Old California State Route 180 on Dunlap Road

Back in April 2017 I took a detour down the pre-1942 alignment of California State Route 180 on Dunlap Road in far east Fresno County in the Sierra Nevada Range.

Dunlap Road is 13 miles long and connects from modern CA 245 west to CA 180. At some point between 1940 and 1942 SSR 180 was moved to modern alignment CA 180 takes on the Kings Canyon Highway and SSR 65 was extended north to where the modern northern terminus of CA 245 is now. The routing for SSR 180 on Dunlap Road and the eventual changes I described can be seen on these maps:

1935 Fresno County Road Map

1938 State Highway Map

1940 State Highway Map

1942 State Highway Map

CA 180 would have continued westbound to the right on Dunlap Road in the below picture while CA 65 would have begun on the left.

Dunlap Road is significantly more curvy than the modern Kings Canyon Highway to the north which CA 180 now runs on. There is some evidence of former state maintenance with culverts that had design origins in the 1930s/40s.

Miramonte is 3 miles west of CA 245. The community is at an elevation of about 3,000 feet above sea level and was founded some time in the 1900s. Apparently Miramonte has had a Post Office since 1923.

There was a nice bloom out in the Sierras in last April. Later in July when I was traveling Dunlap Road I was almost hit head on by a trucker who cut this curve.

There are no marked vistas on Dunlap Road but there is a wide canyon view from the pull-outs. The modern Kings Canyon Highway can be seen as a cut in the mountains to the north.

Dunlap Road has a ton of steep cliffs but the road is generally plenty wide (unless you're a jackass trying to take a 40 foot plus truck load up it).

The drop on Dunlap Road is far less steep than the Kings Canyon Highway. Dunlap Road enters the community of Dunlap at about 1,900 feet above sea level.

Apparently Dunlap dates back to the 1880s and was a stage stop. The area really isn't a "town" per se but does have a school and some other expected services. Dunlap Road drops a little more elevation before meeting CA 180 at the Kings Canyon Highway.

CA 180 has been a frequent topic of discussion on Gribblenation, the other articles can be found below.

Signed County Route J1 and Old CA 180 on Panoche Road
Old CA 180 and CA 41 surface alignments in Fresno
California State Route 180 east of Fresno to Cedar Grove (Kings Canyon Highway)
CA 180 from CA 99 west to CA 33
CA 180 Kings Canyon Expressway and Sequoia-Kings Canyon Freeway

Comments

Bleriot Ferry - Alberta

Alberta operates six ferries scattered throughout the province. Roughly twenty to twenty-five kilometers up the Red Deer River from the town of Drumheller is one of the most scenic ferry crossings in all of Wild Rose Country, the Bleriot Ferry. Using the North Dinosaur Trail (Alberta Highway 838, or AB 838), the Bleriot Ferry provides a scenic river cruise of sorts in the Canadian Badlands. The Bleriot Ferry started operating in 1913 as the Munson Ferry when a few bridges crossed the Red Deer River. The ferry was started by Andre Bleriot, the brother of famed early aviator Louis Bleriot, who became famous for being the first person to fly over the English Channel. At the time, the Alberta provincial government commissioned local residents to run the ferries. There were several ferries along the Red Deer River, and not only did they serve as vital transportation links, but they also served as local social hubs, since everyone had to take the ferries to go places. Over time, as the...

Interstate 40's Tumultuous Ride Through the Pigeon River Gorge

In the nearly 60 years Interstate 40 has been open to traffic through the Pigeon River Gorge in the mountains of Western North Carolina, it has been troubled by frequent rockslides and damaging flooding, which has seen the over 30-mile stretch through North Carolina and Tennessee closed for months at a time. Most recently, excessive rainfall from Hurricane Helene in September 2024 saw sections of Interstate 40 wash away into a raging Pigeon River. While the physical troubles of Interstate 40 are well known, how I-40 came to be through the area is a tale of its own. Interstate 40 West through Haywood County near mile marker 10. I-40's route through the Pigeon River Gorge dates to local political squabbles in the 1940s and a state highway law written in 1921. A small note appeared in the July 28, 1945, Asheville Times. It read that the North Carolina State Highway Commission had authorized a feasibility study of a "...water-level road down [the] Pigeon River to the Tennessee l...

I-73/I-74 and NC Future Interstates Year in Review 2024

Welcome to another annual review of progress in constructing North Carolina's New and Future Interstate routes. While 2024 was not too exciting, with no new segments of major routes opening, there was 1 new interstate signing, another proposed new interstate route, and the near opening of a new segment for 2 routes. As tradition, I will start off with a review of what happened with I-73 and I-74 and then move on to the major news of the year about the other new and future routes. Work continued on the I-73/I-74 Rockingham Bypass through the year. The last few months have been hoping for news of its opening before 2025, without luck. Signs of its near completion included the placement of new signs, many with interstate shields uncovered, along the Bypass and intersecting roadways. For example, these went up along US 74 East: Overhead signage at Business 74 exit which contains the future ramp to I-73 North/I-74 West. Signage was also updated heading west on US 74 approaching the unop...

Gribblenation

Search This Blog