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120-673: U.S. Route 50 ( US 50 ) is a transcontinental United States Numbered Highway , stretching from West Sacramento, California , in the west to Ocean City, Maryland , in the east. The California portion of US 50 runs east from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento to the Nevada state line in South Lake Tahoe . A portion in Sacramento also has the unsigned designation of Interstate 305 . The western half of

240-482: A cut would be too expensive. Instead, it chose the "O'Keefe grade" (Forni Road), following the old road for about 4 miles (6 km) and then building a cutoff (now part of Placerville Drive) to the Green Valley road. In 1917 the mileage that had been added by special laws, rather than as part of bond issues, was consolidated with the rest of the system, and Route 11 was extended east to the state line. (The route

360-519: A wrong-way concurrency with SR 89 briefly through Sattley and Sierraville . SR 49 then leaves the forest as Loyalton Road, passing through the city of Loyalton and intersecting CR A24 before crossing into Plumas County as Vinton Loyalton Road, where SR 49 ends at SR 70 in the town of Vinton . SR 49 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System , and from SR 140 to a point north of SR 88 as well as from I-80 to SR 20

480-425: A banner such as alternate or bypass —are also managed by AASHTO. These are sometimes designated with lettered suffixes, like A for alternate or B for business. The official route log, last published by AASHTO in 1989, has been named United States Numbered Highways since its initial publication in 1926. Within the route log, "U.S. Route" is used in the table of contents, while "United States Highway" appears as

600-521: A distinctively-shaped white shield with large black numerals in the center. Often, the shield is displayed against a black square or rectangular background. Each state manufactures their own signage, and as such subtle variations exist all across the United States. Individual states may use cut-out or rectangular designs, some have black outlines, and California prints the letters "US" above the numerals. One- and two-digit shields generally feature

720-503: A freeway bypass of Camino with an expressway continuing west to Five Mile Terrace, completed in 1957. From Pollock Pines east to the bridge at Riverton , the road was widened to four lanes in about 1960. The next decade saw the improvement of every remaining two-lane section between Rancho Cordova (near Sunrise Boulevard) and Riverton, with the final section, connecting Bass Lake Road and Shingle Springs , opening in July 1970. The freeway

840-455: A full list of prefixes, see California postmile § Official postmile definitions ). Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column. United States Numbered Highway System The United States Numbered Highway System (often called U.S. Routes or U.S. Highways )

960-486: A less expensive program of spot improvements including new bridges and passing lanes . Portions of the work were completed by 1987, including a four-lane bridge at Riverton (though two lanes are used by traffic turning at Ice House Road at the east end of the bridge). Between White Hall and Kyburz, a pair of four-lane bridges over the South Fork American River, carrying a realignment across a bend in

1080-522: A lower-grade replacement on the north side of the river in 1864, but stopped when Pearson and McDonald opened a road over the present alignment of US 50, leaving the pre-1861 main road southwest of Brockliss Bridge and following US 50, across the river at Riverton , to Oglesby's road east of White Hall. Toll collection ended in California in 1886, when El Dorado County bought the privately improved sections and made them public roads. West of Placerville,

1200-623: A main route. Odd numbers generally increase from east to west; U.S. Route 1 (US 1) follows the Atlantic Coast and US 101 follows the Pacific Coast. (US 101 is one of the many exceptions to the standard numbering grid; its first "digit" is "10", and it is a main route on its own and not a spur of US 1.) Even numbers tend to increase from north to south; US 2 closely follows the Canadian border, and US 98 hugs

1320-441: A means for interstate travelers to access local services and as secondary feeder roads or as important major arteries in their own right. In other places, where there are no nearby Interstate Highways, the U.S. Routes often remain as the most well-developed roads for long-distance travel. While the system's growth has slowed in recent decades, the U.S. Highway System remains in place to this day and new routes are occasionally added to

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1440-464: A new route through South Lake Tahoe , leaving behind Pioneer Trail (1931). The crossing of the Sierra crest at Johnson Pass was bypassed in 1940 by a better-quality route over Echo Summit ; the lower part of the current road east of the summit opened in 1947, bypassing Meyers Road. West of Placerville, several major two-lane relocations were built. A bypass (now Mother Lode Drive) around El Dorado and

1560-580: A part of popular culture. US 101 continues east and then south to end at Olympia, Washington . The western terminus of US 2 is now at Everett, Washington . California State Route 49 The roadway begins at Oakhurst , Madera County , in the Sierra Nevada , where it diverges from State Route 41. It continues in a generally northwest direction, weaving through the communities of Goldside and Ahwahnee, before crossing into Mariposa County . State Route 49 then continues northward through

1680-602: A rough grid. Major routes from the earlier map were assigned numbers ending in 0, 1 or 5 (5 was soon relegated to less-major status), and short connections received three-digit numbers based on the main highway from which they spurred. The five-man committee met September 25, and submitted the final report to the Joint Board secretary on October 26. The board sent the report to the Secretary of Agriculture on October 30, and he approved it November 18, 1925. The new system

1800-705: A steep slope descended to Lake Tahoe . Within Nevada, his route generally followed the lake to Glenbrook , where it turned inland and crossed the Carson Range over Spooner Summit into the Carson Valley near Carson City . This trail, known as Johnson's Cut-off, generally followed the present US 50, with notable deviations only just east of Placerville (via Carson Road), over Peavine Ridge (roughly following Peavine Ridge Road, some trails, and Wrights Lake Road), just east of Strawberry (via Slippery Ford Road), over

