Mark Carroll's Journal

The march of time continues. It’s hard to believe we’re at the end of January already; time is relentless in marching forward. As always, I’ve been spending the time reading the news and looking for articles related to California Highways, saving them away for this headline post. This post will also mark the start of working on the next round of updates for the highway pages: I typically do two to three headline posts in each update round. Speaking of the “March of Time”: 2026 marks the 30^th Anniversary of the California Highways website. The changelog for 1996 shows the first “official” changes in October 1996, although it notes that “Changes before early 1996 were not specifically noted, although this site, in various forms, dates back at least as far as 1992, and possibly as early as 1986. Searching on Google Groups uncovers an early posting of the state highway list in December of 1992 to the Usenet Group ca.driving. In 1995, there was a posting of the highway list in response to a question, showing a last modified date of 1994. By October 1996, postings were being made showing the existence of the California Highways page off of Pacificnet.The earliest capture of the site on the Wayback Machine is in December 1998.” So welcome to the start of the 30^th Anniversary year, or perhaps the 40^th Anniversary year, of California Highways!

The timing of the switch to highway site updates is good, as I just finished writing the last episode of Season 4. We’re starting to plan a few bonus episodes that don’t take as much research and writing; after which I’ll turn my attention to Season 5, covering Routes 15 through 23. I particularly like ep 4.12, which covers the unbuilt freeways of the San Fernando Valley, using the first segment of Route 14 as the starting point.

Season 4 of the podcast continues, and we’re now using new recording software  (Zencaster). I think it sounds better, but I would love to hear from the listeners. Let us know what you think. It looks like the regular audience is between 60-70 folks, and I’d love to get that number up (as of today, we’re at 53 for 4.06, 56 for 4.05, 51 for 4.04, 68 for 4.03, 79 for 4.02, and 121 for 4.01), although the numbers don’t included those who listen directly from the CARouteByRoute website (as I don’t know how to get those stats). I have no idea why there was so much interest in Route 8 in San Diego. You can help our listening audience grow. Please tell your friends about the podcast, “like”, “♥”, or “favorite” it, and give it a rating in your favorite podcatcher. Share the podcast on Facebook groups, and in your Bluesky and Mastodon communities. For those that hear the early episodes, the sound quality of the episodes does get better — we were learning. If you know sound editing, feel free to give me advice (I use Audacity to edit). As always, you can keep up with the show at the podcast’s forever home at https://www.caroutebyroute.org , the show’s page on Spotify for Creators, or you can subscribe through your favorite podcatching app or via the RSS feeds (CARxR, Spotify for Creators) . The following episode has been posted this month:

• January | CA RxR 4.06: I-10: San Bernardino Freeway. Episode 4.06 continues our exploration of Route 10.  Episode 4.05 covered the first segment of Route 10: The Santa Monica Freeway between Route 1 and the I-5/US 101 junction. This episode, 4.06, covers the second segment of Route 10, from US 101 to the Arizona Border. Along the way, we explore the former I-110 segment, Route 10S, and do a deep dive into the US highways that shaped this segment of I-10: US 60, US 70, and US 99. We explore the historical routing of those highways across this segment. We also look at some of the names on the highway, and current projects along the highway.In the next episode, 4.07, we’ll turn our attention to Route 11. We’ll start by exploring LRN 11, and then look at the original Sign Route 11. This was originally tied closely with the development of US 66, and became today’s Route 110. We’ll also talk about the current Route 11. (Spotify for Podcasters)
• January | CA RxR 4.05: I-10: Santa Monica Freeway. With Episode 4.05, we turn our attention to Route 10. This first episode on Route 10 starts with an exploration of the 10th route (the last ordinal route we’ll do), which was the Emigrant Gap Highway, and became the basis for LRN 37. This became part of the Lincoln Highway, then US 40, and is now part of I-80 from Sacramento to Nevada. We look at LRN 10, which became Route 198 from US 101 near San Lucas to Sequoia National Park. We then explore Sign Route 10 (which we discussed in our episode on I-5 in Los Angeles county), which ran from US 101A to US 101, later becoming Route 42 and US 101 Bypass, and eventually I-105 and I-5. Lastly, we turn to post-1964 Route 10, which is today’s I-10. In this episode, we focus on the first segment:  “From Route 1 in Santa Monica to Route 5 near Seventh Street in Los Angeles”, which is today’s Santa Monica Freeway. We look at its origins as Sign Route 6, which became Sign Route 26 along LRN 173, LRN 166, and LRN 171. We focus on LRN 173 (LRN 166 and LRN 171 were discussed in our episode on I-5 in Los Angeles county, as well as our episode on Route 6), which was Olympic Blvd. We explore the history of the Santa Monica Freeway segment, the experiments tried along this highway, some significant projects along this segment, and some significant names on this segment.We will complete our exploration of Route 10 in Episode 4.06, which explores the San Bernardino Freeway: Its origins in LRN 26 and LRN 64 and the Ramona Airline. The history and strange intertwinings of the US highways that were signed on Route 10: US 60, US 70, and US 99. The transition to I-10 and the story of Route 10S. Lastly, we’ll cover projects and names on the segment. (Spotify for Creators)

As a reminder: One of the sources for the highway page updates (and the raison d’etre for for this post) are headlines about California Highways that I’ve seen over the last month. I collect them in this post, which serves as fodder for the updates to my California Highways site, and so there are also other pages and things I’ve seen that I wanted to remember for the site updates. Lastly, the post also includes some things that I think would be of peripheral interest to my highway-obsessed highway-interested readers.

