Clinched Highway Mapping

Master son · Joined: 30 Dec 2008 Posts: 60 Location: SW Wisconsin

I don't see any indication of this in any maps, nor did I see trailblazers for this during my road trip last Saturday - where is this sourced from? Should it be there?

Bickendan · Joined: 29 Jul 2008 Posts: 1018 Location: Portland, OR

Time to take a peek at my Thomas Bros CA Atlas, eh?

tikester · Joined: 07 May 2009 Posts: 21 Location: San Leandro, CA

From Dan Faigin's California Highways Page (http://cahighways.org/049-056.html):

Alternate US 50 is signed along a route consisting of county milage and portions of Route 88 and Route 89. It runs from US 50 near Pollock Pines, then S and E on Sly Park Road and Mormon Emigrant Trail, including a 20 mi segment of National Forest Highway 5. It joins Route 89 at Picketts Junction, continuing until the north Route 89 junction. From there it follows Route 89 until it rejoins US 50 at the foot of Meyers Grade.

In the portion of the route not cosigned with existing state milage, there are temporary postmiles that do not fit state standards. The route is a detour routing for those times when US 50 is closed. This happens frequently enough that it was felt to be appropriate to sign the route as Alternate US 50.

The mile markers were put in after the 1997/1998 winter season for ease of managing the snow removal operations. During the 1997/1998 winter, when the large slides closed US 50 and snow removal operations were made all season long to the Trail, the lack of markers made control of operations difficult. The markers were placed the following spring/summer. Despite the choice of labels, those portions of Alternate US 50 not already in the state highway system (i.e., Route 88 and Route 89) have not been added to the state highway system; they are county or forest roads maintained by the appropriate jurisdictions. In particular, Sly Park Rd. and Mormon Emigrant Trail are El Dorado County roads and are not state highway. Mormon Emigrant Trail was repaved for use as the detour as a part of the contract to repair US 50. There are Alternate US 50 postmiles on Mormon Emigrant Trail; those are used by CHP and Caltrans as reference when the road is in use as Alternate US 50. There are also Alternate US 50 shields posted along the route, and some signs showing distance to control cities, coupled with an Alternate US 50 sign package (i.e. shields). These are covered when not in use.
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tikester

Master son · Joined: 30 Dec 2008 Posts: 60 Location: SW Wisconsin

This sounds like a Wisconsin method. The highway wasn't approved by the AASTHO. (Though I don't know if US 41 "alternate" in WI was either).