End of US highway 199
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Approx. time period
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North Terminus
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South Terminus
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1926-1940s
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Grants Pass, OR (Redwood Jct)
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Crescent City, CA (Northcrest Dr)
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| 1940s-1965 |
Grants Pass, OR (Redwood Jct) |
Crescent City, CA (English Ln) |
| 1965-present |
Grants Pass, OR (I-5) |
Crescent City, CA (101 freeway) |
(about 50 k)
Note: since I don't have access to a comprehensive collection of historical
road atlases, much of the info below is based on the research of Robert Droz;
click here to view his
site. Photo credits: Chris
Elbert.
The north end of US 199 has been at Grants
Pass OR since the US routes were originally commissioned in 1926. However,
the exact endpoint has changed a bit - you can view photos and get more info
on this
page.
The south end of US 199 has always been at its junction with US 101 in Crescent
City CA. Of course, US 101 traffic didn't initially use today's freeway. Chris
and I think it originally came south via what is now designated County Road
D3, which becomes Northcrest Drive in town. US 199 probably came in on Parkway
Drive, which aligns with modern US 101 south of Washington Boulevard. So US
199 would've ended on today's US 101 at Northcrest Drive. The photo below is
looking north on US 101:
Elbert,
Oct. 2006
Today US 101 continues straight ahead, and as you can see from the green sign
in the distance, the modern junction with US 199 is three miles ahead. But originally
US 101 probably went left here on Northcrest, and straight ahead would've been
the south beginning of US 199.
By the mid-1940s it appears US 101 had been rerouted to its current alignment
southward as far as today's junction with US 199. From that point, it probably
continued south on what is now English Lane, then followed Parkway southwest
into town. So then US 199 would've ended on Parkway at English. Below we're
looking south on Parkway:
Elbert, Oct.
2006
Originally this was all US 199, and it ended at US 101 in town, about three
miles ahead. But later US 101 was rerouted such that it came in from the right
on English, and then continued ahead. So US 199 was probably truncated to end
at this intersection. Today, turning right on English is not a through road
- it was vacated when the US 101 freeway was built. I don't know when that was
(for now I'm saying 1965). Whenever it was built was probably also when US 199
was rerouted to its current terminus. The photo below shows the spot:
Elbert, Mar. 2005
There are no ramps that directly connect to northbound US 101; a
right turn ahead puts you on a connector road. That same connector is
used by southbound 101 traffic wanting northbound US 199 (that's why
it says "TO US 199"):
Elbert, Mar. 2005
Ahead at the turn itself is a newer sign:
Elbert, Mar. 2005
If you take that turn, there's a reassurance marker on the
connector road...
Elbert, Mar. 2005
...and finally you come to a stopsign at mainline US 199:
Elbert, Mar. 2005
It's not so complicated heading north on US 101:
Elbert, Mar. 2005
The reassurance marker on the offramp is shown close-up below:
Elbert, Mar. 2005
The photo below shows the first reassurance marker on mainline US
199:
Elbert, Mar. 2005
Chris reports that the highway immediately enters the redwood
forest visible in the background, and makes for a scenic drive
through canyons and over passes all the way into Oregon.
Page created 28 August 2001; last updated 26 October 2006.
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