1920-637: Is a north–south route, unlike its parent US 22 , which is east–west. As originally assigned, the first digit of the spurs increased from north to south and east to west along the parent; for example, US 60 had spurs, running from east to west, designated as US 160 in Missouri , US 260 in Oklahoma , US 360 in Texas , and US 460 and US 560 in New Mexico . As with

2040-439: Is an integrated network of roads and highways numbered within a nationwide grid in the contiguous United States . As the designation and numbering of these highways were coordinated among the states, they are sometimes called Federal Highways , but the roadways were built and have always been maintained by state or local governments since their initial designation in 1926. The route numbers and locations are coordinated by

2160-772: Is in the process of eliminating all intrastate U.S. Highways less than 300 miles (480 km) in length "as rapidly as the State Highway Department and the Standing Committee on Highways of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials can reach agreement with reference thereto". New additions to the system must serve more than one state and "substantially meet the current AASHTO design standards ". A version of this policy has been in place since 1937. The original major transcontinental routes in 1925, along with

2280-990: Is part of the National Highway System , a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration . SR 49 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System , and from the Sierra-Yuba county line to Yuba Summit is officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation . The segment of SR 49 from SR 20 in Nevada City to SR 89 in Sierraville also forms part of

2400-566: The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), worked to form a national numbering system to rationalize the roads. After several meetings, a final report was approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture in November 1925. After getting feedback from the states, they made several modifications; the U.S. Highway System was approved on November 11, 1926. Expansion of the U.S. Highway System continued until 1956, when

2520-532: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). The only federal involvement in AASHTO is a nonvoting seat for the United States Department of Transportation . Generally, most north-to-south highways are odd-numbered, with the lowest numbers in the east and the highest in the west, while east-to-west highways are typically even-numbered, with the lowest numbers in

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2640-524: The American River east-northeasterly through the suburb of Rancho Cordova to Folsom . Entering El Dorado County, US 50 continues eastward through the foothills of the Sierra Nevada via El Dorado Hills , Cameron Park , and Shingle Springs to downtown Placerville . The freeway ends, and US 50 has several at-grade intersections in Placerville, including SR 49 . Leaving Placerville,

2760-511: The California Gold Rush . These include: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964 , based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary ( for

2880-726: The California Trail . The first route near the present US 50 was the Carson Route , laid out in 1848 by an eastward Mormon party that wanted to avoid the Truckee Route and its deep crossings of the Truckee River . The group left Pleasant Valley , southeast of Placerville , on July 3, following Iron Mountain Ridge up to the crest of the Sierra at Carson Pass and then descending through Carson Canyon into

3000-651: The Carson River were required. The route became the primary westward route into California at the start of the Gold Rush . Through California, the general alignment of the Carson Route, in terms of today's highways, was State Route 88 over Carson Pass and Mormon Emigrant Trail and Sly Park Road to Pleasant Valley. John Calhoun Johnson of Placerville surveyed and cleared a shorter, lower (and thus less snow-covered) trail east from that town in 1852, completing

3120-739: The Carson Valley . Along the Humboldt River in Nevada , the Mormons met Joseph B. Chiles , who was leading a westward wagon train to California, and told him of their new trail. Although this new Carson Route crossed two summits — Carson Pass over the crest of the Sierra and West Pass over the Carson Spur just to the west, these crossings were easier than Donner Pass on the Truckee Route, and only three fords of

3240-505: The Everett Turnpike . However, US Routes in the system do use parts of five toll roads: U.S. Routes in the contiguous United States follow a grid pattern, in which odd-numbered routes run generally north to south and even-numbered routes run generally east to west, though three-digit spur routes can be either-or. Usually, one- and two-digit routes are major routes, and three-digit routes are numbered as shorter spur routes from

3360-640: The Fallon Cut-off opened from Carson City directly east to the main route near Fallon , bypassing Reno. The U.S. Highway system was created in 1926, and this route (along with the main Lincoln Highway east of the cutoff) became part of U.S. Route 50 . (The Donner Pass route was U.S. Route 40 , crossing Nevada on the Victory Highway .) US 50 initially ended in Sacramento, where motorists could follow US 40 (Victory Highway) southwest to

3480-688: The Gulf Freeway carried US 75 , the Pasadena Freeway carried US 66 , and the Pulaski Skyway carries US 1 and US 9 . The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 appropriated funding for the Interstate Highway System, to construct a vast network of freeways across the country. By 1957, AASHO had decided to assign a new grid to the new routes, to be numbered in the opposite directions as

3600-641: The Interstate 238 / Interstate 880 interchange. It generally followed the route of current Interstate 580 to the Interstate 205 junction. From here, US 48 continued east on Interstate 205 , then followed Old Highway 50 (present I-205 Bus. ) through Tracy, thence to Interstate 5 . It then followed Interstate 5 to SR 120 , where US 48 followed SR 120 to the old location of the SR 99 / SR 120 interchange (present day intersection of Main and Yosemite in Manteca),

3720-539: The Interstate Highway System was laid out and began construction under the administration of President Dwight D. Eisenhower . After the national implementation of the Interstate Highway System, many U.S. Routes that had been bypassed or overlaid with Interstate Highways were decommissioned and removed from the system. In some places, the U.S. Routes remain alongside the Interstates and serve as

U.S. Route 50 in California - Misplaced Pages Continue

3840-490: The Lake Tahoe Basin , the roadway slowly descends the side of a steep hill; it then curves northeast to its south junction with SR 89 (which heads south to Luther Pass ) beginning co-signing of SR 89, and then turns northward near the city of South Lake Tahoe . Where US 50 and SR 89 split, at an intersection known as "The Y", the former turns east on the four-lane Lake Tahoe Boulevard, which it follows to and along

