State Scenic Highway System (California)

The State Scenic Highway System in the U.S. state of California is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) as scenic highways. They are marked by the state flower, a California poppy, inside either a rectangle for state-maintained highways or a pentagon for county highways.[1][2]

State Scenic Highway System
State Scenic Highway System signage
Highway names
InterstatesInterstate XX (I-XX)
US HighwaysU.S. Route XX (US XX)
StateState Route XX (SR XX)
System links

The California State Legislature makes state highways eligible for designation as a scenic highway, listing them in the Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the California Streets and Highways Code.[3] For a highway to then be declared scenic by Caltrans, the local government with jurisdiction over abutting land must adopt a "scenic corridor protection program" that limits development, outdoor advertising, and earthmoving, and Caltrans must agree that it meets the criteria. The desire to create such a designation has at times been in conflict with the property rights of abutters, for example on State Route 174.[4][5]

Any county highway that is believed to have outstanding scenic qualities is considered eligible, and the county with jurisdiction must follow Caltrans' same approval process as state highways to be declared scenic.[1]

California Historic Parkways
Entering the Arroyo Seco Parkway in Pasadena
The Cabrillo Freeway, looking south from the Cabrillo Bridge in Balboa Park

California Historic Parkways are defined in the Streets and Highways Code, sections 280-284, as a subset of the State Scenic Highway System. Such historic parkways must have been constructed prior to 1945, and have been determined by either Caltrans or the Office of Historic Preservation in the California Department of Parks and Recreation to have historical significance. They must not at time of designation be traversed by more than 40,000 vehicles per day on an annual daily average basis. They also must be "bounded on one or both sides by federal, state, or local parkland, Native American lands or monuments, or other open space, greenbelt areas, natural habitat or wildlife preserves, or similar acreage used for or dedicated to historical or recreational uses".[3]

List of eligible and designated scenic state highways
SR 1 and State Scenic Highway markers
SR 2 entering Angeles National Forest from the south
Subalpine meadow at SR 4/Ebbetts Pass
SR 24 running through Lafayette, with Mount Diablo in the distance
View northeast from near Pine Mountain Summit on SR 33
SR 49 through the historic mining community of Downieville.
View from US 50/Echo Summit towards Lake Tahoe
SR 62 and State Scenic Highway markers in Whitewater.
SR 68 eastbound approaching the Monterey Peninsula.
SR 75/San Diego–Coronado Bridge, 2016
SR 78 in Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, looking east
SR 88 in Alpine County near Red Lake
SR 89 through Emerald Bay State Park overlooking Lake Tahoe
US 101 northbound near Gaviota Tunnel.
SR 116 bridge over the Russian River in Guerneville.
SR 154 and State Scenic Highway markers
SR 160 southbound about 5 miles (8.0 km) north of Rio Vista.
SR 168, heading up Bishop Creek.
SR 190/Death Valley Scenic Byway in Death Valley National Park.
San Gorgonio Mountain seen from SR 243 near Banning.
I-280 and State Scenic Highway markers
US 395 descending south into Owens Valley
Descending from Mission Pass on I-680 northbound

Designated county highways
Mulholland Highway through Leo Carrillo State Park, with Sandstone Peak in the distance

See also

References
  • California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 21, 2017.
  1. District 3. "Scenic Highway Program". California Department of Transportation. Retrieved January 31, 2008.
  2. "CA MUTCD 2014 Revision 4". California Department of Transportation. Retrieved April 26, 2019.
  3. "Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of the California Streets and Highways Code". Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved May 3, 2019.
  4. "Scenic Highway Concept Spurs Alarm". Sacramento Bee. March 25, 1999. p. N1.
  5. Moller, Dave (August 7, 2004). "CABPRO's Urke steps down". Union of Grass Valley.
  6. California Department of Transportation (2017). "List of eligible and officially designated State Scenic Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
  7. Lech, Steve (2012). For Tourism and a Good Night's Sleep: J. Win Wilson, Wilson Howell, and the Beginnings of the Pines-to-Palms Highway. Riverside, California: Steve Lech. p. 230. ISBN 978-0-9837500-1-7.
  8. California Department of Transportation. "List of Officially Designated County Scenic Highways" (PDF). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved May 2, 2019.
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