California State Route 65

State Route 65
Route information
Defined by S&HC § 365
Maintained by Caltrans
Length:	94.217 mi (151.628 km) SR 65 is broken into pieces due to an unconstructed portion, and the length does not reflect the gap.
Section 1
South end:	SR 99 near Bakersfield
Major junctions:	SR 190 in Porterville
North end:	SR 198 near Exeter
Section 2
South end:	I-80 in Roseville
North end:	SR 70 in Olivehurst
Highway system
State highways in California(list • pre-1964) History • Unconstructed • Deleted • Freeway • Scenic ← SR 63 SR 66 →

State Route 65 (SR 65), commonly known as Highway 65, is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California composed of two segments connecting Bakersfield to Exeter and Roseville to Olivehurst. While a large section that is supposed to link the two segments is currently unconstructed, a bypass segment around the city of Lincoln is currently under construction and is planned to open in 2012.

Route description

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System.

California State Route 65 near Exeter.

South segment

The southern segment of State Route 65 begins at a partial interchange with State Route 99 north of Bakersfield. From here to Porterville is a mostly 40-mile (64 km) rural two-lane highway through hills and grasslands while passing through the communities of Ducor and Terra Bella. This stretch of roadway is often considered very dangerous given the heavy amount of semi-trucks that drive this corridor. SR 65 expands to a four-lane freeway through Porterville, downgrading into a four-lane expressway upon leaving the city. The highway remains an expressway, passing Strathmore and up to Lindsay. The highway is then reduced to a rural two-lane highway through agricultural areas while passing through Exeter. SR 65's southern segment ends at the junction of State Route 198. This section has been designated the "All America City Highway."

North segment

The northern segment of State Route 65 begins at the interchange with Interstate 80 in Roseville as a freeway heading northwest to Blue Oaks Boulevard where the freeway turns north towards Lincoln. The freeway ends north of Twelve Bridges Drive where the highway continues in a four-lane configuration. The highway is then reduced to roughly two lanes as it enters downtown Lincoln. The highway heads northwest again outside of Lincoln as a rural two-lane highway, passing through the communities of Sheridan and Wheatland. It assumes its freeway designation a few miles north of Wheatland, ending at State Route 70 in Olivehurst.

A bypass around Lincoln is currently being constructed to alleviate traffic congestion in and around the city. The first phase of the bypass will be a four-lane freeway from the northern end of the freeway segment of SR 65 at Industrial Avenue to Nelson Lane and a two-lane expressway from Nelson Lane to Riosa Road in Sheridan, reconnecting with the current SR 65 north of town. There will be a partial interchange at Industrial Avenue, a full interchange at Ferrari Ranch Road and at-grade intersections at Nelson Lane, Wise Road and Riosa Road. Construction began in late 2008 and is scheduled for completion in 2012. A second phase at a later date will add two lanes between Nelson Lane and Riosa Road and upgrade the at-grade intersections to interchanges. Ultimately, SR 65 will become a four-lane freeway from I-80 in Roseville to Riosa Road in Sheridan.

In 2000, Caltrans issued a Project Study Report (PSR) that analyzed six alternative alignments for the proposed Wheatland Bypass. After extensive public meetings, Caltrans identified Alternative E as the preferred alternative. Alternative E would start at the northern end of the Lincoln Bypass, and proceed due north, crossing the Bear River on a new bridge to the east of the existing SR 65 alignment. It would bypass Wheatland to the east, and then turn west and pass along the southern edge of Beale Air Force Base before connecting to south end of the freeway segment at South Beale Road. If completed, the Wheatland Bypass would enable continuous freeway travel from I-80 to Marysville (via SR 70). Although Caltrans completed the PSR in 2000 that identified the preferred alignment, the Wheatland Bypass remains unfunded. State and local officials cannot present a timetable for completing the bypass until $300 million is secured to complete the required environmental studies and construction.

North of its present northern terminus at SR 70 in Olivehurst, the legislative designation of SR 65 continues west/northwest to SR 99 in (or south of) Yuba City. Caltrans has planned since 1986 to extend SR 65 as a freeway west or northwest from SR 70 to SR 99 via a third bridge across the Feather River south of Yuba City to alleviate traffic on the two existing bridges between Yuba City and Marysville. Funding issues and environmental concerns have stalled the extension of SR 65 to Yuba City and the third Feather River Bridge.

The interchange at Sunset Boulevard was opened to traffic in March 2010, eliminating the last traffic signal between I-80 and Sterling Parkway in Lincoln.

History

The original plan for the San Joaquin Valley, envisioned three major north/south highways, which could eventually be built as freeways. On the west side was the Westside Highway (Westside Freeway, I-5), in the center was the Golden State Highway (unofficially known as the Golden State Freeway, SR 99/I-5), and on the east side was the Eastside Highway (SR 65).

