Posted on 10/27/2016 5:06:04 AM PDT by Kaslin
California State Route 99 is the north-south highway that cuts through the great Central Valley. And it has changed little since the mid-1960s.
A half-century ago, when the state population was about 18 million -- not nearly 40 million as it is today -- the 99 used to be a high-speed, four-lane marvel. It was a crown jewel in California's cutting-edge freeway system.
Not now.
The 99 was recently ranked by ValuePenguin (a private consumer research organization) as the deadliest major highway in the nation. Locals who live along its 400-plus miles often go to bed after seeing lurid TV news reports of nocturnal multi-car accidents. Then they wake up to Central Valley radio accounts of morning carnage on the 99.
The 99 is undergoing a $1 billion, multi-decade upgrade to increase its four lanes to six. Promises have been made to build off- and on-ramps in place of haphazard exits and entries from the old days of cross traffic.
In many of the most dangerous southern portions of the 99, huge semi trucks hog two lanes. Speeders weave in and out of traffic. They still try to drive 70 mph in the manner you could 50 years ago when traffic was less clogged. Text-messaging drivers are now even more dangerous than the intoxicated.
(Excerpt) Read more at townhall.com ...
Currently, Californians pay among the highest sales, income and gasoline taxes in the nation. Yet in return, the state's decrepit transportation system in many national surveys rates nearly last. California public school test scores are likewise near the bottom of national rankings.
From the article: “The 99 offers a number of banal (and oft-forgotten) lessons handed down from our grandparents, who mapped out what once was the nation’s premier transportation system. Highways, along with damns [sic], canals and bridges, are the lifeblood of a state, a far more important priority than investing in transgendered restrooms or efforts to save the Delhi Sands flower-loving fly.”
Do you think it’s a typo or a clever jab?
Worse than any driving situation is the FOG in this valley.
I think we can all agree that when you throw in low IQ indios from mexico, no one is safe on the roads.
They are everywhere, and they drive.
Poorly.
Exactly what I was going to say. The fog is a major source of the worst crashes. Although the idiot that try to barrel through the fog don’t help.
Kalifornia State 99 has ALWAYS been a death trap. Having said that, I imagine nowadays the 99 more closely resembles the highway that runs between Mexico City and Puebla. A nightmare.
Kalifornia is America’s future staring us in the face. God help us all.
And without car insurance.
Remind me why I am so thankful for our Florida Governor, Rick Scott (R), who CORRECTED former Gov Charlie Crist's (R/I/D) grand mistake of taking a bite out of President Obama's poisoned apple of a high-speed rail between Tampa and Orlando! He pointed out that the longterm costs of this were all going to be the taxpayer's responsibility and that was likely to require much increase in taxes to pay for something that was unlikely to pay for itself!
Currently, Californians pay among the highest sales, income and gasoline taxes in the nation. Yet in return, the state's decrepit transportation system in many national surveys rates nearly last. California public school test scores are likewise near the bottom of national rankings.
The takers have turned the 'Golden State' into Fool's Gold (Iron Pyrite) in the space of a couple of generations. Yet their desires spread out from the media and technology centers that remain in California. In the same sense that 'misery loves company', the leftist progressives that have done such wonders in California, want to do the same for the rest of this country!
Remember that Hillary has raised muti-millions from the Californian elite. Show them that we want no part of this dystopia, VOTE TRUMP!
I was stationed near Fresno in the late 60s and drove this highway often. It didn't seem to be in great shape back then, despite what the article says. And, yes - the fog was often thick and dangerous.
South of Sacramento 99 is already mostly freeway. North of Sacramento, you'd wipe out a lot of small towns if you tried to widen it.
I wondered the EXACT same thing! Then again with so many writers using voice dictation, a homonym is easy to have and not catch!
Sad as the situation is, I had to laugh at the vision of mattresses and produce flying off of trucks and flatbeds going 70 mph while travelling 99. Of course this is the denouement of Moonbeam’s policies that that grifter has foisted off on the gov of CA. Some knowledge of physics (learned in school...a real school where reading and writing and arithmetic are actually taught) is required to be a good driver and with the school system in shambles and the reading level progressing on its downward course, it can only get worse. And there was no real mention of drugs...lots of drugs, piles of that stuff available almost anywhere.
I think the only remaining members of my Northern Calif family are in small communities up north...otherwise they have gone to Hawaii.
I cannot understand how the US government, the EPA, etc have not gone into those interior valley towns where people live WITHOUT water. That is a degredation of the physical self and psychological self unheard of in the good ol’ USA. But since most are Mexicans, often illegal, and not wanting to make a big stink about something as basic as water, no one hears about them.
WE are just animals..if you don’t belong to my pack, die, humdog, die!!
I had to laugh at the vision of mattresses and produce flying off of trucks and flatbeds going 70 mph
Happens all the time. Just last Thursday, a week ago, I was going to drive to Ventura. Got up to the news that the 5 was shut down both ways due to accidents. Traffic backed up miles and miles both ways. They finally got it all open and traffic moving about 1:30 or so. I cancelled my trip that day. I always check the news before leaving but that doesn’t help if you’re already on the road and get stuck behind one. Most of the time there’s no way out.
And drunk.
California State Route 99 (Formerly US Highway 99) is scheduled to be upgraded to Interstate standards and be designated as Interstate 7 or Interstate 9.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Future_Interstate_Highways#Interstate_7_or_9
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/California_State_Route_99
However CALTRANS is taking a very long time to do it.
Frankly, the route should not have been bypassed when the Interstate Highway System was built. I-5 should have been routed over it, or an I-9 should have been built along the route at the same time.
There's the problem right there. More is not better, especially when scraping the bottom of the barrel.
TERRIBLE!!
Pres. Hillary will address this disparity by coming up with the automotive equivalent of ObamaCare.
What?!?
We've alREADY got that?
Called Uninsured driver???
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