura Creek along California State Route 94/LRN 200.
The September/October 1947 California Highways & Public Works referenced LRN 77 as having been realigned onto 11th Avenue in downtown San Diego as part of the Cabrillo Freeway corridor. The new alignment of US Route 395/US Route 80/LRN 77 in downtown San Diego on 11th Avenue extended California State Route 94/LRN 200 a block west from 12th Avenue.
The new terminus of California State Route 94/LRN 200 at Market Street/11th Avenue can be seen on the 1948 Division of Highways Map.
The November/December 1953 California Highways & Public Works announced an awarded contract for the realignment of California State Route 94/LRN 200 near Barrett Junction.
The same volume announced California State Route 94/LRN 200 between Euclid Avenue and College Avenue were to be widened to freeway standards during the 1954-55 Fiscal Year.
The November/December 1954 California Highways & Public Works announced California State Route 94/LRN 200 was to be widened to freeway standards between College Avenue and Campo Road during the 1955-56 Fiscal Year.
The planned California State Route 94 freeway in San Diego is referenced as the "Wabash Freeway" in the November/December 1955 California Highways & Public Works. The Wabash Freeway is noted as also comprising a portion of California State Route 67/LRN 198 to US Route 80/LRN 12. The Wabash Freeway alignment from Wabash Boulevard-Campo Road was adopted by the California Highway Commission on June 17, 1953. This was followed by the adoption of the Campo Road-US Route 80 segment on October 22, 1953, and the 18th Street-Wabash Boulevard segment on November 17, 1954. The Wabash Freeway is noted to begin the planned junction with the US Route 101 freeway in downtown San Diego at F Street 18th Street.
The 1956 Division of Highways Map displays the adopted alignment of the Wabash Freeway.
The July/August 1957 California Highways & Public Works featured the opening of the Wabash Freeway between Wabash Boulevard and 56th Street on March 18, 1957. The Wabash Boulevard-56th Street segment is noted to have been the fourth contract along the Wabash Freeway to have been completed during the previous year. The four completed contracts saw California State Route 94/LRN 200 realigned onto the Wabash Freeway east to Campo Road. The segment of the Wabash Freeway from Campo Road east to US Route 80/LRN 12 was now new the alignment of California State Route 67/LRN 198. The Wabash Freeway west of Wabash Boulevard to 18th Street is noted to be budgeted for the 1957-58 Fiscal Year.
The November/December 1958 California Highways & Public Works announced studies were underway to convert 4.9 miles of California State Route 94/LRN 200 from the Wabash Freeway to the Sweetwater River Bridge at Jamacha Junction.
California State Route 94/LRN 200 between the planned US Route 101 freeway east to Jamacha Road was added to the Freeway & Expressway System during 1959. A construction photo of the Wabash Freeway west of Wabash Boulevard is featured in the May/June 1959 California Highways & Public Works.
The 1960 Division of Highways Map displays California State Route 94/LRN 200 being shifted onto one-way couplets in downtown San Diego on F Street and G Street west of Wabash Avenue. California State Route 94 is displayed as terminating at US Route 395/LRN 77 at 11th Avenue. Notably, beginning in 1960 none of the California Highways & Public Works referred to California State Route 94 as the Wabash Freeway. It is unclear why the Wabash Freeway name was dropped nor officially designated by the California Highway Commission.
A model of the planned California State Route 94/US Route 395/US Route 101 interchange was featured in the September/October 1960 California Highways & Public Works.
The California State Route 94/LRN 200 freeway was announced as having been opened to 17th Street in downtown San Diego in the November 20, 1962, San Diego Tribune (Wikipedia citation #50). Despite having been completed to planned freeway standards in downtown San Diego, California State Route 94 is displayed as still following the F Street and G Street couplets to US Route 395 on the 1963 Division of Highway Map.
The July/August 1963 California Highways & Public Works announced the California Highway Commission had altered the adopted freeway alignment of California State Route 94/LRN 200 approaching Jamacha Junction.
The November/December 1963 California Highways & Public Works announced 0.8 miles of California State Route 94/LRN 200 had been realigned in the Campo Indian Reservation.
The July/August 1964 California Highways & Public Works announced 7 miles of Interstate 5 were dedicated in downtown San Diego on March 11, 1964. The completed segment of Interstate 5 in downtown San Diego spanned from Palm Street to near the south city limits of National City. The completion of Interstate 5 in downtown San Diego made the interchange with California State Route 94 fully functional and removed the F/G Street couplets from the State Highway System.
California State Route 94 is shown truncated to Interstate 5 in downtown San Diego on the 1965 Division of Highways Map.
The January/February 1965 California Highways & Public Works announced two freeway segments of California State Route 125 had been adopted by the California Highway Commission. The first segment began at Interstate 8 in La Mesa and extended north to Mission Gorge Road to a planned junction with California State Route 52. The second adopted freeway segment of California State Route 125 extended north from the Otay River. The new alignment of California State Route 125 would see it multiplex the California State Route 94 freeway from the vicinity of Sweetwater Road to Campo Road.
The November/December 1965 California Highways & Public Works announced California State Route 94 was to be upgraded to four lane freeway standards from 0.5 miles east of California State Route 125 to Conrad Drive in Spring Valley during the 1966-67 Fiscal Year.
The California Highways & Public Works publication ended during 1967 prior to the completion of California State Route 94 to freeway standards in Spring Valley. The planned freeway alignment of California State Route 94 east of California State Route 125 to Sweetwater River is displayed on the 1967 Division of Highways Map.
The portion of the California State Route 94 freeway west of Conrad Drive in Spring Valley is shown completed on the 1969 Division of Highways Map.
The California State Route 94 freeway between Kenwood Road/Conrad Drive east to Avocado Boulevard was reported as having opened in the July 10, 1970, San Diego Tribune (Wikipedia Reference #57). The northern interchange between California State Route 94/California State Route 125 was rebuilt to freeway standards and reported as opening to traffic in the January 30, 1976, San Diego Tribune (Wikipedia Reference #60). The California State Route 94/California State Route 125 freeway interchange appears on the 1977 Caltrans Map.
The San Diego Tribune reported the new Sweetwater River Bridge as having opened on June 30, 1987 (Wikipedia Reference #64). California State Route 94 between Postmiles SD 1.554-R9.614 was named the "Martin Luther King Jr. Freeway" by way of 1989 Concurrent Resolution 67, Chapter 129. For a time, the freeway corridor of California State Route 94 east of Interstate 5 to California State Route 125 had been informally known as the "Helix Freeway." The California State Route 94 freeway between Postmiles SD R9.614-R13.529 has no official name but is informally known as the "Campo Freeway."
Part 2; RoadwayWiz on California State Route 94
During 2021 the RoadwayWiz Youtube Channel featured real-time drives along the freeway segments of California State Route 94. Below California State Route 94 eastbound from downtown San Diego to Via Mercado in Spring Valley can be viewed
Below California State Route 94 can be viewed from Via Mercado in Spring Valley westbound towards Interstate 5 in San Diego.
Comments