3960-728: The Lincoln Highway across the Sierra Nevada. Much of US 50 was constructed during the initial construction of the California state highway system . US 50 begins in West Sacramento , where I-80 leaves the West Sacramento Freeway onto a bypass of Sacramento . At the western terminus, a mileage sign gives the distance to the California cities of Placerville and South Lake Tahoe along with

4080-484: The Mokelumne River , which is located on the county line between Amador County and Calaveras County . SR 49 then runs concurrently with SR 88 briefly through the town of Martell before intersecting the eastern terminus of SR 104 . SR 49 then runs west of Sutter Creek and Amador City , via a bypass around those two cities that was constructed in 2009, ) before reaching Drytown . SR 49 then intersects

4200-618: The New England states got together to establish the six-state New England Interstate Routes . Behind the scenes, the federal aid program had begun with the passage of the Federal Aid Road Act of 1916 , providing 50% monetary support from the federal government for improvement of major roads. The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 limited the routes to 7% of each state's roads, while 3 in every 7 roads had to be "interstate in character". Identification of these main roads

4320-537: The Pacific coast . Many local disputes arose related to the committee's choices between designation of two roughly equal parallel routes, which were often competing auto trails. At their January meeting, AASHO approved the first two of many split routes (specifically US 40 between Manhattan, Kansas and Limon, Colorado and US 50 between Baldwin City, Kansas and Garden City, Kansas ). In effect, each of

4440-614: The San Francisco Bay Area or turn south over US 99 to Stockton and take US 48 (Lincoln Highway) west over Altamont Pass . Originally, US 48 was a road connecting the San Francisco Bay area with the San Joaquin Valley , traveling from San Jose to near Modesto , largely following the future routing of US 50, which replaced US 48. Its western terminus was located near the present location of

4560-646: The Sierra National Forest . Continuing to the west, SR 49 passes through Mormon Bar before running concurrently with SR 140 briefly through the town of Mariposa . Near the town of Mount Bullion , SR 49 passes by Mariposa-Yosemite Airport before turning northwest and going through Bear Valley and the intersection with CR J16 . The highway passes by the southern edge of Lake McClure and intersects SR 132 in Coulterville before passing into Tuolumne County . SR 49 continues north through

4680-415: The State Scenic Highway System , and has been recognized as such except within the South Lake Tahoe city limits, meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community. The earliest roads used by Europeans to cross the Sierra Nevada into California were branches of

4800-599: The US 50 expressway at-grade before continuing north as Georgetown Road. As it leaves the Placerville city limits, SR 49 intersects the southern terminus of SR 193 before continuing northwest as Coloma Road into the town of Coloma . In Coloma, the highway intersects with SR 153 , a spur route to the Marshall Gold Discovery State Historic Park . SR 49 then continues through Lotus before turning north at Pilot Hill and intersecting

4920-687: The Yuba-Donner Scenic Byway , a National Forest Scenic Byway . SR 49 is known as the Golden Chain Highway for the entire route. SR 49 is known as the John C. Begovich Memorial Highway from Jackson to SR 88 (honoring the California legislator and U.S. Marshal ), and the Mother Lode Highway from Sonora to Auburn . The SR 49 corridor was designed to connect historical locations and landmarks of

U.S. Route 50 in California - Misplaced Pages Continue

5040-415: The auto trails which they roughly replaced, were as follows: US 10, US 60, and US 90 only ran about two thirds of the way across the country, while US 11 and US 60 ran significantly diagonally. US 60's violation of two of the conventions would prove to be one of the major sticking points; US 60 eventually was designated as US 66 in 1926, and later it became

5160-471: The dirt road with water in summer to keep down dust (as had been done in the 1860s). A 1915 law added the short distance from Smith Flat west to the east limits of Placerville to the state road. With the passage of the first state highway bond issue in 1910, the Department of Engineering was directed to lay out and construct a system connecting all county seats . Placerville, seat of El Dorado County,

5280-409: The 1940s and 1950s to adopt the same number as the U.S. Route they connected to – mostly in the western provinces. Examples include British Columbia 's highways 93 , 95 , 97 , and 99 ; Manitoba 's highways 59 , 75 , and 83 ; or Ontario King's Highway 71 . The reverse happened with U.S. Route 57 , originally a Texas state highway numbered to match Mexican Federal Highway 57 . In the 1950s,

5400-489: The 58-mile (93 km) road to the state on February 28, 1896. Funding was only enough for minimal improvements, including a new stone bridge over the South Fork American River at Riverton in 1901. The Department of Engineering took over its maintenance in 1907, immediately completed a survey and posted granite milestones that marked the distance from Placerville, and in 1910 started sprinkling

5520-492: The Auburn city limits. SR 49 continues north, crossing into Nevada County and passing through Higgins Corner and Forest Springs . SR 49 becomes a freeway and enters the city of Grass Valley , where it then runs concurrently with SR 20 and interchanges with the northern end of SR 174 . The SR 49/SR 20 concurrency continues as a freeway into Nevada City . SR 49 then splits from SR 20 at an at-grade intersection just after

