State – California Highways: Route by Route

CA RxR 5.02: I-15 and I-215 (Part 2): Temecula to Devore (including Route 31 and Route 194)CA RxR 5.02: I-15 and I-215 (Part 2): Temecula to Devore (including Route 31 and Route 194)

October 12, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comment| 9:52 am

Episode 5.02 is the second of three episodes on Route 15. In this episode, we explore I-15 between Temecula and Devore. This exploration covers both the historical route, US 395, which became I-15E and later I-215, as well as the replacement route that became today’s I-15. We cover all the LRNs that made up the route, the pre-freeway routings in the cities along the route, and the transition of the route into today. We also cover major projects along the route, including the Mid-County Parkway, as well a some names along the route (including the Naming Hall of Shame). This is the middle of three episodes on Route 15: 5.01 covered Route 15 between San Diego and Temecula, and 5.03 will cover Route 15 from Devore to the Nevada Border.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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CA RxR 5.01: I-15 (Part 1): South of TemeculaCA RxR 5.01: I-15 (Part 1): South of Temecula

September 18, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comment| 6:21 am

Welcome to Season 5. We start the season with three episodes covering Route 15. The first (this episode), covers LRN 15, Sign Route 15, and today’s Route 15 between San Diego and Temecula. LRN 15 ran from what is now Route 1 near Fort Bragg to what is today’s I-80 near Emigrant Gap; it is today’s Route 20. Sign Route 15 is what became Route 7 and later I-710, and is today’s Long Beach Freeway. We have some interesting exploration of the ends of Sign Route 15 in Pasadena and Long Beach. We then turn to the main focus of the episode: Route 15, which runs from San Diego to the Nevada border, and has a complicated history. So complicated, in fact, that this episode focuses only on the portion between San Diego and Temecula, exploring both former Route 103 and US 395, as well as the transition from US 395 to today’s I-15 routing. Episode 5.02 will cover Temecula to Devore, and explore the history of I-15, I-15E, I-215, Route 71, US 91, US 395, and Route 194. Lastly, Episode 5.03 will cover Devore to Nevada, including I-15, US 395, US 66, US 91, and US 466 (with a bit of Route 195 and US 95 thrown in).

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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CA RxR 4.13: Route 14: The Antelope Valley FreewayCA RxR 4.13: Route 14: The Antelope Valley Freeway

July 4, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comments| 10:10 am

Episode 4.13 continues our exploration of Route 14, picking up from the end of the first segment at I-5, and continuing to the junction with US 395 near Inyokern. As usual, along the way, we explore the history of the route, the conversion to freeway, major projects on the route, and naming along the route. This includes a detailed exploration of the start of the route in the Newhall Pass and Solemint area. It also includes an exploration of the “Aerospace Highway” name, and all the firsts that occurred at Edwards AFB and the test center next to the highway. Ep. 4.13 marks the end of the main episodes of Season 4, although we do have a couple of bonus episodes planned for the season break to tide you over. The first bonus episode, 4.14, covers New Idria Road and Hites Cove Road, which are mining roads in San Benito and Mariposa counties.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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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

June 10, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comment| 7:43 am

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:

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CA RxR 4.11: Route 13: Oakland and BerkeleyCA RxR 4.11: Route 13: Oakland and Berkeley

May 14, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comment| 9:51 am

With Episode 4.11, our attention turns to Route 13. In this episode, we look at LRN 13, Sign Route 13, and Route 13. LRN 13 was the Sonora and Mono Wagon Road, which became today’s Route 219 and Route 108. Sign Route 13 was short-lived, quickly being renumbered as Sign Route 17 and Route 17, and is today’s Route 17, I-880, and I-580 N of the Bay Bridge. The post-1964 Route 13 of today runs from Route 61 to Route 61 through Oakland and Berkeley, and is best known as the Warren Freeway and Ashby Blvd. As for Route 61, you’ll just have to listen to the episode. Next time: In Ep 4.12, we’ll look at Route 14 and the unbuilt freeways of the San Fernando Valley. Lastly, note that in this episode Tom was having microphone trouble, so his sound is a bit off (and I don’t know Audacity well enough to fix it).

