California State Route 201

The second route I photo clinched on Monday was CA 201 from CA 245 west to CA 99. CA 201 is a 25 mile route which traverses much of central Tulare County and a small part of Fresno County. CA 201 is almost a two-lane roadway aside from a small part in Kingsburg. CA 201 westbound begins in a place known as Elderwood and is somewhat hilly being in the Sierra Foothills for the first couple miles.

CA 201 crosses the Kern-Friant Canal entering San Joaquin Valley.

In Yettem CA 201 junctions with the northern segment of the unsigned County Route J23 at Road 156.

West of Yettem CA 201 turns north and multiplexes CA 63 for two miles before cutting west towards Kingsburg.

The entire 16 miles of CA 201 west of CA 63 are a straight shot towards CA 99.

CA 201 has two major junctions before Kingsburg with County Route J19 on Road 80/Alta Avenue and County Route J31 at Road 56. I want to say J19 is still signed in Fresno County but it doesn't appear that J31 is signed at all.

Slightly before the Fresno County Line CA 201 crosses the Kings River. The Fresno County Line and city limit of Kingsburg are about a mile westward.

Just prior to CA 99 is Simpson Street along the railroad tracks which would have been US 99.

CA 201 ends at CA 99 and actually has appropriate "end" signage.

Prior to 1964 all of what is now CA 201 was part of LRN 131 west of Woodlake. The alignment of CA 201 is almost identical to LRN 131 which can be seen on the 1935 Tulare County Highway Map. CA 201 appears to have remained unsigned until 1969.

1935 Tulare County Highway Map

1964 State Highway Map

1969 State Highway Map

Comments

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...

Massena Center Suspension Bridge

The Massena Center Bridge, also known as the Holton D. Robinson Bridge, has had quite the tumultuous history. Situated on the Grasse River just east of Massena, New York in the hamlet of Massena Center, the Massena Center Bridge is a reminder of the efforts the community has made in order to connect over the river. The first and only other known bridge to be built at Massena Center was built in 1832, but that bridge was never long for this world. During the spring of 1833, the Grasse River dammed itself due to an ice dam, flooded and lifted the bridge off its foundation, destroying the bridge in the process. The floods were frequent in the river during the spring, often backing up the river from Hogansburg and past Massena Center, but not to nearby Massena. After the first bridge disappeared, local residents had to resort to traveling seven miles west to Massena to cross the next closest bridge, and that was no easy task for a horse and buggy. However, it was many decades befo...

The Dead Man's Curve of Interstate 90 and Innerbelt Freeway in Cleveland

"Dead Man's Curve" refers to the transition ramp Interstate 90 takes between Cleveland Memorial Shoreway onto the Innerbelt Freeway in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. Said curve includes a sharp transition between the two freeways which is known for a high rate of accidents. Currently the curve (not officially named) has a 35 MPH advisory speed and numerous safety features intended to mitigate crashes. When the Interstate System was first conceived during 1956, Interstate 90 was intended to use the entirety Cleveland Memorial Shoreway and connect to the Northwest Freeway through Lakewood. The Innerbelt Freeway was initially planned as the northernmost segment of Interstate 71. The extension of Cleveland Memorial Shoreway west of Edgewater Park was never constructed which led to Interstate 90 being routed through the Innerbelt Freeway. Part 1; the history of Cleveland's Innerbelt Freeway and Deadman's Curve The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signe...