5640-669: The Bay Bridge, I-580 over Altamont Pass, I-205 business route through Tracy , I-5 to Stockton, SR 4 (Charter Way) and SR 26 through Stockton, and SR 99 to Sacramento. When the California Freeway and Expressway System was created in 1959, it included US 50 from Sacramento to Nevada. (The Oakland-Sacramento portion was also included, mostly as part of the Interstate Highway System .) Two segments had already been upgraded to freeway or expressway standards — an expressway through Placerville , championed by its mayor Alexander Howison Murray Jr. and completed in 1955, and

5760-566: The Carson Valley via a shorter route than that over Luther Pass. Two other competing toll roads soon opened across the Carson Range: one built by Rufus Walton from Spooner Summit down Clear Creek to the valley (now part of US 50), and an 1863 improvement of the original Johnson's Cut-Off along the lake, across Spooner Summit, and through Kings Canyon to Carson City. West of Johnson Pass, the Slippery Ford Grade down to Strawberry

5880-484: The Gulf Coast. The longest routes connecting major cities are generally numbered to end in a 1 or a 0; however, extensions and truncations have made this distinction largely meaningless. These guidelines are very rough, and exceptions to all of the basic numbering rules exist. The numbering system also extended beyond the borders of the United States in an unofficial manner. Many Canadian highways were renumbered in

6000-601: The Northeast, New York held out for fewer routes designated as US highways. The Pennsylvania representative, who had not attended the local meetings, convinced AASHO to add a dense network of routes, which had the effect of giving six routes termini along the state line. (Only US 220 still ends near the state line, and now it ends at an intersection with future I-86 .) Because US 20 seemed indirect, passing through Yellowstone National Park , Idaho and Oregon requested that US 30 be swapped with US 20 to

6120-752: The U.S. Highway grid. Though the Interstate numbers were to supplement—rather than replace—the U.S. Route numbers, in many cases (especially in the West ) the US highways were rerouted along the new Interstates. Major decommissioning of former routes began with California 's highway renumbering in 1964 . The 1985 removal of US 66 is often seen as the end of an era of US highways. A few major connections not served by Interstate Highways include US 6 from Hartford, Connecticut, to Providence, Rhode Island and US 93 from Phoenix, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada, though

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6240-476: The US Highway system, three-digit numbers are assigned to spurs of one or two-digit routes. US 201 , for example, splits from US 1 at Brunswick, Maine , and runs north to Canada. Not all spurs travel in the same direction as their "parents"; some are connected to their parents only by other spurs, or not at all, instead only traveling near their parents, Also, a spur may travel in different cardinal directions than its parent, such as US 522 , which

6360-477: The US highway, which did not end in zero, but was still seen as a satisfyingly round number. Route 66 came to have a prominent place in popular culture, being featured in song and films. With 32 states already marking their routes, the plan was approved by AASHO on November 11, 1926. This plan included a number of directionally split routes, several discontinuous routes (including US 6 , US 19 and US 50 ), and some termini at state lines. By

6480-504: The United States Numbered Highways system had a total length of 157,724 miles (253,832 km). Except for toll bridges and tunnels , very few U.S. Routes are toll roads . AASHTO policy says that a toll road may only be included as a special route , and that "a toll-free routing between the same termini shall continue to be retained and marked as a part of the U.S. Numbered System." U.S. Route 3 (US 3) meets this obligation; in New Hampshire , it does not follow tolled portions of

6600-409: The approval of the states along the former US 60. But Missouri and Oklahoma did object—Missouri had already printed maps, and Oklahoma had prepared signs. A compromise was proposed, in which US 60 would split at Springfield, Missouri , into US 60E and US 60N, but both sides objected. The final solution resulted in the assignment of US 66 to the Chicago-Los Angeles portion of

6720-405: The auto trail associations were not able to formally address the meetings. However, as a compromise, they talked with the Joint Board members. The associations finally settled on a general agreement with the numbering plans, as named trails would still be included. The tentative system added up to 81,000 miles (130,000 km), 2.8% of the public road mileage at the time. The second full meeting

6840-410: The bridge over the Stanislaus River . SR 49 then enters Carson Hill . Passing by New Melones Lake , SR 49 briefly runs concurrently with SR 4 in the city of Angels Camp . SR 49 continues through Altaville . The highway continues into San Andreas , where SR 12 terminates. SR 49 continues into Mokelumne Hill , where it intersects with SR 26 . SR 49 then passes through Big Bar and across

6960-404: The canyon, then over the Sierra Nevada at Echo Summit and into the Lake Tahoe Basin , is primarily a two-lane road. The US 50 corridor is a historic one, used by many 49ers who came to California during the Gold Rush as well as the Pony Express . In 1895, part of the present-day route was designated as California's first state highway , and it was later designated as one of two routes of

7080-418: The completion of the First transcontinental railroad in 1869 took most of the traffic off the Placerville wagon road. At the dawn of the automobile era, the state legislature authorized California's first state road on March 26, 1895, by creating the post of "Lake Tahoe Wagon Road Commissioner" to maintain the road from Newtown Road near Smith Flat (just east of Placerville) to Nevada. The county deeded

7200-467: The counties of Tuolumne , Calaveras , Amador , El Dorado , Placer , Nevada , Yuba , Sierra , and Plumas , where it reaches its northern terminus at State Route 70 , in Vinton . SR 49 starts at an intersection with SR 41 near Oakhurst . The road heads west before turning north before the town of Ahwahnee near the Wassama Roundhouse State Historic Park . SR 49 continues north, passing through Nipinnswassee before entering Mariposa County and