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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

April 22, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comment| 12:30 pm

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:

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CA RxR 4.09: Route 12: Crossing the WetlandsCA RxR 4.09: Route 12: Crossing the Wetlands

March 31, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comment| 8:51 am

Episode 4.09 continues our exploration of Route 12 through an exploration of the middle section of the route: From Fairfield/Cordelia through the “Drive to Stay Alive” corridor, on through the wetlands of Rio Vista, and into the central valley and Lodi. We explore the big change in routing that happened in Rio Vista. We also look at some major projects within this segment, as well as some of the interesting names. 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. Our exploration of Route 12 will conclude in Episode 4.10, which will cover Route 12 from Route 99 to the Sierra Foothill and San Andreas, where it meets Route 49.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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CA RxR 4.08: Route 12: Sonoma and NapaCA RxR 4.08: Route 12: Sonoma and Napa

March 11, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comment| 6:45 am

Episode 4.08 is the first of three episodes focusing on Route 12. We start by exploring LRN 12, which we visited before in our episodes on Route 8, for LRN 12 became I-8 between San Diego and El Centro. We then look at Sign Route 12 and Route 12, which are mostly the same route… except, of course, in the first segment where they differ in routing between Route 1 and US 101. Episode 4.08 focuses on the first two segments of Route 12, which covers the portions between Route 1 near Valley Ford or Jenner through Sebastapol, Santa Rosa, Sonoma, Napa, and into Cordelia. Episode 4.09 will cover Route 12 from I-80 near Suisan City through the Sacramento Wetlands to Lodi and Route 99. Lastly, Episode 4.10 will cover Route 12 from Route 99 to the Sierra Foothill and San Andreas, where it meets Route 49. As usual, we’ll cover historical routings, projects, and names along the route.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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CA RxR 4.07: Route 11: From Pasadena to the BorderCA RxR 4.07: Route 11: From Pasadena to the Border

February 21, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comment| 8:01 am

In Episode 4.07, we examine Route 11. We’ll start by exploring LRN 11, which was essentially the first state highway, running from Sacramento to Placerville, later extended to run from Antioch to the Nevada State Line near Lake Tahoe. Today, it is primarily US 50 with a bit of Route 160. We then the original Sign Route 11, which was LRN 165 and LRN 205, and is today’s Route 110. It was also US 60, and is perhaps better known as the Harbor Freeway and the Pasadena Freeway / Arroyo Seco Parkway. We explore the history and various routings of Sign Route 11, including the history of the Figueroa Tunnels. Lastly, we explore the current Route 11, which is a short route near the Mexico border that connects the San Diego Freeway System (Route 905/Route 125) to the Otay Mesa East port of entry.

On deck: In episode 4.08, we start a three-episode group that will cover Route 12. Route 12 runs from Route 1 near Valley Ford to US 101 and thence to Sonoma area. It then runs through Napa to meet I-80 near Cordelia. That part is episode 4.08. Episode 4.09 will cover Route 12 from I-80 near Suisan City through the Sacramento Wetlands to Lodi and Route 99. Lastly, Episode 4.10 will cover Route 12 from Route 99 to the Sierra Foothill and San Andreas, where it meets Route 49.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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CA RxR 4.05: I-10: Santa Monica FreewayCA RxR 4.05: I-10: Santa Monica Freeway

January 7, 2026| Daniel| 0 Comment| 6:04 am

With Episode 4.05, we turn our attention to Route 10. This first episode on Route 10 starts with an exploration of the 10^th route (the last ordinal route we’ll do), which was the Emigrant Gap Highway, and became the basis for LRN 37. This became part of the Lincoln Highway, then US 40, and is now part of I-80 from Sacramento to Nevada. We look at LRN 10, which became Route 198 from US 101 near San Lucas to Sequoia National Park. We then explore Sign Route 10 (which we discussed in our episode on I-5 in Los Angeles county), which ran from US 101A to US 101, later becoming Route 42 and US 101 Bypass, and eventually I-105 and I-5. Lastly, we turn to post-1964 Route 10, which is today’s I-10. In this episode, we focus on the first segment: “From Route 1 in Santa Monica to Route 5 near Seventh Street in Los Angeles”, which is today’s Santa Monica Freeway. We look at its origins as Sign Route 6, which became Sign Route 26 along LRN 173, LRN 166, and LRN 171. We focus on LRN 173 (LRN 166 and LRN 171 were discussed in our episode on I-5 in Los Angeles county, as well as our episode on Route 6), which was Olympic Blvd. We explore the history of the Santa Monica Freeway segment, the experiments tried along this highway, some significant projects along this segment, and some significant names on this segment.

We will complete our exploration of Route 10 in Episode 4.06, which explores the San Bernardino Freeway: Its origins in LRN 26 and LRN 64 and the Ramona Airline. The history and strange intertwinings of the US highways that were signed on Route 10: US 60, US 70, and US 99. The transition to I-10 and the story of Route 10S. Lastly, we’ll cover projects and names on the segment.

Here’s the link to the show:

And here’s the link on Spotify for Creators:

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