Skip to main content

Guadalupe Canyon Parkway

By


Guadalupe Canyon Parkway is a four-mile mountainous expressway located in the San Mateo County, California. Guadalupe Canyon Parkway connects Market Street in Daly City east to Bayshore Boulevard (former US Route 101) via San Bruno Mountain. The corridor was completed as a partially limited access road in 1968 and is mostly known for being part of the famous chase scene in the movie Bullitt.




Part 1; the history of Guadalupe Canyon Parkway

San Bruno Mountain is a fault block horst which extends from northern San Mateo County into the city of San Francisco.  San Bruno Mountain has a peak elevation of 1,319 feet above sea leave but carries a prominence of 1,114 feet. 

During the 1840s Bruno de Heceta coined the name "Sierra de San Bruno" to honor his patron saint.  When California became an American state, the name was retained and would be anglicized to "San Bruno Mountain" by the United States Geological Survey.  San Bruno Mountain would become a popular location for cemeteries during the California Gold Rush.  

The city and county of San Francisco would begin to resist expansions of cemeteries in the early 20th century.  This led to the establishment of Colma as a necropolis on the southwest corner of San Bruno Mountain in San Mateo County.  Colman would incorporate as "Lawndale" during August 1924 but would revert to the original name during November 1941.  

A primitive ranching road can be seen crossing San Bruno Mountain from Brisbane west towards Daly City on the 1935 Division of Highways Map.  


The ranching road over the northern extent of San Bruno Mountain can be seen in detail on the 1939 United States Geological Survey Map of San Mateo.  The road can be seen originating in Brisbane in Guadalupe Valley at Bayshore Boulevard (then US Route 101 Bypass).  The opposite end is shown to terminate near what is now Hill Boulevard in Daly City.  


Radio Road can be seen atop San Bruno Mountain on the 1956 United States Geological Survey Map of South San Francisco.  Towers for KQED, KNBC-FM and KRON-TV can be seen at the end of Radio Road at the peak of San Bruno Mountain.  A spur of Radio Road is seen connecting to a military installation near Colma.  The military installation was constructed between 1954-1956 as a control station for the Nike anti-aircraft defense systems of Fort Funston and Milagra Ridge.  


In 1965 Westbay Community Associates announced planned to level 27 acres of San Bruno Mountain.  The earth removed from San Bruno Mountain was intended to be repurposed as landfill at Sierra Point.  The excavated saddle was planned to be developed as several new neighborhood.  Guadalupe Canyon Parkway was constructed during 1968 as partially limited access expressway which would serve the planned neighborhoods on San Bruno Mountain.  

Guadalupe Canyon Parkway was famously used during the filming of the 1968 movie Bullitt.  A mostly then two-lane Guadalupe Canyon Parkway can be seen between 6:45-10:00 as detective Frank Bullitt (played by Steve McQueen) purses a 440ci Magnum V8 1968 Dodge Charger driven by hitmen in his 390ci V8 1968 Ford Mustang GT Fastback.  


During the late 1960s and early 1970s local opposition contributed to real estate development on San Bruno Mountain ceasing.  In 1978 San Mateo County purchased 1,100 acres of San Bruno Mountain which was followed by the State purchasing 256 acres in 1980.  Much of these land parcels now comprise San Bruno Mountain State & County Park.  The older roadway over San Bruno Mountain has since been repurposed as part of the Old Ranch Road Trail and Old Guadalup Trail.  


The State would purchase an additional 83 acres of San Bruno Mountain in 1989 to establish San Bruno Mountain Ecological Reserve.



Part 2; a drive on Guadalupe Canyon Parkway

Guadalupe Canyon Parkway can be reached from Interstate 280 in Daly City following the Sullivan Avenue exit and Market Street east.  Guadalupe Canyon Parkway begins as eastbound Market Street approaches the Daly City limit near Price Street.













Guadalupe Canyon Parkway climbs over the top of San Bruno Mountain and enters the city of Brisbane approaching Carter Street.  

















Guadalupe Canyon Parkway descends from Carter Street and terminates at Bayshore Boulevard. 









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