7320-470: The crest of the Sierra (via Johnson Pass Road and Meyers Road), south of Lake Tahoe (via Pioneer Trail), east of Lake Tahoe (via Genoa Peak Road ), and from Spooner Summit into the Carson Valley (via Kings Canyon Road). By 1854, Bartlett's Bridge had been built at the trail's westernmost crossing of the American River, allowing wagons to follow the cutoff; it was soon washed away by a freshet on March 7, 1855, and replaced by Brockliss Bridge , several miles to

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7440-470: The driving wheels, except 4WD vehicles with snow tires. Additionally, during the winter season, trucks are required to carry chains whether or not controls are in force. From Ice House Road to the crest of the Sierras, US 50 is a steadily rising mostly two-lane road, staying just north of the river except for a 1995 cutoff that crosses the river twice in quick succession west of Kyburz , the boyhood home of ski racer Spider Sabich . Several hairpin turns take

7560-473: The east. Due to an improvement of the road through Carson Canyon on the old Carson Route, most travelers ended up turning southeast from Johnson Pass over Luther Pass (present SR 89 ) to join the older route northeast of Carson Pass rather than following the cutoff along Lake Tahoe. Johnson's Cut-off was the only trail that could be used year-round, but it still had problems, as it had been built without use of earth-moving equipment, and thus did not always take

7680-426: The eastern end of SR 16 before passing through the city of Plymouth . The highway continues through Enterprise before crossing into El Dorado County and passing through the towns of Nashville , El Dorado , and Diamond Springs (the latter two as Pleasant Valley Road) before entering Placerville . SR 49 traverses downtown on Pacific Street and Main Street before continuing onto Spring Street, where it intersects

7800-460: The eastern half was assigned State Route 51 . But the California State Legislature has never added a legislative designation for I-305, and that Interstate remains unsigned to this day. For many years, the four lanes from Sacramento stopped at Riverton, where the original two-lane road continued through the canyon and over Echo Summit. The state rejected a proposed $ 133 million total realignment between Riverton and Kyburz in 1985, instead opting for

7920-523: The eastern terminus of the highway in Ocean City, Maryland . The old route of I-80 through Sacramento is signed as US 50 and Business 80 in the western section and Business 80 ( Capital City Freeway ) in the eastern section. Business 80 overlaps US 50 on the West Sacramento Freeway to the split with SR 275 , then over the Sacramento River on the Pioneer Memorial Bridge and across I-5 to SR 99 . Beginning in 2016, signs on this section are being updated to remove references to Business 80 and instead sign

8040-432: The expressway through town starts, only to end several miles later. The final section of freeway begins near Camino , where the Lincoln Highway splits from US 50, and ends at the east end of Pollock Pines . Just east of Pollock Pines, US 50 continues as an undivided conventional highway with one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes, entering the river canyon of the South Fork American River near Riverton and crossing to

8160-407: The first documented person to drive an automobile from San Francisco to New York using only a connection of dirt roads, cow paths, and railroad beds. His journey, covered by the press, became a national sensation and called for a system of long-distance roads. In the early 1910s, auto trail organizations—most prominently the Lincoln Highway —began to spring up, marking and promoting routes for

8280-601: The freeway ends heads west out of Nevada City. SR 49 goes over the South Branch of the Yuba River near the Malakoff Diggins State Historic Park . SR 49 continues through the towns of Sweetland and North San Juan , where it crosses into Yuba County and enters Tahoe National Forest . The route goes through Log Cabin and Camptonville . SR 49 then crosses into Sierra County , where it passes through Goodyears Bar , Downieville , and Sierra City on its forest journey. After passing near Kentucky Mine Historic Park , SR 49 goes through Bassetts and Haskell Creek , then shares

8400-449: The heading for each route. All reports of the Special Committee on Route Numbering since 1989 use "U.S. Route", and federal laws relating to highways use "United States Route" or "U.S. Route" more often than the "Highway" variants. The use of U.S. Route or U.S. Highway on a local level depends on the state, with some states such as Delaware using "route" and others such as Colorado using "highway". In 1903, Horatio Nelson Jackson became

8520-406: The highway in California is a four-or-more-lane divided highway , mostly built to freeway standards, and known as the El Dorado Freeway outside of downtown Sacramento. US 50 continues as an undivided highway with one eastbound lane and two westbound lanes until the route reaches the canyon of the South Fork American River at Riverton . The remainder of the highway, which climbs along and out of

8640-472: The highway up a grade east of Strawberry , after which US 50 continues east alongside the river to its source at Echo Summit. Echo Summit is the highest elevation U.S. Route 50 reaches in California at 7,382 feet (2,250 m). In 1968, it was the site of the U.S. Olympic trials for men's track and field, held at a temporary facility in the parking lot of the Nebelhorn ski area. From Echo Summit down to

8760-431: The highway was closed during the week to allow for more efficient reconstruction. The state signed the detour, which followed Sly Park Road, Mormon Emigrant Trail (the old ridgetop Carson Route), SR 88 , and SR 89 (over Luther Pass ), as Alternate U.S. Route 50, a designation not approved by the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials , which generally assigns new bannered U.S. Highways . After

8880-462: The immense traffic over the road and lack of maintenance had worsened it to the point that it could no longer be used by stagecoaches . To provide for better maintenance, improvements funded by tolls were authorized. The first of these was built and operated by Kingsbury and McDonald, who improved the old Johnson's Cut-off between Johnson Pass and Stateline , where they turned east over Daggett Pass (now SR 207 ) in Nevada, connecting Lake Tahoe to

