State Route 49 and 51 in California

State Route 49 in California

According to Iamaccepted, State Route 49 is a state route in the U.S. state of California. The road forms a fairly long north-south route through the Sierra Nevada, from Oakhurst to Vinton, via Placerville and Auburn. In Grass Valley, State Route 49 has been constructed as a freeway for a while. The total route is 475 kilometers long.

Travel directions

State Route 49 begins in Oakhurst on State Route 41, about 60 miles north of Fresno. The road generally heads in a northwesterly direction and runs the southern half along the foothills of the Sierra Nevada, crossing several mountain routes that traverse the mountain range. It is not a fast route, the road is single lane almost everywhere and goes through all places on the route. About 50 to 60 kilometers west, State Route 99 forms a faster north-south route.

In Placerville, one crosses US 50, the freeway from the capital Sacramento that ends in Placerville and then continues to Lake Tahoe. North of Placerville, the road leads through more mountainous areas, through some canyons. Just before Auburn one also crosses a canyon. Interstate 80 is crossed in Auburn. The section through the Auburn region is largely a five-lane road with a center turn lane.

Although the area north of Auburn is made up of forested mountains, it is also dotted with houses, in fact a vast exurb area northeast of Sacramento. The route to Grass Valley is therefore quite busy. State Route 49 is a short freeway between Grass Valley and Nevada City. This section is double numbered with State Route 20.

From Grass Valley, State Route 49 heads north first, then turns east. This is the most mountainous part of the route, as it crosses the Sierra Nevada. The road leads through a fairly deep canyon with large height differences around the road. However, this part of the Sierra Nevada is not very high, with peaks up to 2,600 meters. East of the Sierra Nevada there is a double numbering with State Route 89, after which the road turns north again, ending in the hamlet of Vinton on State Route 70.

History

State Route 49 has historically been a somewhat through-connection, mainly due to the fact that it is the easternmost thoroughfare on the western side of the Sierra Nevada, thus connecting all the places at the foot of the mountain range. Particularly around Placerville and between Auburn and Grass Valley, forest exurbs have developed. The highway section between Grass Valley and Nevada City was inaugurated in the period 1967-1970. This highway does not connect to other highways.

Traffic intensities

The road between Oakhurst and Placerville has a majority of 5,000 vehicles per day outside the towns, peaking at 10,000 to 15,000 vehicles in the larger towns on the route. In the Auburn area, State Route 49 is busier, with between 30,000 and 50,000 vehicles per day. The route between Auburn and Grass Valley is very busy for a single carriageway with 20,000 to 25,000 vehicles per day. The highway section between Grass Valley and Nevada City has between 32,000 and 44,000 vehicles per day. North of Nevada City, State Route 49 is a lot quieter, with between 500 and 1,000 vehicles per day on several routes.

State Route 51 in California

According to acronymmonster, State Route 51 is an unmarked state route in the U.S. state of California. Signposted as a Business Route off Interstate 80 in California’s capital Sacramento, the road is a 14-kilometer freeway.

Travel directions

State Route 51 is a freeway through eastern Sacramento. The highway begins with an interchange at US 50 and State Route 99. The highway then has 2×4 lanes and runs along the east side of Downtown Sacramento. One then crosses the American River, after which there is a connection with State Route 160. From Marconi Avenue, the highway has 2×3 lanes and ends in northeast Sacramento on Interstate 80 toward Reno.

Road number

The freeway is formally numbered as State Route 51, but this number is not signposted. Instead, the road is signposted as a Business Loop off Interstate 80. This Business Loop 80 is longer than just State Route 51, and includes the westernmost portion of US 50 from I-80 in West Sacramento to SR-51 near downtown. The name of the highway is the Capital City Freeway.

History

The road was originally constructed as part of Interstate 80 through Sacramento until I-80 was routed over Sacramento’s northern bypass in 1983.

State Route 51 opened in 1954 between Downtown and I-80, this was the first highway on what was then Sacramento. Part of I-80 northeast of Sacramento is older, but was outside the metropolitan area at the time. Downtown Sacramento’s bypass opened to traffic in 1966, providing a through highway from State Route 99 to I-80. The highways to US 50 opened to traffic in 1968.

The interchange with I-80 was expanded in 1971 to include the connectors to State Route 244. The highway was probably widened to 2×3 lanes in the 1970s.

Traffic intensities

Every day, 156,000 vehicles drive through Downtown Sacramento, peaking at 168,000 vehicles after the incorporation of State Route 160. This then drops to 125,000 vehicles near I-80.

Congestion

Bottleneck is the bridge over the American River, where 162,000 vehicles squeeze over 2×3 lanes every day.