Numbering – California Highways: Route by Route

CA RxR 3.13: Fresno Flats (Bonus)CA RxR 3.13: Fresno Flats (Bonus)

July 18, 2025| Daniel| 0 Comment| 8:09 pm

Episode 3.13 is our first bonus episode, bridging the gap while we write Season 4. This bonus episode is a presentation that our co-host, Tom Fearer, gave at the Fresno Flats museum back in May 2025. The presentation focuses on the highways of the Oakhurst area, and was described as: “Since the establishment of the Stockton-Los Angeles Road in 1853 the Sierra Nevada foothills of what is now Madera County has been a hub of highway development. Much of the existing infrastructure in the area was established by the late 1880s with the plotting of the Fresno-Fresno Flats Road and Yosemite Stage Road. The area was of great interest during the early State Highway era due to the desirable access it could provide for logging interests and automotive based recreational travel to Yosemite National Park. Even Minaret Summit was briefly considered for a proposed extension of Interstate 70 into California before the era of environmental impact assessment began.” We’ll pick up in the fall with Season 4, which will cover Route 8 through Route 14. I’m also looking into better software for recording the podcast: In particular, does anyone have opinions on Zencaster, Riverside, or Squadcast?

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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CA RxR 3.12: Route 7: From Long Beach to the BorderCA RxR 3.12: Route 7: From Long Beach to the Border

June 22, 2025| Daniel| 0 Comment| 1:18 pm

Episode 3.12 brings Season 3 to a close, modulo our bonus episodes. In Episode 3.12, we explore all things Route 7. As is our tradition, we start by looking into the 7^th state highway, the Kings River Canyon Road, and LRN 7, which included portions of US 40 and US 99W. We then turn our attention to various incarnations of Route 7: Sign Route 7, both the section along the Eastern Sierras that is now US 395 and US 6 and the section that became Sepulveda Blvd in Los Angeles; 1964-1981 Route 7, which was the Long Beach Freeway before it was renumbered into I-710; and the current Route 7, which is a small border connection route near a new entry point near Calexico. We’ll then be taking a short break, during which there will be some bonus episodes. We’ll pick up in the fall with Season 4, which will cover Route 8 through Route 14. I’m also going to be working on improving the sound quality of the podcast once I retire in July.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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CA RxR 3.07: I-5: The Central ValleyCA RxR 3.07: I-5: The Central Valley

February 9, 2025| Daniel| 0 Comment| 11:00 am

Next up in our exploration of I-5: the segment between the I-5 / Route 99 split and where I-5 meets former US 99W (now Route 113) in Woodland. Generally known as the “Westside Highway”, this was mostly a completely new routing for I-5 along LRN 238, although some portions paralleled former US 50 between Stockton and Sacramento, and Sign Route 16 between Sacramento and near Route 113 in Woodland/Yolo. As usual, we cover the history of the route, naming, and projects. Subsequent episodes will be looking at (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:

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CARxR 2.03: Route 1 – Ventura and Santa Barbara CountiesCARxR 2.03: Route 1 – Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties

November 18, 2023| Daniel| 0 Comment| 2:10 pm

In Episode 2.03 of California Highways: Route by Route, we continue our exploration of Route 1 by exploring everything about the segment in Ventura and Santa Barbara Counties, from Solromar / Malibu at the edge of Ventura County to near Guadalupe in Santa Barbara County. We’ll go over the history of this segment of the route, the history of the route through various communities including Malibu, Oxnard, Ventura, Lompoc/Vandenberg and Orcutt. We’ll go over the freeway plans, discuss relinquishments, names, and some current plans. Looking forward, episode 2.04 will continue our exploration of Route 1 with the portions in San Luis Obispo from the 5 Cities through the northern edge of Big Sur in Monterey County.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Podcasters:

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CARxR 1.10: Highway Numbering: County Signed RoutesCARxR 1.10: Highway Numbering: County Signed Routes

April 22, 2023| Daniel| 0 Comment| 3:57 pm

In this episode, we complete our exploration of numbering of state highways by turning our attention to the County Signed Route system. This system, started in 1959, uses a blue pentagon with yellow numbers, and applies to significant routes at the county level. It is the last episode in a four part miniseries on highway numbers in California. In this episode we talk about the history of the County Signed Route system, how the routes are numbered, some significant county signed routes, and what is happening with the system today.

