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California State Route 78

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State Route 78 (SR 78) is the state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from Oceanside east to Blythe, traversing nearly the entire width of the state. Its western terminus is at Interstate 5 (I-5) in San Diego County and its eastern terminus is at I-10 in Riverside County. The route is the freeway through the heavily populated cities of northern San Diego County and the two-lane highway running through the Santa Rosa Mountains to Julian. In Imperial County, SR 78 travels through the desert near the Salton Sea and passes through the city of Brawley before turning north and passing through an area of sand dunes on the way to its terminus in Blythe.

alt=State Route 78 marker

State Route 78
SR 78 heads east from I-5 past I-15 and passes near Brawley before slowly curving north to Blythe, ending at I-10.
State Route 78 highlighted in red
Route information
Defined by S&HC § 378
Maintained by Caltrans
Length: 215.39 mi[2] (346.64 km)
Existed: 1934[1] – present
Major junctions
West end: I-5 in Oceanside
  I-15 in Escondido
SR 79 at Julian
SR 86 in Brawley
East end: I-10 near Blythe
Highway system
← SR 77 SR 79 →

SR 78 was one of the original state highways designated in 1934, although portions of the route existed as early as 1900. However, it was not designated east of Brawley until 1959. The freeway section in the North County of San Diego that connects Oceanside and Escondido was built in the middle of the twentieth century in several stages, including the transitory stage known as the Vista Way Freeway, and has been improved several times. An expressway bypass of the city of Brawley was completed in 2012. There are many projects slated to improve the freeway due to increasing congestion in the region.

Route description

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SR 78 begins in Oceanside as the continuation of Vista Way. As it encounters the traffic signal and crosses over I-5, the route becomes the suburban freeway traveling east through Oceanside.[3] The freeway loosely parallels Buena Vista Creek before entering the city of Vista. Turning southeast, SR 78 continues into the city of San Marcos near California State University San Marcos and enters Escondido, where it has an interchange with I-15. After passing the Center City Parkway (I-15 Business) interchange, the freeway abruptly ends at the intersection with Broadway. SR 78 an makes the turn south onto Broadway and continues through downtown Escondido by turning east onto Washington Avenue and south onto Ash Street, which becomes San Pasqual Valley Road.[4]

 
SR 78 in Oceanside at the El Camino Real overpass

Turning east once again, SR 78 leaves the Escondido city limits and enters the San Pasqual Valley as it provides access to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and San Pasqual Battlefield State Park. After leaving the San Pasqual Valley, the road follows the serpentine alignment, heading south to enter the community of Ramona as Pine Street. In Ramona, SR 78 intersects SR 67 and makes the turn east onto Main Street, going through downtown Ramona. The highway leaves Ramona as Julian Road, which continues on the winding mountain alignment through Witch Creek to Santa Ysabel where it meets SR 79.[4]

SR 78 runs concurrently with SR 79 across the headwaters of the San Diego River and through the hamlet of Wynola, briefly entering Cleveland National Forest before reaching Julian and entering the town as Washington Street. The route, still concurrent with SR 79, turns east onto Main Street and travels through downtown Julian before SR 79 diverges south towards Cuyamaca and SR 78 heads northeast as Banner Road. The road intersects with County Route S2 (CR S2) in what is known as Scissors Crossing; CR S2 runs concurrently in the wrong-way concurrency. Shortly afterwards, SR 78 enters Anza-Borrego Desert State Park and is designated as the scenic highway for its length in the state park. Although this route travels many miles south of the town of Borrego Springs, it provides access to the town via CR S3. SR 78 travels through the town of Ocotillo Wells before exiting the state park and entering Imperial County.[4]

 
SR 78 eastbound east of Escondido

In Imperial County, SR 78 intersects with SR 86, running concurrently with it southwest of the Salton Sea and northwest of San Felipe Creek. SR 78 passes through the desert community of Elmore Desert Ranch before entering the city of Westmorland. The route, still concurrent with SR 86, enters into the city of Brawley as Main Street, where SR 86 splits to the south towards El Centro.[4] SR 78 continues north onto the Brawley Bypass, the freeway that passes to the north of downtown Brawley. SR 111 runs concurrently with SR 78 for the short duration before the latter exits from the freeway and continues east.[5]

Then, SR 78 intersects with SR 115 east of Brawley, running concurrently with it for the brief distance. Shortly after passing through the small community of Glamis, the road turns northeast and eventually north towards Blythe, passing near the Chocolate Mountain Naval Reserve. As it nears the Colorado River and the Arizona border, SR 78 briefly passes through Cibola National Wildlife Refuge before entering the community of Palo Verde, where the river turns away from the highway and SR 78 enters Riverside County.[4]

