Forgotten Hwy's video: CA 259 North - The CA 210 to I-215 Connector - San Bernardino Entire Route

CA 259 is a little known route in the city of San Bernardino. This freeway is not considered a stub, nor incomplete, as it’s entire purpose from conception was to act as nothing more than a connector. Construction began in 1965/66 and was completed in 1968. The route was designated as part of (or realignment of) Legislative Route Number (LRN) 43 and was to be signed as part of Signed State Route (SSR) 18 when it was designed. By the time construction started, the LRN system had been revamped and concurrencies were removed to simplify travel. Construction of the freeway continued, now as Route 259. The freeway was simply a way to give SR 18 a direct connection to then I-15 and US 395. When construction began on the SR 30/Foothill “Crosstown” Freeway, SR 259 acted as an unofficial eastern segment connecting the unfinished freeway to I-215. At this time, it was likely signed as ‘SR 30 East to SR 18 East’ with possible control cities of San Bernardino, Redlands, and/or ‘Mountain Resorts’. Westbound SR 30 traffic was most likely directed off the freeway at Highland Ave, the street alignment of SR 30. In the 1980s, the Foothill Freeway was extended west past the SR 259 interchange to end at a temporary intersection with Highland Ave west of I-215 where it picked up SR 30. At this point any designation of SR 30 over SR 259 would’ve been removed other than as a directional. As the Foothill Freeway was completed, Caltrans saw no need to replace the SR 259 freeway with direct ramps, leaving it as the only way westbound SR 30 could reach southbound I-215, and northbound I-215 could reach eastbound SR 30. In 2007, after Caltrans opened the last portion of the Foothill Freeway, they begun replacing the SR 30 shields with SR 210 shields. Apparently at this time, someone decided to order SR 259 shields as well, as two were placed on the previously unsigned freeway; One in each direction. These were removed at some point in the early/mid 2010s, and replaced by ‘TO CA 210 EAST’ assemblies for northbound traffic and southbound traffic got nothing. It’s worth noting that at the time of filming, the ‘TO’ and ‘EAST’ tabs were in interstate blue with green 210 spades, symbolizing the eventual intent to have the entire Foothill Freeway renumbered to I-210. Also in the late 2000s, the freeway was partially upgraded and reconfigured as part of the I-215 widening project in San Bernardino. Most of the upgrades were done on the southbound portion of SR 259, realigning it to merge in from the right instead of the left - like most interchanges - and completely reconfiguring the Base Line Rd exit. The latter had to be done because the Base Line exit on I-215 (‘Exit 45’ from herein to avoid confusion) was completely reconfigured as well. Exit 45 would depart I-215 South from the left about a half mile before before the actual exit and pickup the Base Line traffic from SR 259. The worst part though was that traffic exiting for Base Line from I-215 North would merge in just before it reached the end of the ramp, which actually ended at a 4-way intersection with H and 13th Streets. All traffic wanting to reach Base Line itself would have to turn right on H first. This created a huge bottle neck. Now on SR 259, those exiting for Base Line exit right onto a new alignment of Exit 45 that also departs I-215 on the right, and actually ends as Base Line itself. This improved the flow of traffic greatly, and removed almost all backup from SR 259. Other than the section south of Highland Ave on the southbound side, SR 259 remains largely the same as it did in the 1960s when it was built. But with the move to make CA 210 into I-210 after a widening project, it’s not hard to see CA 259 being upgraded again in the future so enjoy it while it lasts. Thanks for watching! Follow and Support Me: Website: forgottenhwy.com Twitter: http://bit.ly/hwytweet Instagram: http://bit.ly/hwyinsta Facebook: http://bit.ly/hwyfacebook Patreon: http://bit.ly/hwypatreon Music: Track 1: 'Desire' - Blooom & Ghost'n'Ghost Music provided by NoCopyrightSounds. Watch: https://youtu.be/D-TQB-T-UJ4 Free Download / Stream: http://ncs.io/DesireYO