There is no interview. We’re going to move the interview segments into separate bonus episodes, owing to the difficulty of obtaining and scheduling the interviews.

There are two episodes left in the season: one exploring highway naming, and one exploring the organizations related to the state highways.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Podcasters:

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CARxR 1.09: Highway Numbering: Interstate HighwaysCARxR 1.09: Highway Numbering: Interstate Highways

March 25, 2023| Daniel| 0 Comment| 1:04 pm

In this episode, we continue our exploration of numbering of state highways by turning our attention to the Interstate Highway system. This system, started in 1956, uses the red, white, and blue shields. It is the third episode in a four part miniseries on highway numbers in California. In this episode we talk about the history of the Interstate Highway system, how the Interstate Highways are numbered, the history of California’s chargable interstates (i.e., highways that counted towards the federal 42,500 mile limit), the history of California’s non-chargeable interstates, some interstate submissions that were never approved, and we opine about some of the most common questions about California interstates.

There is no interview. We’re going to move the interview segments into separate bonus episodes, owing to the difficulty of obtaining and scheduling the interviews.

The remaining episode in this miniseries will explore the numbering of and the history of California’s signed county route system.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Podcasters:

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CARxR 1.08: Highway Numbering: U.S. Highways (Part I)CARxR 1.08: Highway Numbering: U.S. Highways (Part I)

February 18, 2023| Daniel| 0 Comment| 5:23 pm

In this episode, we continue our exploration of numbering of state highways by turning our attention to the U.S. highway system. These are the white shields with black numbers. It is the second episode in a four part miniseries on highway numbers in California. In this episode we talk about the history of the US highway system, how the US highways are numbered, how things have changed in the post-Interstate era, and we wax rhapsodic on the nostalgia of US highways. The remaining episodes in the miniseries will explore the numbering of and the history of California’s Interstates, and the signed county route system.

Our interview for this episode was to be with Jim McDonnell of AASHTO on AASHTO’s role in assigning US and Interstate numbers. But we’ve run into scheduling difficulties and haven’t been able to coordinate a recording time by our scheduled drop date. So consider this Part I of the episode. When we can get things coordinated with Jim we’ll record and release Part II.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Anchor.FM:

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CARxR 1.07: Highway Numbering: State Highways and Post MilesCARxR 1.07: Highway Numbering: State Highways and Post Miles

January 16, 2023| Daniel| 0 Comment| 7:55 am

In this episode, we explore numbering systems in state highways. It is the start of a four part miniseries on highway numbers in California. Specifically, this episode explores the rhymes and reason for the assigning of signed route numbers to highways with the state shield. This includes looking at the patterns in those numbers, and how the numbering system stands today after the Great Nenumbering. The subsequent episodes in the miniseries will explore the numbering system of US Highways, the numbering of and the history of California’s Interstates, and the signed county route system.

The episode also explores another numbering system on state highways: Post Miles. As opposed to sequential mileage numbers as is found in other states, California uses a system called post miles that identifies points along a highway using a combination of a county and a mile point from the southern/western county line, possibly with clarifying prefixes or suffixes. We discuss this system is good detail.

Our interview is with Andy Richardson, who retired from Caltrans as a Subject Matter Expert in Geographical Information Systems, Linear Referencing Systems, and Postmiles. Andy worked as a GIS specialist for the State of California since 1988, including Caltrans between 2001 and his retirement in 2021. In his last years at Caltrans, he implemented the Department’s current Linear Referencing System.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Anchor.FM:

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