9000-467: The intended use, provide a parallel routing to the mainline U.S. Highway. Before the U.S. Routes were designated, auto trails designated by auto trail associations were the main means of marking roads through the United States. These were private organizations, and the system of road marking at the time was haphazard and not uniform. In 1925, the Joint Board on Interstate Highways , recommended by

9120-403: The latter is planned to be upgraded to Interstate 11 . Three state capitals in the contiguous U.S. are served only by U.S. Routes: Dover, Delaware ; Jefferson City, Missouri ; and Pierre, South Dakota . In 1995, the National Highway System was defined to include both the Interstate Highway System and other roads designated as important to the nation's economy, defense, and mobility. AASHTO

9240-400: The location of its eastern terminus. At this time, US 50 was improved but unpaved east of Placerville. As part of the state project to pave this portion, the old road was bypassed in several areas, completing the final two-lane alignment. These realignments included Broadway, bypassing Smith Flat Road, at Smith Flat (1932), a new route around Slippery Ford Grade east of Strawberry (1931), and

9360-483: The more colorful names and historic value of the auto trail systems. The New York Times wrote, "The traveler may shed tears as he drives the Lincoln Highway or dream dreams as he speeds over the Jefferson Highway , but how can he get a 'kick' out of 46, 55 or 33 or 21?" (A popular song later promised, " Get your kicks on Route 66! ") The writer Ernest McGaffey was quoted as saying, "Logarithms will take

9480-516: The new recreation of long-distance automobile travel. The Yellowstone Trail was another of the earliest examples. While many of these organizations worked with towns and states along the route to improve the roadways, others simply chose a route based on towns that were willing to pay dues, put up signs, and did little else. Wisconsin was the first state in the U.S. to number its highways , erecting signs in May 1918. Other states soon followed. In 1922,

9600-585: The north side of the river near Ice House Road. As the highway continues ascending the Sierras, US 50 regularly gets snow at higher elevations from fall to spring. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) sometimes requires vehicles to use snow tires , snow chains , or other traction devices in the mountains during and after snowstorms . Checkpoints are often set up to enforce chain restrictions on vehicles bound for icy or snowy areas. When chain restrictions are in effect, vehicles must have chains on

9720-593: The north, and the highest in the south, though the grid guidelines are not rigidly followed, and many exceptions exist. Major north–south routes generally have numbers ending in "1", while major east–west routes usually have numbers ending in "0". Three-digit numbered highways are generally spur routes of parent highways; for example, U.S. Route 264 (US 264) is a spur off US 64 . Some divided routes , such as US 19E and US 19W , exist to provide two alignments for one route. Special routes, which can be labeled as alternate, bypass or business, depending on

9840-518: The northern terminus of SR 193 at Cool . SR 49 continues through the Auburn State Recreation Area before crossing into Placer County and entering the city of Auburn as High Street for a very short distance before turning west on Elm Avenue. SR 49 continues onto I-80 west at an interchange for a very short distance until the interchange at exit 119B where SR 49 departs from I-80. SR 49 then continues almost due north out of

9960-458: The numbering grid for the new Interstate Highway System was established as intentionally opposite from the US grid insofar as the direction the route numbers increase. Interstate Highway numbers increase from west-to-east and south-to-north, to keep identically numbered routes geographically apart in order to keep them from being confused with one another, and it omits 50 and 60 which would potentially conflict with US 50 and US 60 . In

10080-401: The old cutoff, deviating from it in several places: it followed the present Smith Flat Road rather than Carson Road east of Placerville, traversed Peavine Ridge much further down the slope, returning to the river west of Kyburz (roughly via the present White Meadows Road, Ice House Road, and Weber Mill Road to US 50 at Granite Springs Road), and crossed into Carson Valley via Luther Pass. By 1860,

10200-513: The optimal route. The state adopted a survey by Sherman Day in September 1855, but failed to make use of it. Two years later, the counties of Yolo , Sacramento , and El Dorado , all of which would be benefited by further improvements, began planning and carrying out work. The state legislature created a "Board of Wagon Commissioners" on March 8, 1858, and it completed the improvements by the end of that year. This new route had better grades than

10320-492: The optional routes into another route. In 1934, AASHO tried to eliminate many of the split routes by removing them from the log, and designating one of each pair as a three-digit or alternate route, or in one case US 37 . AASHO described its renumbering concept in the October 1934 issue of American Highways : "Wherever an alternate route is not suitable for its own unique two-digit designation, standard procedure assigns

10440-458: The other states. Many states agreed in general with the scope of the system, but believed the Midwest to have added too many routes to the system. The group adopted the shield, with few modifications from the original sketch, at that meeting, as well as the decision to number rather than name the routes. A preliminary numbering system, with eight major east–west and ten major north–south routes,

10560-412: The place of legends, and 'hokum' for history." When the U.S. numbered system was started in 1925, a few optional routings were established which were designated with a suffixed letter after the number indicating "north", "south", "east", or "west". While a few roads in the system are still numbered in this manner, AASHO believes that they should be eliminated wherever possible, by the absorption of one of

10680-561: The present I-80 alignment over Donner Pass , but an alternate "Pioneer Branch", designated as part of the initial routing in 1913, turned south at Reno, Nevada to Carson City and then crossed the Sierras via Johnson Pass and the Placerville route. Contrary to the Lincoln Highway Association's policy of marking the most direct route, this deviation was explained simply as "for those tourists desiring to see Lake Tahoe". However, it actually became shorter in 1921, when