Well, you should now be up to date. Here are the headlines that I found about California’s highways for January 2026.

Key

[Ħ Historical information | ＄ Paywalls, ＄＄ really obnoxious paywalls, and ∅ other annoying restrictions. I’m no longer going to list the paper names, as I’m including them in the headlines now. Note: For ＄ paywalls, sometimes the only way is incognito mode, grabbing the text before the paywall shows, and pasting into an editor. See this article for more tips on bypassing paywalls. ＄＄ paywalls require the use of archive.ph. ☊ indicates an primarily audio article. 🎥 indicates a primarily video article. ]

Highway Headlines

• Calif. mountain highway used by millions ‘destroyed’ by heavy rainfall (SF Gate). Toward the end of August, outdoorsy Angelenos rejoiced when the entirety of the region’s 66-mile forest highway finally reopened after a yearslong section closure. But now, just a few months later, a chunk of the highway is already closed again — and likely will be for a while. Angeles Crest Highway, also known as state Route 2, is currently closed between Cedar Springs, near its intersection with the long-closed northern end of state Route 39, all the way east to where the highway hits state Route 138 near the Cajon Pass. In total, it’s a roughly 27-mile closure, pocked by washed-out roads, crumbled asphalt and other recent storm damage.
• New traffic light in operation at State Route 32 and County Road P in Glenn County (Lake County News). Caltrans reported that the newly installed traffic signal at the intersection of State Route 32 and County Road P in Glenn County was activated on Wednesday and is now fully operational. Drivers traveling through the intersection should be alert to the new traffic pattern and obey all signal indications. The signal installation is part of a safety improvement effort to improve traffic operations and reduce collisions along the SR 32 corridor between Orland and Hamilton City. The project also included shoulder work, pavement improvements, Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades and roadway striping.
• 🎁 Congestion pricing after one year: How life has changed (The New York Times – Gift Article). One year after the start of congestion pricing, traffic jams are less severe, streets are safer, and commute times are improving for travelers from well beyond Manhattan. Though these changes aren’t noticeable to many, and others feel the tolls are a financial burden, the fees have generated hundreds of millions of dollars for public transportation projects. And it has probably contributed to rising transit ridership. The program, which on Jan. 5, 2025, began charging most drivers $9 during peak travel times to enter Manhattan below 60th Street, has quickly left its mark. To assess its impact, The New York Times reviewed city and state data, outside research, and the feedback of more than 600 readers with vastly different views of the toll.
• New Traffic Pattern – Route 47 (FB/Port of Los Angeles). ⚠️ Reminder: A new traffic pattern is coming to the SR 47 Interchange at the Port of Los Angeles. Get project information and traffic updates here: https://portofla.org/sr47
• ＄ The best public U.S. transportation museums to visit in 2026 (East Bay Times). Some folks yearn to see Michelangelo’s “David” at the Galleria dell’Accademia. For others, basking in awe over a Union Pacific “Big Boy” — the largest steam locomotive ever built — is as high as art can get. For dads and their hapless families who get dragged into such stuff, Yahoo has published a helpful guide to the “Best Transportation Museums to Visit in the U.S.” The list spans from institutions for U.S. Air Force war machines to Hollywood-movie vehicles in Las Vegas. (The Batmobile!) It includes two museums in California: a classic-cars mecca in San Francisco, and a trove of historic sea vessels in San Diego.
• ＄ Thrill-seekers, residents clash as the Mulholland ‘Snake’ reopens – Los Angeles Times (Los Angeles Times). Its serpentine curves have entranced drivers for decades, and even lured some to their death. For motorcycle and car enthusiasts, riding the hair-raising turns of the 2.4-mile section of Mulholland Highway known as “the Snake” can feel akin to a religious experience. When the road reopened after a nearly seven-year closure in December, its devotees returned in droves. “It is so gratifying, so tactual, it clears my head and reinvigorates my soul,” said Malibu resident Doug Baron, who fell in love with the canyon road while cruising it alongside childhood friend Chad McQueen in the late 1970s.
• El Camino Real sees renewal project (The Bay Link Blog). Caltrans will begin construction on the State Route 82 (El Camino Real) Roadway Renewal Project this winter, marking a major rehabilitation to a vital section of SR-82 traversing Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo and Millbrae. Over the coming months and years, the $173 million State Highway Operations and Protection Program (SHOPP) effort will deliver critical infrastructure upgrades, including improved visibility for drivers, enhanced drainage to mitigate localized flooding, and upgraded sidewalks, curb ramps, and pedestrian facilities to ensure full compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines. The project is included in the MTC’s Bay Area Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Plan Bay Area 2040. Aging eucalyptus trees along the sidewalks will also be removed, and the canopy reinvigorated with more than 300 new trees, preserving the historic significance of the Howard Ralston Eucalyptus Rows.