 
SR 78 in Ramona

As it nears Blythe, the highway makes the sharp turn east onto 32nd Avenue before turning north on Rannels Boulevard. It makes the right on 28th Avenue before turning north on Washington Boulevard and passing through Ripley. SR 78 continues north for the few more miles to its terminus at I-10 the few miles west of Blythe.[6]

SR 78 is designated as the Ronald Packard Parkway (after the former Congressman named Ronald Packard from the area) from I-5 in the city of Oceanside to I-15 in the city of Escondido,[7] and Ben Hulse Highway (after the former state senator named Ben Hulse) from SR 86 near Brawley to I-10 near the city of Blythe.[8] The portion of SR 78 from SR 86 in Brawley to CR S3 near Anza-Borrego Desert State Park is designated as part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail auto tour route, promoted by the National Park Service.[9][10] SR 78 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[11] although only the metropolitan section of SR 78 is the freeway. The section of SR 78 from the western junction of SR 79 to the western junction with SR 86 is designated by the California State Legislature as eligible by law for the State Scenic Highway System;[12] however, only the section in Anza Borrego Desert State Park has officially been designated by Caltrans as being part of the system,[13] meaning that it is the substantial section of highway passing through the "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community.[14] SR 78 from I-5 to I-15 is part of the National Highway System (NHS),[15] the network of roadways important to the country's economy, defense, and mobility.[16]

History

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Before construction

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Before the designation of SR 78, the road known as the Brawley-Westmorland-Julian-Oceanside Highway (connecting Oceanside, Escondido, Ramona, Julian, Westmorland, and Brawley) existed during the early twentieth century. This road roughly followed the current routing of SR 78 from Escondido to the east of Brawley, although it traveled along the different routing from Westmorland into Brawley.[17][18]

No road connected Brawley with Glamis at this time; it was necessary to travel north through Calipatria to reach Blythe. East of the Sand Hills, are was the road from Glamis passing by Smith Well into Palo Verde, which roughly follows the routing of SR 78.[18] Around the 1930s, the road from Escondido to Ramona was the gravel road, and the portion from Julian to U.S. Route 99 (US 99), which is currently designated as SR 86, was the dirt road.[19]

SR 78 was originally formed along with the originally signed state highways in California (Sign Routes) in 1934; however, it only extended to what was an US 99 near Kane Springs.[1] In the North County, SR 78 was legislatively designated as Legislative Route 196 from an-US 101 (present-day I-5) to Vista, and as Legislative Route 77 from Vista to US 395 in Escondido. SR 78 was legally known as Legislative Route 197 from Escondido to Ramona, and Legislative Route 198 from Ramona to US 99, which is now SR 86. From US 99 in Brawley to SR 115, what would become SR 78 was defined as Legislative Route 187.[20]

Construction

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SR 78 in 1947 before the freeway was built

By 1947, US 395 ran concurrently along the portion of SR 78 from Vista to Escondido before continuing along Santa Fe Avenue to Bonsall and Fallbrook and rejoining its alignment during the 1970s. At this time, all of SR 78 that existed had been paved.[21] Before the present-day freeway was built, SR 78 was routed on the Vista Way Freeway (which was an expressway) from Oceanside east to downtown Vista. After this, it followed Santa Fe Avenue and Mission Road east (now signed as CR S14), continuing onto Grand Avenue in Escondido. Following the intersection with US 395, SR 78 turned south on Ash Street and rejoined the current alignment of the highway.[22]

The Vista Way Freeway opened in April 1962 between I-5 and Melrose Drive, but was not entirely access controlled.[23][24] The first section of the SR 78 freeway from San Marcos to west of Vista was scheduled to be completed in early 1963, at the cost of $3.9 million (about $Template:Formatprice today).[23] The rest of the freeway between San Marcos and Escondido was constructed between 1963 and 1968.[25]

The San Diego Chamber of Commerce and the San Diego Highway Development Association urged for the conversion of SR 78 west of Vista, the length of 5.6 miles (9.0 km), from an expressway to the freeway in April 1967.[26] The College Boulevard diamond interchange on this western segment opened to traffic on October 24, 1967, and connected the recently opened MiraCosta College to the freeway. The interchange, previously an at-grade intersection, improved traffic flow to the college. The construction of the interchange cost $800,941 at the time (about $Template:Formatprice today).[27] May 1968 saw the state designating the Jefferson Street and Emerald Drive interchanges as the priority.[28] In August 1968, the state allocated $750,000 (about $Template:Formatprice today) for building the Jefferson Street interchange.[29] Both interchanges had funding by August 1970.[30] The section from I-5 east to Melrose Drive (along the routing of the Vista Way Freeway) had been upgraded to full freeway standards as of 1973.[31]

