U.S. Route 80 in California
.svg) .svg) U.S. Route 80 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Caltrans | ||||
| Existed | 1926–1964[1] | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end | Cabrillo National Monument | |||
 US 101 in San Diego US 395 in San Diego US 99 near El Centro | ||||
| East end |  US 80 at the Arizona state line | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | California | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
U.S. Route 80 (US 80) was a U.S. highway in California that continued east across the country to Georgia. US 80 originally had its western terminus in San Diego, California, and continued east through the Cuyamaca Mountains and El Centro into Yuma, Arizona. The highway replaced a plank road across much of Imperial County. It was gradually decommissioned between 1964 and 1974 as Interstate 8, through San Diego and Imperial counties, was completed. In 2006, the highway was designated by the California State Legislature as Historic U.S. Route 80.
Route description
There were multiple alignments through the downtown area. The original 1926-30 route began at Broadway (US 101) near Horton Plaza and ran along the 4th/5th avenue couplet to University Avenue in the Hillcrest district, then east to La Mesa. From 1930 to 1938, US 80 ran along 12th Street (now Park Boulevard) between Market Street (US 101) and El Cajon Boulevard, then east to La Mesa. The route was extended in 1938 along Market Street from newly built Harbor Drive (US 101), then left onto 12th Street through Balboa Park as beforehand. In the early days of World War II, maps showed the western terminus of US 80 at the Cabrillo National Monument on Point Loma, running north on Catalina Boulevard, north then east on Cañon Street, northeast on Rosecrans Street, southeast on Lytton Street, east on Barnett Avenue, south on Pacific Highway (US 101) and finally east on Harbor Drive where it joined the existing route along Market Street. It is unclear if markers were ever placed along this alignment. After the war and with the completion of the Cabrillo Freeway, US 80 was truncated back to the Harbor Drive / Market Street terminus and also moved to the 10th/11th avenue couplet, north onto the new freeway where it exited onto Washington Street, angled onto Normal Street and then onto El Cajon Boulevard towards La Mesa. The final San Diego alignment, commissioned in June 1953, moved the western terminus to the Old Town District where it travelled east on the Mission Valley Freeway from Pacific Highway (US 101) towards La Mesa.
East of San Diego, US 80 followed the path of El Cajon Boulevard through La Mesa and then onto Main Street near downtown El Cajon before heading towards Flinn Springs. The route had a number of minor realignments as it passed through Alpine and the Viejas Indian Reservation before entering the Laguna Mountains and the Cleveland National Forest. A section of old US 80 — with approximately 2.7 miles (4.3 km) being presently shielded as SR 79 — continues to serve as access to the communities of Descanso, Guatay and Pine Valley. Exiting the national forest near La Posta, US 80 continued in a southeasterly direction towards Live Oak Springs, Boulevard and Bankhead Springs. US 80 then came to within a few metres of the Mexican border as it curves around the Jacumba Mountains and into the hot spring town of Jacumba. Old 1917 period concrete sections of road can be seen in and around the town, especially near the railroad overpass at the western end.
The In-Ko-Pah County Park sits atop the Devil’s Gorge were US 80 would descend rapidly into Imperial County just west of Coyote Wells and Ocotillo. Now called Evan Hewes Highway, US 80 passed the gypsum plant at Plaster City and the town of Seeley before entering the city limits of El Centro. The original alignment went through downtown along Main Street but was later reassigned four blocks north to Adams Avenue and North 4th Street before returning to Main Street in order to bypass the central corridor. East of El Centro, US 80 again carried the name Evan Hewes Highway and travelled parallel to the Holton Interurban Railway to Holtville. US 80 then ran along 5th Street through town before regaining the Evan Hewes Highway designation as it enters Curving at Snyder Road, US 80 cut a southeasterly trajectory through the Imperial Valley farmlands and the former shoreline of prehistoric Lake Cahuilla. Again running parallel and very close to the Mexican border, old US 80 traversed the Algodones Dunes and the Colorado Desert along the former alignment of the Old Plank Road, originally built in 1915. It finally reached Winterhaven before crossing into Yuma, Arizona, after passing over the 1914-built Ocean to Ocean Highway Bridge. Almost the entire length of the former US 80 within Imperial County has since been designated County Route S80.
History
A highway was added to the state highway system in 1909 from San Diego to El Centro, and from El Centro to Winterhaven in 1915.[citation needed] US 80 through Imperial Valley was originally a plank road made of pieces of wood that were tied together;[2] it was completed by 1912, and portions are still visible.[citation needed] Following this, US 80 was constructed through the valley as the main east–west route.[3] US 80 was designated in 1926, along with the rest of the U.S. Routes.[citation needed]
A stagecoach road existed into the 19th century that passed through the mountains east of San Diego.[4] Well before the freeway was constructed, the automobile road through the mountains east of San Diego was narrow and wound through the mountains; it was officially dedicated in 1912.[5][2] This trip was known to take up to four hours, and frequently resulted in the radiator boiling over, flat tires, or broken fan belts; recent inclement weather would result in cars becoming mired in the mud. A paved road was constructed in 1926, and was open by 1927, and remnants of this road were still present in the late twentieth century. Another road was constructed in the early 1930s, to remove curves and widen the lanes.[4] This was a two-lane road that still had many switchbacks, with one popularly known as "Dead Man's Curve".[6] The delay in constructing a road to San Diego caused increased development in Los Angeles and resulted in that city becoming the trade and population center of Southern California.[7]
US 80 was removed from the state highway system in the 1964 state highway renumbering when I-80 was designated; I-8 assumed the routing from San Diego to El Centro and Yuma.[1] US 80 signs were posted until 1974 and the completion of I-8 in California. Portions of the road are marked today as Historic U.S. Route 80, and the California State Legislature granted that designation in 2006.[citation needed]
Major intersections
| County | Location | mi | km | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Diego | San Diego | 0 | 0.0 | Cabrillo National Monument | |
| US 101 | |||||
| US 395 | |||||
| Imperial | | US 99 | |||
| | US 80 | Continuation into Arizona | |||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi | |||||
References
- ^ a b California State Assembly. "An act to add Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) to Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, and to repeal Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, the..." 1963 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 385 p. 1182.
- ^ a b Vance, Fred (June 8, 1975). "New Road Links San Diego, Yuma". Los Angeles Times. p. G3.
- ^ Road Map of California (Map). California Division of Highways. 1936.
- ^ a b McVicar, Jim (May 9, 1985). "I-8 grade challenges the motorist". The San Diego Union. p. II7.
- ^ McVicar, Jim (May 19, 1970). "San Diego-Yuma Freeway Dream Nearing Fruition". The San Diego Union. p. B3.
- ^ McVicar, Jim (March 7, 1985). "Out of Way-side Ellis Rest stop still remembered". The San Diego Union. p. B4.
- ^ Harrison, Donald (May 25, 1975). "Last Section Of Interstate 8 To Yuma Opens Thursday". The San Diego Union. p. B10.