Construction of SR 65 occurred separately on the two existing sections. The northern section originally was US 99E, running from Marysville to Roseville, and was converted to SR 65 during the state highway renumbering effort in 1964. A freeway section (named the Harold T. "Bizz" Johnson Expressway) bypassing downtown Roseville was completed later, with the original downtown Roseville section of SR 65 (former US 99E) released from the state highway system. In the 1950s, a right-of-way was reserved for a SR 65 freeway running from Roseville through Citrus Heights and Fair Oaks to Rancho Cordova, but plans for this freeway were abandoned in the 1970s and the right-of-way has been relinquished to private owners. The portion of Sunrise Boulevard south of US 50 was added to the SR 65 routing during the 1970s, but has since been relinquished back to Sacramento County.

In the south, the highway started at SR 99 and was constructed to Exeter. However, in 1975, the extension northward was discontinued. This has resulted in a 215-mile gap between the northern and southern halves of the highway.

Future

With the projected growth of the Central Valley, interest has reemerged in constructing all or part of the unconstructed portion of SR 65. A multi-county committee has been formed to discuss the transportation needs of the Eastern Central Valley, including the construction of SR 65 over twenty years. The committee will look at what route the road will take, what type of road would be built (highway, expressway, or freeway), and what the road would eventually become (also known as the ultimate transportation corridor or UTC).

In addition, another study is looking at extending SR 65 north to a future extension of SR 152. Currently, five cities exist on the eastern Central Valley with population between 15,000 and 20,000 as of the 2000 census. These communities currently do not have a north/south state highway. This project would create a state highway that would connect these cities together and to SR 99. This connection would be north of Madera, providing a bypass to Visalia, and Fresno. It would also provide an alternative route for travelers in Southern California/South Central Valley, to access mountain vacation spots in areas east of Fresno.

In the southern section, plans are underway to convert all of the 2-lane highway portions to a 4-lane expressway. In addition, the short segment to Exeter would be moved to allow for a continuous roadway. Originally, the widening project was going to be a joint effort between Kern and Tulare counties, but priority changes in Kern County will delay its portion to a future date.

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	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Kern KER R0.00-25.17		R0.00		SR 99 south – Bakersfield	Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
				Merle Haggard Drive to SR 99 north and 7th Standard Road
		2.90		James Road – Oildale
		4.67		Lerdo Highway – Shafter
		11.86		Sherwood Avenue – McFarland
		23.19		SR 155 – Glennville, Delano
Tulare TUL 0.00-39.58		R6.98		CR J22 (Avenue 56) – Ducor, California Hot Springs, Earlimart
		R11.86		CR J24 (Avenue 95) – Terra Bella, Pixley
	Porterville	South end of freeway
		18.16	43	SR 190 – Tipton, Springville
		19.14	44	Olive Avenue (CR J26) – Porterville
		R20.14	45	Henderson Avenue
		North end of freeway
				Pioneer Avenue	No access across SR 65
				CR J28 (Avenue 196) – Strathmore
	Lindsay	29.49		CR J29 (Hermosa Street) – Lindsay
		31.55		SR 137 west (Avenue 232) / CR J27 south (Road 196) – Tulare	South end of CR J27 overlap
	Exeter	37.65		CR J30 (Rocky Hill Drive)
		39.58		SR 198 / CR J27 north (Road 196) – Kings Canyon, Visalia	North end of CR J27 overlap
Gap in SR 65
Placer PLA R4.86-R24.26	Roseville	R4.86	306	I-80 – Reno, Sacramento	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 306A (east) and 306B (west)
		R5.93	307	Galleria Boulevard, Stanford Ranch Road
		R7.10	308	Pleasant Grove Boulevard
		M8.07	309	Blue Oaks Boulevard, Washington Boulevard	Washington Boulevard was former SR 65 south
	Rocklin	R9.57	311	Sunset Boulevard – Rocklin
			312	Whitney Ranch Parkway	Proposed interchange
	Lincoln	R11.92	313	Twelve Bridges Drive
		North end of freeway
		13.14		Ferrari Ranch Road
		13.78		SR 193 east (McBean Park Drive) – Newcastle, Auburn
Yuba YUB R0.00-R9.18		2.60		Dairy Road – Arboga
		4.10		South Beale Road – Beale AFB
	South end of freeway
		R6.88	332	Forty Mile Road, Ostrom Road
	Olivehurst	R8.03	333	McGowan Parkway
		R9.18		SR 70 north – Marysville	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi      Concurrency terminus •      Closed/former •      Incomplete access •      Unopened

Other names

Route 65 has the following names, as designated by various state laws:

• All America City Highway: From Route 99 to Route 198. Named for linking "All American Cities" Lindsay, Porterville, and Bakersfield together (it is commonly called Porterville Highway).
• Harold T. "Bizz" Johnson Expressway: The Roseville bypass from Interstate 80 to Blue Oaks Boulevard.
• Officer Mark A. White Memorial Highway: From Sunset Boulevard near Rocklin to Route 193 in Lincoln.