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Santa Fe County Road (Fresno County)

Santa Fe County Road near Mendota in Fresno County is an approximately 4-mile rural roadway built on a repurposed railroad grade.  Santa Fe Grade Road begins at Jefferson Avenue and continues northwest to San Benito Avenue.  The grade was constructed by the San Francisco & San Joaquin Railroad during the 1880s but was found to be consistently flood prone.  The grade was later sold to the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in 1898 which later abandoned it to Fresno County.  Part 1; the history of Santa Fe County Road The origin of Santa Fe Grade Road lies in the 1880s when San Francisco & San Joaquin Valley Railroad president Claus Spreckels was attempting to acquire right-of-way.  Spreckels' line was in competition with the Southern Pacific Railroad to build a line in western San Joaquin Valley.  Any prospective westside line would have to cross the properties owned by the so-called "Cattle King of California" Henry Miller.  Miller held a s...
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The North Graham Street ghost on ramp - Interstate 277 Charlotte

Interstate 277 around Uptown Charlotte can be an adventure. From backed-up traffic and crazy merges to slaloming through lane changes, I-277 is one of Charlotte's most talked-about highways. One of its most challenging interchanges has been memorialized in a video game . There are also proposals to turn the urban Interstate into a river . And on the Sunday of Labor Day Weekend, they run a 10k on it . If you've ever been struck in traffic on Inner I-277 between Graham Street and I-77, you may have wondered what this ramp stub was for. (Adam Prince - March 2019) I-277 isn't a long highway, running at just under 4.5 miles. It offers great views of the skyline and of the constantly changing cityscape. And I will admit, I'll sometimes drive around 277 just to get a view of the growing city. Above: The former North Graham Street ramp is located in the top center of the aerial photograph.  The long ramp was removed around 2005 to make way for Music Factory Boulevard and apar...

Avila Beach Drive

Avila Beach Drive is an approximately 4.5-mile highway in San Luis Obispo County which connects US Route 101 to Port San Luis.  This roadway initially developed east of San Luis Obispo Creek in 1869 at the end of a tram line connecting Port Harford (now Port San Luis) to Avila Beach.  The western half of Avila Beach Drive is built atop the former Pacific Coast Railway grade which went defunct in 1941.  The current bridge over San Luis Obispo Creek connecting Avila Beach Drive to Port San Luis was constructed in 1967.  The roadway was modernized to facilitate roadway access to the port facilities on San Luis Bay and the nuclear power plant facility at Diablo Canyon.  Part 1; the history of Avila Beach Drive The corridor of Avila Beach Drive connects US Route 101 near Shell Beach along the shore of San Luis Bay to Port San Luis.  Much of San Luis Bay during the period of Mexican governance in Alta California was part of Rancho San Miguelito.  Rancho San ...

Pyramid HIlls Road

Pyramid Hills Road is a five-mile rural highway located in the namesake Pyramid Hills of Kings County.  Pyramid Hills Road begins at York Avenue near the former Lemoore Road stage station of Dudley and terminates to the east at California State Route 33 in the Kettleman Plains. The Pyramid Hills are a short mountain range which is a component of the larger Reef Ridge.  The hills are named due to how they resemble Egyptian Pyramids during summer months.  The Lemoore Road from Cottonwood Pass turned northeast through McClure Valley where it passed Dudley at Deadman Gap.  Deadman Gap was closed sometime near the end of World War II when the Union Oil Company constructed a large well.  Modern Pyramid Hills Road was constructed to the south near Dagany Gap as a replacement access road.   Part 1; the history of Pyramid Hills Road The Pyramid Hills are a short mountain range located in Kings County.  This specific range spans from approximately Californi...