The missing portions of the current SR 78 routing in Imperial County were constructed after 1963, when the state legislature allowed for the road to be built from SR 115 to the Riverside County line.[32] This portion of the road was specifically designed to address the challenges of building it through sand dunes. The engineers routed the highway according to the terrain and made cuts in the sand up to 80 feet (24 m) deep.[33] In 1957, the United States Navy obtained ownership from Imperial County of the road running through the Chocolate Mountain Aerial Gunnery Range for $660,000 (about $Template:Formatprice today). This money was used to fund the construction of what would become SR 78, which Ben Hulse (who later had the highway named after him) predicted would become the state highway.[34] Following this, in 1965, the newly constructed section was signed as CR S78.[35] Legislatively, it had designated as Legislative Route 146 from the Riverside county line into Blythe, and eventually was signed as SR 195 from Palo Verde into Blythe; the SR 195 and Legislative Route 146 designations continued along the path of current US 95 to the Nevada state line.[1][20] In 1959, the rest of the current routing of SR 78 between Brawley and Palo Verde was added to the state highway system as SR 195 and Legislative Route 146.[36] The section from Palo Verde to Blythe shows up as part of SR 78 on maps as early as 1965, and the section from southwest of Midway Well to Palo Verde is shown as part of SR 78 as early as 1966.[37]

In 1969, plans to extend the freeway portion of SR 78 east from the Broadway interchange through Escondido were delayed by Caltrans director Jacob Dekema due to the lack of funding;[38] however, the bypass does not exist today.[4]

Following initial construction

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During the last decade, several significant upgrades have been made to SR 78 in the North County. A new interchange with Vista Village Drive was opened in 1998, and the College Boulevard interchange in Oceanside was revised along westbound SR 78.[39] In addition to this, the new interchange was constructed at Las Posas Road in San Marcos, which opened in 2006.[40]

During the late 2000s, planning began for the bypass around the downtown portion of the city of Brawley. An expressway would carry the routing of SR 78 north and east of the city, with an interchange at SR 111, before intersecting with the current alignment of SR 78.[5] A Swedish company began construction on this bypass in April 2008;[41] the first phase consisted of the portion of the bypass that is solely SR 111.[5] The second phase of the bypass, from the western junction with SR 111 to the eastern junction with SR 78, lasted from February 2008 to June 2011.[42] On the third phase of the project, from the junction with SR 86 west of Brawley to the western end of the completed bypass, construction began in late 2010.[5] This project was identified in August 2010 as the project that could be affected by California state budget cuts.[43] The Brawley Bypass, as it was known, opened on October 30, 2012.[44]

Future

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The western portion of SR 78 in North County is currently slated for several improvements. There were plans to construct an additional interchange at Rancho Del Oro Road in Oceanside;[39] however, the Oceanside City Council decided to cancel ase plans in 2005, despite studies suggesting that this would be detrimental to the traffic in the region.[45] There are also plans to improve the interchange with I-5, which currently involves the traffic signal connecting Vista Way and SR 78 with the ramps to I-5 southbound. Plans call for adding more lanes to I-5 and SR 78 as well as for the construction of the new ramp from SR 78 westbound to I-5 southbound and from I-5 southbound to SR 78 eastbound.[3] In the past, are was the direct ramp from SR 78 westbound to I-5 southbound which avoided this traffic signal; however, it was removed to construct the park and ride lot.[46] The interchange at Nordahl Road will also be improved, and extra lanes will be added between Nordahl Road and I-15; construction commenced in early 2012.[47]

In the Imperial and Riverside County portion from Brawley to Blythe, the road goes through several washes. During the monsoon season, ase washes can be left with several inches of water, sand, and rock debris following rainstorms. There is the proposal to improve drainage by raising the roadway and installing culverts.[48]

Major intersections

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Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.

