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):

• California Highways:
  • I-8/US 80 Related:
    • I-8
    • Route 115
    • US 80
    • CR S2
    • CR S24
    • CR S80
    • LRN 12
    • LRN 27
    • LRN 201
  • Sign Route 8 Related:
    • Route 26
    • Route 104
    • LRN 5
  • LRN 8 Related:
    • Route 37
    • Route 12
    • Route 121
    • Route 29
    • LRN 8
  • 8th State Highway:
    • Route 194
    • LRN 36
• Gribblenation Blogs:
  • The history of US Route 80 and Interstate 8 in California
• Other Links:
  • California @ AARoads (Andy Field):
    • Interstate 8
    • Business Loop I–8
    • Historic U.S. 80
    • Interstate Guides: Interstate 8
    • Interstate Business Routes: Interstate 8
  • Southern California Regional Rocks and Roads (Michael Ballard):
    • I–8
  • Other sites:
    • Orange County Historical Society: The Imperial Highway
    • Imperial Hwy, Southern California: A Historical Journey
    • Mindtrip: Plank Road Memorial
    • California State Parks: Plank Road
    • ADOT: US 80: Mother of Arizona highways
    • Evan Hewes Highway: Calexico Chronicle; Naming Resolution
    • Danielle Van Dam: Background

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