California_State_Route_58

California State Route 58

California State Route 58

Major state highway in California

"Old Highway 58" redirects here. For other highways with the same number, see List of highways numbered 58.

State Route 58 (SR 58) is a major east-west state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs across the Coast Ranges, the southern San Joaquin Valley, the Tehachapi Mountains, which border the southern Sierra Nevada, and the Mojave Desert. It runs between U.S. Route 101 near Santa Margarita and Interstate 15 in Barstow. It has junctions with Interstate 5 near Buttonwillow, State Route 99 in Bakersfield, State Route 202 in Tehachapi, State Route 14 near Mojave, and U.S. Route 395 at Kramer Junction. SR 58 also provides access to Edwards Air Force Base. At various points it is known as the Calf Canyon Highway, Carrisa Highway, Bakersfield-McKittrick Highway, Rosa Parks Highway, Westside Parkway, Barstow-Bakersfield Highway, Bakersfield Tehachapi Highway, Kern County Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, and Mojave-Barstow Highway.

Quick Facts State Route 58, Route information ...

Route description

Spring Wildflowers off SR 58 near California Valley, 2010

State Route 58 between Santa Margarita and Buttonwillow is a winding mountain road through a thinly populated area. From its westernmost terminus at US 101 near Santa Margarita, a few miles north of San Luis Obispo, SR 58 heads east along the former US 101 (El Camino Real) for one mile. SR 58 then heads east and up the winding mountain road, passing through a thinly populated area and an intersection with SR 229. Alternatives such as SR 46 to the north or SR 166 to the south are recommended, as much of this section of SR 58 is prohibited to truck traffic. However, this section of SR 58 does pass through the Carrizo Plain, which is known for its scenic beauty and geological features, including the San Andreas Fault. SR 58 then takes another winding road before joining with State Route 33 in the small town of McKittrick. SR 33 then splits at the north end of McKittrick before SR 58 then enters another, but brief winding road. SR 58 then proceeds northeast for several miles before changing to an east-west alignment and reaching Buttonwillow. SR 58 then joins with the north-south Interstate 5 (I-5) for a few miles to Stockdale Highway, where it resumes heading east and intersects with State Route 43 before reaching Bakersfield. In Bakersfield, the route follows the Westside Parkway to reach State Route 99 at the West Bakersfield Interchange.

East of SR 99, SR 58 briefly enters expressway status with two at-grade intersections in the Caliente area before resuming freeway status east of Caliente. SR 58 then reaches the Tehachapi city limits and traverses the Tehachapi Pass before dropping out of the Tehachapi Mountains into the Antelope Valley at the town of Mojave. Freeway conditions continue from State Route 14 east of Mojave bypassing North Edwards, Edwards Air Force Base, Boron, and Kramer Junction. Approximately 10 miles (16 km) east of an interchange with U.S. Route 395, SR 58 resumes expressway status with two lanes in each direction until just before reaching the easternmost terminus at Interstate 15 in Barstow.

With the lack of four-lane or greater, divided highways that cross the Sierra Nevada between SR 58 at the Tehachapi Pass and Interstate 80 at Donner Summit about hundreds of miles to the north, I-5 and SR 58 are used by motorists to travel between Northern California and points to the southeast, such as Las Vegas (via I-15) and Interstate 40, without having to face the extreme traffic congestion of greater Los Angeles.

SR 58 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[2] and east of I-5 is part of the National Highway System,[3] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[4] SR 58 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System,[5] but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation.[6] SR 58 has several names throughout its length, including the Blue Star Memorial Highway (for its entire length); the Kern County Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, for the section from SR 184 to the Kern County/San Bernardino County Line; and the Rosa Parks Highway, for the section between SR 99 and SR 184. The Korean War Veterans name honors the approximately 8,120 veterans from Kern County, while the section named for Rosa Parks honors the civil rights activist.[7] The portion of SR 58 from Barstow to Bakersfield is sometimes referred to as the Barstow–Bakersfield Highway.[8]

History

Westbound SR 58 in the Temblor Range, descending into the Carrizo Plain
A truck passes eastbound along the busy SR 58 through the Antelope Valley. The Tehachapi Mountains are visible in the distance.

State Route 58 did not exist as a California sign route until 1964, although previous to 1964, it was part of California Legislative Route 58. The other part of Legislative Route 58 is California's segment of Interstate 40; previous to 1964 it was a segment of US 66.

Prior to 1964, the segment of State Route 58 between Bakersfield and Barstow was signed U.S. Route 466. Also at that time, the segment of SR 58 between State Route 33 at McKittrick and State Route 99 in Bakersfield was signed as State Route 178. Although it was proposed for signing as Route 178 in 1934, the segment of Legislative Route 58 between US 101 near Santa Margarita and State Route 33 at McKittrick was not signed prior to 1964.

Note that US 466 was co-signed with US 99, now State Route 99, between Bakersfield and Famoso Junction. Between Famoso and US 101 at Paso Robles, US 466 largely became SR 46.

The eastern terminus was originally at I-15 in northeastern Barstow. SR 58 was rerouted to I-15 in Barstow south of the I-40 interchange in c. 2000.[citation needed] The former eastern terminus is now known as "Old Highway 58".