County Location Postmile
[2][49][50] 		Exit
[51] 		Destinations Notes
San Diego
SD 0.00-95.31		 Oceanside0.00 Vista Way – OceansideContinuation beyond I-5
0.00 1  I-5 (San Diego Freeway) – Los Angeles, San DiegoInterchange; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north) westbound; no exit number eastbound
  West end of freeway
0.74 1CJefferson StreetSigned as exit 1 eastbound
1.50 2El Camino Real (CR S11)
3.32 3College Boulevard
3.58 4APlaza DriveEastbound exit and entrance
Vista4.38 4BEmerald DriveSigned as exit 4 westbound
5.94 6AMelrose DriveEastbound exit and westbound entrance
R6.19 6BVista Village Drive (CR S13)Signed as exit 6 westbound
6.94 7Civic Center DriveFormerly named Escondido Avenue
7.71 8Mar Vista Drive
9.08 9Sycamore Avenue
San Marcos10.61 11ARancho Santa Fe Road (CR S10)
11.18 11BLas Posas Road
12.13 12San Marcos Boulevard (CR S12)
12.91 13Twin Oaks Valley Road
14.24 14Barham Drive, Woodland Parkway
15.49 15Nordahl Road
EscondidoR16.54 17  I-15 (Escondido Freeway) – Riverside, San DiegoSigned as exits 17A (south) and 17B (north) eastbound
R17.27 17CCentre City Parkway (I-15 Bus.) – Central EscondidoEastbound exit and westbound entrance; former US 395
  East end of freeway
N17.68 Broadway, Lincoln Parkway
T17.82   CR S14 (Mission Avenue)
T19.27   CR S6 (Valley Parkway) – Valley Center, Palomar Mountain, Downtown Escondido
San Diego20.64 Bear Valley Parkway – San Diego
R22.56 San Pasqual Road, Cloverdale Road – San Diego
Ramona35.52   SR 67 south (Main Street) / 10th Street – El Cajon, San Diego
 41.96 Sutherland Dam Road – Lake Sutherland
Santa Ysabel51.11   SR 79 north / Washington Street – Lake Henshaw, Warner Springs, HemetWest end of SR 79 overlap
Julian58.13   SR 79 south – Lake Cuyamaca, Cuyamaca Park, San DiegoEast end of SR 79 overlap
 69.69    CR S2 south (Great Southern Overland Stage Route of 1849) to I-8 – Agua Caliente County Park, Ocotillo, El CentroWest end of CR S2 overlap
 70.01   CR S2 north (San Felipe Road) – Warner Springs, HemetEast end of CR S2 overlap
 76.84   CR S3 (Yaqui Pass Road) – Borrego Springs
 85.61 Borrego Springs Road – Borrego Springs
Imperial
IMP 0.00-80.74		  13.17
43.56[lower-alpha 1]		   SR 86 north – Los AngelesWest end of SR 86 overlap
Westmorland27.51[lower-alpha 1]   CR S30 (Center Street)
    CR S26 (Boarts Road)
Brawley20.63[lower-alpha 1]
13.18		   SR 86 south (1st Street) – El Centro, CalexicoEast end of SR 86 overlap
13.80    SR 111 north / CR S31 (8th Street) – Calipatria, NilandWest end of SR 111 overlap
  Best Road, Old Highway 111Old Highway 111 was former SR 111 south
 15.04   SR 111 south – CalexicoEast end of SR 111 overlap
 18.65   SR 115 north (West Road) – CalipatriaWest end of SR 115 overlap
 21.02   SR 115 south – HoltvilleEast end of SR 115 overlap
     CR S32 (Butters Road) – Holtville
     CR S33 (Green Road)
 52.35   CR S34 (Ogilby Road) – Ogilby
Riverside
RIV 0.00-16.17		  16.17   I-10 – Los Angeles, PhoenixInterchange
 16.17   I-10 Bus. east (Neighbours Boulevard)Continuation beyond I-10
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
  •      Concurrency terminus
  •      Closed/Former
  •      HOV
  •      Incomplete access
  •      ETC only
  •      Unopened
  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Indicates that the postmile represents the distance along SR 86 rather than SR 78.