10800-688: The river, were dedicated on May 31, 1995, as the El Dorado County Veterans Bridges. The route through the South Fork American River Canyon remains vulnerable to mudslides and other storm damage. One particularly bad slide closed the highway east of Riverton for 28 days from January 24 to February 21, 1997, only a week after a similar 17-day closure caused by flooding on January 1. A project to make more permanent repairs and prevent future closures began on July 31, and from September 2 to October 24

10920-594: The route and the nominal direction of travel. Second, they are displayed at intersections with other major roads, so that intersecting traffic can follow their chosen course. Third, they can be displayed on large green guide signs that indicate upcoming interchanges on freeways and expressways. Since 1926, some divided routes were designated to serve related areas, and designate roughly-equivalent splits of routes. For instance, US 11 splits into US 11E (east) and US 11W (west) in Bristol, Virginia , and

11040-480: The route only as US Highway 50. Approximately 6 miles (9.7 km) of US 50 from I-80 to SR 99 south is part Interstate Highway as well, carrying the unsigned designation of Interstate 305. At the US 50/Business 80/SR 99 interchange, Business 80 splits to the north, SR 99 heads south, and US 50 continues east as the El Dorado Freeway and the Lincoln Highway . This freeway parallels Folsom Boulevard and

11160-646: The routes rejoin in Knoxville, Tennessee . Occasionally only one of the two routes is suffixed; US 6N in Pennsylvania does not rejoin US ;6 at its west end. AASHTO has been trying to eliminate these since 1934; its current policy is to deny approval of new split routes and to eliminate existing ones "as rapidly as the State Highway Department and the Standing Committee on Highways can reach agreement with reference thereto". Special routes —those with

11280-500: The same large, bold numerals on a square-dimension shield, while 3-digit routes may either use the same shield with a narrower font, or a wider rectangular-dimension shield. Special routes may be indicated with a banner above the route number, or with a letter suffixed to the route number. Signs are generally displayed in several different locations. First, they are shown along the side of the route at regular intervals or after major intersections (called reassurance markers ), which shows

11400-402: The south shore of Lake Tahoe , then it enters the state of Nevada . US 50 has been added to the California Freeway and Expressway System by the state legislature, and is part of the National Highway System , a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration . The highway east of SR 49 is eligible for

11520-564: The southwest to Oklahoma City , from where it ran west to Los Angeles . Kentucky strongly objected to this designated route, as it had been left off any of the major east–west routes, instead receiving the US ;62 designation. In January 1926, the committee designated this, along with the part of US 52 east of Ashland, Kentucky , as US 60 . They assigned US 62 to the Chicago-Los Angeles route, contingent on

11640-538: The splits in US 11 , US 19 , US 25 , US 31 , US 45 , US 49 , US 73 , and US 99 . For the most part, the U.S. Routes were the primary means of inter-city vehicle travel; the main exceptions were toll roads such as the Pennsylvania Turnpike and parkway routes such as the Merritt Parkway . Many of the first high-speed roads were U.S. Highways:

11760-430: The system. In general, U.S. Routes do not have a minimum design standard, unlike the later Interstate Highways , and are not usually built to freeway standards. Some stretches of U.S. Routes do meet those standards. Many are designated using the main streets of the cities and towns through which they run. New additions to the system, however, must "substantially meet the current AASHTO design standards ". As of 1989,

11880-550: The time the first route log was published in April 1927, major numbering changes had been made in Pennsylvania in order to align the routes to the existing auto trails. In addition, U.S. Route 15 had been extended across Virginia . Much of the early criticism of the U.S. Highway System focused on the choice of numbers to designate the highways, rather than names. Some thought a numbered highway system to be cold compared to

12000-535: The town of Moccasin , where SR 120 runs concurrently for several miles to the town of Chinese Camp . SR 49 then turns northeast and runs concurrently with SR 108 , intersecting CR E5 , into the city of Sonora . SR 49 splits from SR 108 and enters downtown Sonora as Stockton Street, turning north onto Washington Street before leaving the Sonora city limits. SR 49 intersects the north end of CR E5 before passing through Tuttletown and crossing into Calaveras County at

12120-548: The two routes received the same number, with a directional suffix indicating its relation to the other. These splits were initially shown in the log as—for instance—US 40 North and US 40 South, but were always posted as simply US 40N and US 40S. The most heated argument, however, was the issue of US 60. The Joint Board had assigned that number to the Chicago-Los Angeles route, which ran more north–south than west–east in Illinois, and then angled sharply to

12240-468: The two-digit routes, three-digit routes have been added, removed, extended and shortened; the "parent-child" relationship is not always present. AASHTO guidelines specifically prohibit Interstate Highways and U.S. Routes from sharing a number within the same state. As with other guidelines, exceptions exist across the U.S. Some two-digit numbers have never been applied to any U.S. Route, including 37, 39, 47, 86, and 88. Route numbers are displayed on

12360-419: The unqualified number to the older or shorter route, while the other route uses the same number marked by a standard strip above its shield carrying the word 'Alternate'." Most states adhere to this approach. However, some maintain legacy routes that violate the rules in various ways. Examples can be found in California , Mississippi , Nebraska , Oregon , and Tennessee . In 1952, AASHO permanently recognized

12480-516: The wagon road headed south to Diamond Springs , where it turned west along the original Carson Route over relatively gentle terrain to Sacramento , generally following the present US 50 on parallel surface roads, such as Pleasant Valley Road and White Rock Road. The Pony Express used this route from its beginning in April 1860 until July 1, when its western terminus became Folsom on the Sacramento Valley Railroad . (The route

