CA RxR 4.02: I-8 and US 80 Between El Cajon and the Arizona Border

This is Episode 4.02, which continues our exploration of Route 8, better known as Interstate 8. In this episode, we focus on the portion of I-8 from La Mesa (just outside of San Diego) to the Arizona border. We look at not only current I-8, but the routing of the predecessor route, US 80. We discuss the communities of La Mesa and El Cajon, Alpine and Descanso, Boulevard, the Mountain Springs Grade, Jacumba, Ocatillo (with a digression on the Imperial Highway), El Centro, Holtville and the Algondenes Dunes (with a digression on the Plank Road), Winterhaven and Yuma. We also briefly talk about the interesting routing of US 80 within Arizona, and how it differs from I-8. We talk about historical routings, projects along the route, and some significant names. In the next episode, we’ll turn our attention to Route 9, which currently runs from Santa Cruz to Los Gatos, but which once ran all the way to Castro Valley.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

Here are some relevant links (I may edit this to add more links in later):

We encourage you to explore our back catalog through this site or our Spotify for Creators home.

 

Related Post

CA RxR 4.12: Route 14, Route 64, LRN 290: The Valley Freeways that Never HappenedCA RxR 4.12: Route 14, Route 64, LRN 290: The Valley Freeways that Never Happened

Episode 4.12 starts our exploration of the last route of this season: Route 14. Segment (a) of Route 14 is the unbuilt “Reseda to the Sea” freeway, so we take this opportunity to discuss the unbuilt freeways of the San Fernando Valley: the Reseda Freeway (Route 14), the Whitnall Freeway (Route 64), the Laurel Canyon Freeway (Route 170), and the freeway plans for Sunland Tujunga, the Angeles National Forest (Route 118, Route 122, Route 249), and the plan for the Mulholland Expressway (Route 268). We also discuss LRN 14 (part of US 40) and Sign Route 14 (which became Route 91). We’ll discuss the built portion of Route 14 between I-5 and US 395 in the last official season 4 episode. With respect to Tom’s sound quality: It’s better. Daniel’s mic has an occasional “pop” or “thump” problems; we’ll hopefully fix that in Ep 4.13. We’re also working to line up 2-3 bonus episodes during the season break.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

(more…)

CA RxR 3.06p1: I-5: Whatever Became of the Ridge Route? (Part 1)CA RxR 3.06p1: I-5: Whatever Became of the Ridge Route? (Part 1)

Our I-5 exploration continues, with a focus on the segment of I-5 from the US 101 split in Downtown Los Angeles to the Route 99 split in Wheeler Ridge. This episode, Part 1 of 3.06, after a recap on LRN 5 and Sign Route 5, focuses on the history of I-5 from Downtown LA (DTLA) to and through the Newhall Pass. We explore the history of LRN 4 and LRN 161, the timeline of freeway construction to and through Burbank, the history of Route 5S (Colorado Blvd), and a dive into the history of routings through the Newhall Pass and in Saugus. We also talk about the Interstate number submissions for I-5, and have some updates on the projects we discussed in Episode 3.05p2. Our special guest this episode is Sydney Croasmun of the Ridge Route Preservation Organization. Sydney brings her expertise to our discussion in Part 2, when we’re going in detail over the Ridge Route. Part 2 also discusses projects and naming in this section, especially the history of the “Grapevine” name. Subsequent episodes will be looking at (3.07) the Westerly Routing; (3.08) the planned I-5W; (3.09) the former US 99W portion from Sacramento to Redding; and (3.09) the portion from Redding to the Oregon Border.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators (Spotify changed names yet again):

(more…)

CA RxR 4.10: Route 12: Into the SierrasCA RxR 4.10: Route 12: Into the Sierras

Episode 4.10 concludes our exploration of Route 12 with an exploration of the final section of the route: From Route 99 in Lodi to Route 49 near San Andreas. This is a segment that travels through the foothills of the Sierras, running through Lodi, Lockeford, Clements, Valley Springs, and San Andreas along what was originally LRN 24. We also review LRN 12, which we visited before in our episodes on Route 8, for LRN 12 became I-8 between San Diego and El Centro. In our next episode, our attention turns to Route 13, and includes a discussion of LRN 13, the original Sign Route 13 which was quickly renumbered as Sign Route 17, and today’s Route 13 which runs through Oakland and Berkeley, although the route is unconstructed between the Oakland Airport and I-880.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

(more…)