Skip to main content

California State Route 135

By
After completing California State Route 227 I headed south into Santa Barbra County to check out an old alignment of US 101 which is now partially incorporated into California State Route 135.






CA 135 is a 21 mile state highway looping from US 101 in Santa Maria southeast to Los Alamos.  As stated above the alignment of CA 135 was largely part of early US 101 which was replaced in the 1930s.  CA 135 is signed along Broadway in Santa Maria and is co-signed as the US 101 Business Route within the city.






CA 135 has a junction with CA 166 in downtown Santa Maria.  Interestingly there is a large pedestrian bridge south of the CA 166 junction on CA 135.





CA 135 crosses a set of rails in downtown Santa Maria and approaches Betteravia Road where it once met former CA 176.  CA 176 was a short route which ended in Sisquoc to the east.






CA 135 becomes an expressway exiting Santa Maria on the approach southward to Orcutt.  The original alignment of CA 135 and US 101 would have been on Orcutt Road which is a front road east of the modern expressway.






In Orcutt CA 135 becomes a freeway.  The freeway grade of CA 135 closely follows the original alignment of US 101 which was on Graciosa Road which runs next to the northbound lanes.







CA 135 merges in with CA 1 at this overpass.  There is no access for CA 135 southbound traffic to merge onto CA 1 north.





CA 135 is briefly multiplexed with CA 1.  The CA 135 freeway segment largely exists to flow traffic to Vandenberg Air Force Base.  Vandenberg traffic continues southward towards Lompoc on CA 1 whereas as CA 135 continues south towards Los Alamos.






South of CA 1 the alignment of CA 135 merges back down to two-lanes and continues southeast towards Los Alamos. 







CA 135 becomes Bell Street in Los Alamos.  Bell Street is directly aligned with the US 101 expressway west of Los Alamos which indicates to me that it was likely part of the 1930s realignment.  




Los Alamos was founded in 1876 out of various ranch land parcels.  Centennial Street was plotted as the main North/South street in Los Alamos due to the community being founded on the American Centennial.  Bell Street carries CA 135 through the community to the to the US 101 expressway where the route ends on San Antonio Boulevard.




As stated above CA 135 was originally a segment of US 101 from Santa Maria to Los Alamos.  It appears that US 101 shifted to the modern expressway alignment some time between 1930 and 1932 as a new state highway can be seen by comparing the two state highway maps from those years.  US 101 stayed on Broadway in Santa Maria but entered the city on Santa Maria Way.

1930 State Highway Map

1932 State Highway Map 

The full modern expressway bypass of Santa Maria that US 101 utilizes first appears on the 1963 State Highway Map.  Interestingly it appears that all of the former routing of US 101 between Los Alamos and Santa Maria remained a branch of Legislative Route 2 until the 1964 State Highway Renumbering.  The change of alignment of US 101 can be seen on the 1963 State Highway Map and the change to CA 135 appears on the 1964 State Highway Map. 

1963 State Highway Map

1964 State Highway Map

The 1966 State Highway Map shows an expressway alignment of CA 135 south of Santa Maria.  CA 1 is still shown on the Harris Grade southward to Lompoc.

1966 State Highway Map

Labels

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Former US Route 50 and the Pioneer Route Lincoln Highway on Johnson's Pass Road

By
Johnson's Pass Road is one of the oldest highway corridors in California.  Johnson's Pass was part of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road as it was completed during 1856 over the Sierra Nevada.  The pass would later be incorporated into the Pioneer Branch of the Lincoln Highway in 1913 and US Route 50 in 1926.  Johnson's Pass Road would be bypassed by a new alignment of US Route 50 over Echo Summit in 1938.  A replacement of the Meyers Grade east of Johnson's Pass would be opened to traffic in 1947.   Johnson's Pass Road remains accessible to traffic and is still signed by the Lincoln Highway Association.  Pictured as the blog cover is the view from the top of Johnson's Pass Road overlooking modern US Route 50 and Lake Tahoe.   Part 1; the history of Johnson's Pass Much of the history of what become the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road is discussed in the  September 1950 California Highways & Public Works  during its Centennial Edition.  The or...
Post a Comment
Read more

Former US Route 50 and the South Lincoln Highway from Folsom east to Placerville

By
The corridor of Folsom of Sacramento County east to Placerville of El Dorado County has been a long established corridor of overland travel dating back to the California Gold Rush.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor was once part of the path of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road which became the first California State Highway and later the South Lincoln Highway.  In time the South Lincoln Highway's surface alignment was inherited by US Route 50.  The Folsom-Placerville corridor also includes the communities of; Clarksville, Shingle Springs and El Dorado. Part 1; the history of the Lake Tahoe Wagon Road, South Lincoln Highway and US Route 50 through Folsom-Placerville Folsom is located on the American River/Lake Natoma of eastern Sacramento County.  That lands now occupied by the City of Folsom were part of Rancho Rio de los Americanos prior to the finding of gold at Sutter's Mill during 1848.  During the California Gold Rush the lands of Rancho Rio de los Americanos were p...
Post a Comment
Read more

Old NC 10 - The Central Highway: Old Fort to Black Mountain through the Royal Gorge

By
A unique way of tracing the remnants of the Central Highway is through the mountainous terrain of Eastern Buncombe and Western McDowell Counties.  From the east on US 70, you reach the base of Blue Ridge Mountains at the town of Old Fort.  Old Fort is a tiny rail town that the old Central Highway and now US 70 goes through.  The Central Highway can be followed via a right onto Mill Creek Road from US 70.  Follow the highway as it takes you closer to the mountains.  When Mill Creek Road bears right to head towards Andrews Geyser stay straight until the road ends at a gate.  The nearby Piney Grove Church can be used for parking.  At this point, the old Central Highway began a 3.5 mile climb of the mountain to Swannanoa Gap.  NC 10 and later US 70 travelers followed this road for over 30 years until a new and modern four lane US 70 was built to the south.  This same four lane road would eventually become Interstate 40.    The Centra...
Post a Comment
Read more