California State Route 39

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

State Route 39

(CS&HC Section 339)

Length:

56.90 mi^[1] (91.57 km)
(not counting length of unbuilt gap)

Formed:

1934^[2]

South end:

SR 1 in Huntington Beach

Major
junctions:

Image:Interstate 405 (California).svg I-405 in Huntington Beach

I-5 in Buena Park

I-10 in West Covina
Image:Interstate 210 (California).svg I-210 in Azusa

North end:

SR 2 in Angeles National Forest

California State Routes
< SR 38		I-40 >
Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 39 in the U.S. State of California is a north-south California State Highway that travels through Orange and Los Angeles counties. Its southern terminus is at Pacific Coast Highway (SR-1), in Huntington Beach, and its northern terminus is at Angeles Crest Highway (SR-2) in the Angeles National Forest.

1 Route summary
2 Recent Developments
3 State law
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Route summary

Route 39 ran along Beach Boulevard through most of Orange County, then north on Stanton. At the road's terminus, it heads east along Whittier Boulevard, taking over a portion of Route 72 (72 heads west instead).

Prior to that, SR-39 had then continued north along Hacienda Road to the Los Angeles/Orange County line then north on Hacienda Boulevard and Glendora Avenue to US 60, 70, and 99 now Interstate 10 in West Covina. It then continued east with US 60, 70, and 99 to Azusa Avenue where it turned north to follow the present alignment as described in the following paragraph. The Hacienda Glendora segment can still be seen as Route 39 on some maps.

Although defined to be a continuous route, there is a break in adopted Route 39 at the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Fullerton Road where an "END 39" sign appears. However, the planned alignment of Route 39 turns left from Whittier Boulevard onto Harbor Boulevard until it becomes Fullerton Road in southern Rowland Heights. The planned alignment of Route 39 continues its northward progress on Azusa Avenue to the northwest in Hacienda Heights. Adopted Route 39 resumes and signs for Route 39 appear on Azusa Avenue after the junction with the San Bernardino Freeway, Interstate 10 in West Covina. The adopted route continues for 1.0 mile to the Covina/West Covina city limit, 0.1 mile north of Grove Center Street. From 0.1 mile north of Grove Center Street to the north limit of Azusa, 0.7 mile northeast of Rock Springs Way, previously adopted Route 39 has been relinquished (to the cities of Covina and Azusa). However, to aid motorists wishing to continue on Route 39, California Route 39 shields remain through the relinquished area. It is noted that the portion of Route 39 within West Covina is is eligible for reliuqishment to that city in accordance with Section 339 of the California Streets and Highways Code.

At the north limit of Azusa, adopted Route 39 begins again as San Gabriel Canyon Road. Route 39 winds through the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest for 21.9 miles until it reaches a gate barring the road 1.8 miles north of Crystal Lake Road in the Crystal Lake Recreation Area. The last four and one-half miles of the route, including the connection to Route 2, are closed to public highway traffic, as the roadbed has been damaged by landslides dating from 1978 and 2005. The segment connecting the Crystal Lake Recreation Area to Route 2 is not scheduled to reopen before 2008.

Map of the closed and incomplete section; the ca. 1967 reconstruction is shown in blue

A replacement of the northern section, in the next canyon to the east, was partly built in 1936 and 1961, but was never completed. It includes one bridge and two tunnels, all unused by traffic. A ca. 1967^[1] replacement, much closer to the existing alignment, was also stopped prematurely, and so the middle part with many hairpin curves still exists.

[edit] Recent Developments

Report to assess status, opening of Highway 39

On July 10, 2006, the Pasadena Star-News reported that the state provided funding for an Environmental impact report (EIR) in June 2006 to assess the feasibility of reopening Highway 39 in the Angeles National Forest.

A 6.1-mile stretch of the road, from Snow Springs north of Azusa to Highway 2, has been closed to the public since 1978 due to a massive rock and mudslide caused by heavy rains and floods. The EIR will take three years to complete, according to California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) officials.

The highway was opened to emergency crews in February 2003 after a Caltrans study showed reopening it would not harm wetlands, air and water quality, natural vegetation or threatened plants and animals. The proposed State Route 39 Roadway Rehabilitation Project would begin five miles north of Crystal Lake Recreation Area Campground. In 2003, Caltrans officials estimated the project would cost $26.5 million.

People heading to Mount Waterman must now travel west to Pasadena and join Angeles Crest Highway (2) in La Canada Flintridge - a nearly two-hour trip. Reopening Highway 39 would cut the drive-time to the Waterman ski area in half and shorten the trip east to Wrightwood.