Freeway bypasses in Tehachapi, Boron, Mojave, Hinkley, and Kramer Junction were completed in c. 1975, 1981, 2003, 2017, and 2020, respectively.[citation needed]

Westside Parkway and the Centennial Corridor Project

In western Bakersfield, the Westside Parkway, a freeway running from Stockdale Highway (near Heath Road) east to Truxtun Avenue, was completed on April 15, 2015, with interchanges in between at Allen Road, Calloway Drive, Coffee Road, and Mohawk Street.[9] Opening in stages since 2013, the road was originally under the jurisdiction of the city of Bakersfield. As part of the Centennial Corridor project, Caltrans built an extension of the Westside Parkway east to the junction of SR 58 and SR 99 at the West Bakersfield Interchange. Although construction was controversial since it displaced dozens of homes and businesses,[10] by September 2017, all but a few buildings in the path had been demolished.[11]

On February 5, 2021, the city transferred the Westside Parkway to Caltrans and California Highway Patrol jurisdiction.[12] City officials then announced in October 2022 that the project was nearly complete, and that they were working on the last 800 feet of the connection, specifically, the northbound SR 99 to westbound SR 58 transition ramp, with an estimated 8 months of construction left.[13] Meanwhile, Caltrans began installing signage rerouting SR 58 traffic from I-5 onto Stockdale Highway and the Westside Parkway east to at least Mohawk Street.[14][15][16]

The Centennial Corridor was inaugurated on February 9, 2024, with a ceremonial bicycle ride,[17] and officially opened to traffic on February 17, 2024,[18] with some connections between SR 58 and SR 99 remaining closed.[19] The rest of SR 58 on Rosedale Highway between Mohawk Street and SR 99 is planned to be transferred to city control.[20][21] Future plans are to upgrade Stockdale Highway from I-5 to Heath Road as a freeway.[22]

Business loops

Mojave

Quick Facts State Route 58 Business, Location ...

State Route 58 Business is a business route of California State Route 58 in Mojave. It provides access to downtown Mojave as Mojave-Barstow Highway. It also follows mostly the former routing of U.S. Route 466.

Tehachapi

Quick Facts State Route 58 Business, Location ...

State Route 58 Business is a business route of California State Route 58 in Tehachapi. It provides access to downtown Tehachapi as Tehachapi Boulevard. It also follows the former routing of U.S. Route 466 and is overlapped with State Route 202.

Boron

Quick Facts State Route 58 Business, Location ...

State Route 58 Business is a business route of California State Route 58 in Boron. It provides access to downtown Boron as Twenty Mule Team Road. It also follows the former routing of U.S. Route 466. It is signed from westbound Route 58 approaching the San Bernardino–Kern county line and the beginning of the Boron bypass.

Major intersections

Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary (for a full list of prefixes, see California postmile § Official postmile definitions).[23] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.

Exits on the Westside Parkway segment are currently unnumbered.

More information County, Location ...
  1. [N 1]
    Indicates that the postmile represents the distance along SR 33 rather than SR 58.

See also

References

  1. [1]
    California Department of Transportation (July 2007). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
  2. [2]
    "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  3. [3]
    Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: California (South) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  4. [4]
    Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  5. [5]
    "Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets & Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  6. [6]
    California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
  7. [7]
    California Department of Transportation; California State Transportation Agency (January 2021). 2020 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California (PDF). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. pp. 42, 287, 322. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 10, 2022.
  8. [8]
    Pitchford, Phil (January 7, 2006). "Proposal hints at traffic relief". The Press-Enterprise. Retrieved February 15, 2009.
  9. [9]
    "Westside Parkway now open". April 15, 2015. Archived from the original on October 20, 2009.
  10. [10]
    "Caltrans Picks Preferred Route For Centennial Corridor Freeway in Bakersfield". Valley Public Radio. November 15, 2012. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  11. [11]
    "ACME Mapper 2.2". mapper.acme.com.
  12. [12]
    "Westside Parkway to come under CHP jurisdiction". KGET 17. January 19, 2021. Retrieved January 19, 2021.
  13. [13]
    "$1.5 billion Centennial Corridor enters the homestretch: Freeway connector 8 months to finish line". KGET 17. October 12, 2022. Retrieved January 26, 2023.
  14. [14]
    "SR 58 sign at the end of the I-5 south exit 253/Stockdale Highway off-ramp". Google Street View. November 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  15. [15]
    "SR 58 freeway entrance sign at the western end of the Westside Parkway". Google Street View. November 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  16. [16]
    ""SR 58: Use Next Exit" sign at the Mohawk Street interchange". Google Street View. November 2022. Retrieved April 2, 2023.
  17. [17]
    Eyraud, Joshua (February 10, 2024). "Bakersfield bicyclists — not drivers — take the first rides on the Centennial Corridor". KGET. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  18. [18]
    Brown Soren, Kaley (February 17, 2024). "Centennial Corridor opens, connecting Highway 58 to Westside Parkway". KGET. Retrieved February 18, 2024.
  19. [19]
    Price, Robert (February 19, 2024). "Your freeway exit may have vanished: Centennial Corridor navigation will require adjustment for some". KGET. Retrieved February 23, 2024.
  20. [20]
    MORGEN, SAM. "Progress reported for Centennial Corridor, but much remains to be done". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved April 24, 2021.
  21. [21]
    MAYER, STEVEN (February 13, 2023). "Connecting highways 99 and 58 via the Centennial Corridor a detailed strategy". The Bakersfield Californian. Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  22. [22]
    "Bakersfield opens first new freeway in 37 years". The Bakersfield Californian. August 2, 2013. Archived from the original on August 7, 2013. Retrieved September 8, 2013.
  23. [23]
    California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  24. [24]
    California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006
  25. [25]
    California Department of Transportation, California Numbered Exit Uniform System, State Route 58 Freeway Interchanges, Retrieved on February 5, 2009.
  26. [26]
    California Department of Transportation, California Numbered Exit Uniform System, State Route 99 Freeway Interchanges, Retrieved on February 5, 2009.
  27. [27]
    Small, Moses (November 3, 2021). "Cottonwood Road renamed to South MLK Jr. Boulevard". KGET-TV. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  28. [28]
    "Elevation and Location of Summits and Passes in California". California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017.
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