California State Route 44
| State Route 44 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Route information | ||||
| Defined by S&HC § 344 | ||||
| Maintained by Caltrans | ||||
| Length: | 107.02 mi[2] (172.23 km) | |||
| Existed: | 1935[1] – present | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| West end: | ||||
| East end: | ||||
| Highway system | ||||
|
State highways in California(list • pre-1964)
|
||||
State Route 44 (SR 44) is a state highway in the U.S. State of California that travels in an east–west direction from Redding to Lassen Volcanic National Park before ending at Route 36 west of Susanville. This final portion, between the park and its terminus, is part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway.
Contents |
[edit] Route description
This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System[3] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.[4] However, it is not a scenic route as designated by Caltrans.[5]
Route 44 starts on Tehama Street in Redding, at the intersection of Route 273 (Market Street), despite what it says in its legal definition. This is because in 1998, Route 299's definition was changed. It previously ran on Tehama St. to I-5, but this portion was transferred to Route 44 in 1998 (44 had ended at I-5 at that time); however, the legislative definition has never changed, so it is unclear as to where Route 44 officially begins. Note also that the postmile markers have not been updated, so the Route 44–I-5 interchange is still marked as 0.00.
After a few blocks, it becomes a freeway as it crosses I-5 and changes back to a highway at the Redding city limits. Heading eastward, Route 44 passes through a number of small, rural communities (Palo Cedro, Millville, Shingletown, to name a few) before it reaches the north-west entrance to Lassen National Park. After this, the only community it passes through is Old Station, which is also the only location for travel services until Susanville.
From the Park entrance, Route 44 joins the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway. Route 44 is part of a circular portion of the Scenic Byway, so at the junction with Route 89, the Byway continues along both 89 to the north and on 44 to the east. When Route 44 reaches its terminus at Route 36, the byway heads southwest to continue its circular path.
Between the Route 89 intersection and Route 36 is only one rest area, called Bogard.
[edit] Major intersections
- Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, 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 [6][7][8] |
Exit [9] |
Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shasta SHA L0.00-71.39 |
Redding | L0.00 | West end of SR 273 overlap | ||
| L0.17 | East end of SR 273 overlap | ||||
| West end of freeway | |||||
| L0.85 | 1 | Park Marina Drive, Auditorium Drive | |||
| L1.81 R0.00 |
2 | Signed as exits 2A (south) and 2B (north) | |||
| R0.13 | 2C | Hilltop Drive | Eastbound exit and entrance | ||
| R0.38 | 3A | Dana Drive | Westbound exit and entrance | ||
| R1.24 | 3B | Victor Avenue | Signed as exit 3 eastbound | ||
| R2.13 | 4 | Shasta View Drive | |||
| R3.63 | 5 | Old Oregon Trail, Airport Road | |||
| East end of freeway | |||||
| R7.00 | Deschutes Road | Interchange | |||
| R10.77 | Millville Plains Road, Old Forty Four Drive – Millville, Whitmore | ||||
| R19.01 | |||||
| Shingletown | R27.83 | Wilson Hill Road, Emigrant Trail – Manton | |||
| R49.35 | West end of SR 89 overlap | ||||
| 62.69 | East end of SR 89 overlap | ||||
| Lassen LAS 0.00-37.25 |
19.29 | ||||
| 37.25 | |||||
| 1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi Concurrency terminus • Closed/former • Incomplete access • Unopened |
|||||
[edit] References
- ^ California Highways: State Route 44
- ^ January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
- ^ CA Codes (shc:250-257)
- ^ CA Codes (shc:260-284)
- ^ "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways". California Department of Transportation. December 7, 2007. http://www.dot.ca.gov/hq/LandArch/scenic_highways/. Retrieved June 22, 2011.
- ^ California Department of Transportation, State Truck Route List (XLS file), accessed February 2008
- ^ California Department of Transportation, Log of Bridges on State Highways, July 2007
- ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006
- ^ California Department of Transportation, California Numbered Exit Uniform System, State Route 44 Freeway Interchanges, Retrieved on 2009-02-05.