See also

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References

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  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 California Division of Highways (1934). "State Routes will be Numbered and Marked by Distinctive Bear Signs". GBCnet.com. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Staff (July 2007). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". California Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "I-5/SR-78 Interchange Improvements Fact Sheet" (PDF). San Diego Association of Governments. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 Template:Cite map
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 "Brawley Bypass fact sheet" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 28, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2008. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  6. ↑ Template:Cite map
  7. ↑ Jenkins, Logan (April 27, 2006). "Political heritage precedes hopefuls for 74th". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Union-Tribune Publishing Company. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  8. ↑ Miller, Jim (May 16, 2007). "Bill would reassign highway-naming duties to Caltrans" (PDF). The Press-Enterprise. Press-Enterprise Company. Archived from the original on May 21, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  9. ↑ "Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Guide: San Diego County". National Park Service. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  10. ↑ "Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Guide: Imperial County". National Park Service. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  11. ↑ "CA Codes (shc:250-257)". California State Legislature. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  12. ↑ "CA Codes (shc:260-284)". California State Legislature. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  13. ↑ "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways". California Department of Transportation. December 7, 2007. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  14. ↑ Staff (2012). Scenic Highway Guidelines (PDF). California Department of Transportation. p. 5. Retrieved July 29, 2012.
  15. ↑ "San Diego" (PDF). National Highway System. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved August 9, 2012.
  16. ↑ Adderly, Kevin (August 26, 2010). "The National Highway System". Planning, Environment, and Realty. Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved January 1, 2011.
  17. ↑ Template:Cite map
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 Template:Cite map
  19. ↑ Template:Cite map
  20. ↑ 20.0 20.1 Template:Cite CAstat
  21. ↑ Template:Cite map
  22. ↑ Template:Cite map
  23. ↑ 23.0 23.1 "Vista Area Expressway Progresses". The San Diego Union (Microfilm)|format= requires |url= (help). Copley Press. November 19, 1962.
  24. ↑ Template:Cite map
  25. ↑ Template:Cite map
  26. ↑ Staff (April 21, 1967). "New Freeway Projects Urged". The San Diego Union. p. B8. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  27. ↑ "MiraCosta Interchange Nearly Ready". The San Diego Union (Microfilm)|format= requires |url= (help). Copley Press. September 24, 1967.
  28. ↑ Clance, Homer (March 19, 1968). "18 Highway Projects Get Top Priority". The San Diego Union. p. C1. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  29. ↑ Staff (August 22, 1968). "$17 Million More Set For Area Road Jobs". The San Diego Union. p. B1. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  30. ↑ Staff (August 9, 1970). "Road Work Heavy". The San Diego Union. p. B4. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help); |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  31. ↑ Template:Cite map
  32. ↑ Template:Cite CAstat
  33. ↑ Lowe, George (March 21, 1957). "Trip of the Week: Highway Skirts the Highs, Lows". The Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. Archived from the original (PDF, fee required) on January 17, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  34. ↑ "Check Spurs Plans for Desert Road". The Los Angeles Times. Tribune Company. February 23, 1969. Archived from the original (PDF, fee required) on April 6, 2009. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  35. ↑ Template:Cite map
  36. ↑ Template:Cite CAstat
  37. ↑ Template:Cite map
  38. ↑ Brown, Peter (January 16, 1969). "Dekema Sees Road Delays at Escondido". The San Diego Union (Microfilm)|format= requires |url= (help). Copley Press.
  39. ↑ 39.0 39.1 "SR-78 Upgrade Schedule". California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on May 11, 2008. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  40. ↑ Garrick, David (June 23, 2007). "Las Posas interchange getting rave reviews". The North County Times. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  41. ↑ Associated Press (April 7, 2008). "Construction firm Skanska gets US$68 million contract to build highway in California - International Herald Tribune". The International Herald Tribune.
  42. ↑ Staff (February 2012). "Brawley Bypass fact sheet" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  43. ↑ Hawkins, Robert (August 13, 2010). "State budget impasse could delay road work" (HTML, fee required). The San Diego Union-Tribune. Union-Tribune Publishing Company. Retrieved March 21, 2011.
  44. ↑ Varin, Elizabeth (October 30, 2012). "Brawley Bypass Open". Imperial Valley Press. El Centro, California. Retrieved December 27, 2012.
  45. ↑ Sisson, Paul (June 29, 2006). "Oceanside council pans Rancho del Oro study". The North County Times. Lee Enterprises. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  46. ↑ Template:Cite map
  47. ↑ "Fact Sheet - Nordahl Bridge Widening at SR 78" (PDF). San Diego Association of Governments. 2012. Retrieved June 24, 2012. Unknown parameter |month= ignored (help)
  48. ↑ "Proposed upgrades to Imperial County portion" (PDF). Imperial County. April 29, 2005. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  49. ↑ Staff. "State Truck Route List" (XLS file). California Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 31, 2009.
  50. ↑ "All Traffic Volumes on CSHS". California Department of Transportation. 2005–2006. Retrieved April 11, 2009.
  51. ↑ California Department of Transportation (November 7, 2008). "State Route 78 Freeway Interchanges" (PDF). Retrieved March 5, 2009.
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