12600-595: The west half of old I-80, and delete I-880 in the Sacramento area (the route would eventually be relocated to then-SR 17 from I-280 in San Jose to I-80 in Oakland in 1982–1984). AASHTO approved these proposals. The next year, the California State Legislature officially extended US 50 west to cover the western half of old I-80. Since Business 80 was not a valid legislative designation,

12720-552: The winding Forni Road was completed in 1938, and the improvement was extended west to Shingle Springs in 1947. A short relocation north of White Rock , between Bidwell Street and Bass Lake Road, opened in 1940, and was extended west beyond Hazel Avenue, bypassing Folsom , in 1949. By the early 1930s, US 50 had been extended to San Francisco via the former US 48 by overlapping US 99 from Sacramento to Stockton and replacing US 48 over Altamont Pass to US 101E ( Foothill Boulevard at Castro Valley Boulevard ) near Hayward . It

12840-480: The work by the summer. Rather than following the ridge to the Sierra's crest as the Mormons had, Johnson headed eastward to the South Fork American River , crossing to its north side near the present Pacific Ranger Station in order to follow Peavine Ridge around a rocky stretch of the river. Returning to the river between Kyburz and Strawberry , he then continued alongside it to the crest at Johnson Pass , where

12960-452: The work was complete, signs were left along the route. Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964 , based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary ( for

13080-720: Was also chosen, based on the shield found on the Great Seal of the United States . The auto trail associations rejected the elimination of the highway names. Six regional meetings were held to hammer out the details—May 15 for the West , May 27 for the Mississippi Valley , June 3 for the Great Lakes , June 8 for the South , June 15 for the North Atlantic , and June 15 for New England . Representatives of

13200-510: Was both praised and criticized by local newspapers, often depending on whether that city was connected to a major route. While the Lincoln Highway Association understood and supported the plan, partly because they were assured of getting the US 30 designation as much as possible, most other trail associations lamented their obsolescence. At their January 14–15, 1926 meeting, AASHO was flooded with complaints. In

13320-524: Was completed in 1923. The American Association of State Highway Officials (AASHO), formed in 1914 to help establish roadway standards, began to plan a system of marked and numbered "interstate highways" at its 1924 meeting. AASHO recommended that the Secretary of Agriculture work with the states to designate these routes. Secretary Howard M. Gore appointed the Joint Board on Interstate Highways , as recommended by AASHO, on March 2, 1925. The Board

13440-417: Was completed west to the then- I-80 freeway (now Business 80 ) and SR 99 in early 1973, bypassing the mostly four-lane Folsom Boulevard . In 1980, California submitted to the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) proposals to relocate I-80 in Sacramento onto the then-I-880 bypass freeway, extend US 50 west to cover the west half of old I-80, also assign I-305 to

13560-418: Was composed of 21 state highway officials and three federal Bureau of Public Roads officials. At the first meeting, on April 20 and 21, the group chose the name "U.S. Highway" as the designation for the routes. They decided that the system would not be limited to the federal-aid network; if the best route did not receive federal funds, it would still be included. The tentative design for the U.S. Route shield

13680-435: Was connected to Sacramento by the 46.5-mile (74.8 km) Route 11, which followed Folsom Boulevard from Sacramento to Folsom , Bidwell Street and Placerville Road to White Rock , the old Carson Route to El Dorado , and Forni Road and Placerville Drive to Placerville. Between El Dorado and Placerville, the state had two routes to choose from, including one via Diamond Springs (present SR 49 ), where it decided improving

13800-518: Was deferred to a numbering committee "without instructions". After working with states to get their approval, the committee expanded the highway system to 75,800 miles (122,000 km), or 2.6% of total mileage, over 50% more than the plan approved August 4. The skeleton of the numbering plan was suggested on August 27 by Edwin Warley James of the BPR, who matched parity to direction, and laid out

13920-432: Was extended farther, from Sacramento southwest to Antioch via present SR 160 , in 1933.) The third bond issue, passed in 1919, included funds for the improvement of 10 miles (16 km) from Placerville east to Sportsman's Hall , by which time paving was complete west of Placerville. The Lincoln Highway , one of the earliest marked highways across the country, split in two over the Sierra Nevada. The main route followed

14040-542: Was extended over the new Bay Bridge at the time of its opening in 1936, replacing US 101E on Foothill Boulevard and the present MacArthur Boulevard to the Bay Bridge Distribution Structure in Oakland . As the new MacArthur Freeway (now I-580) was constructed, US 50 was moved to it. This extension was officially eliminated in the 1964 renumbering , but it remained on maps and signs for several more years before being replaced by I-80 over

14160-415: Was further cut back to Placerville, where messages were passed to the telegraph , from July 1861 to its discontinuance in October.) The Placerville and Sacramento Valley Railroad reached Latrobe in 1864, Shingle Springs (on the old Carson Route west of Placerville) in 1865, and was finally completed to Placerville in 1888. As the railroad extended east, the western terminus of the stage lines followed;

14280-424: Was held August 3 and 4, 1925. At that meeting, discussion was held over the appropriate density of routes. William F. Williams of Massachusetts and Frederick S. Greene of New York favored a system of only major transcontinental highways, while many states recommended a large number of roads of only regional importance. Greene in particular intended New York's system to have four major through routes as an example to

14400-402: Was rebuilt by George W. Swan. The first toll-supported bypass of Peavine Ridge was built by Oglesby and opened in 1861, leaving the old road from Placerville at Pollock Pines , following the ridgetops and slopes south of the South Fork American River, crossing the river east of White Hall , and then following US 50 along the north bank to the 1858 county road west of Kyburz. Johnson began work on

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