California State Route 138

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State Route 138
Defined by S&HC § 438, maintained by Caltrans
Length:	86 mi[1] (138 km)
West end:	I-5 near Gorman
Major junctions:	SR 14 in Palmdale I-15 near Cajon Pass
East end:	SR 18 near Crestline
State highways in California (list - pre-1964) County routes in California (list) < SR 137 SR 139 > History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 138 is an east-west state highway generally following the northern foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains of southern California, USA from its junction with Interstate 5 south of Gorman eastward to Mount Anderson Junction, its eastern junction with State Route 18 south of Crestline in the San Bernardino Mountains. Except for the western two miles of the route between Interstate 5 and just east of Gorman Post Road and a segment shared with State Route 14 between Avenue D in Lancaster and Palmdale Boulevard in Palmdale, it is all surface road, mostly undivided two-lane road. The remaining section of the Ridge Route, California's first highway connecting the San Joaquin Valley to the Los Angeles Basin ends at 138 in Gorman.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System^[2] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System^[3].

[edit] Route description

The western leg of State Route 138 traverses the Lancaster Freeway from Interstate 5 to Gorman Post Road, Lancaster Road from Gorman Post Road to 245th Street West near Neenach School, and Avenue D from 245th Street West to Route 138's north junction with State Route 14. The Lancaster Freeway has four lanes, two for each direction of travel. Both Lancaster Road and Avenue D are 2-lane conventional roads; Avenue D is on a straight alignment over its 22 miles between 245th Street and State Route 14.

After its co-routing with the Antelope Valley Freeway (SR 14) through Lancaster and Palmdale, it passes through Palmdale's eastside as four-laned Palmdale Boulevard, 47th Street East, and Fort Tejon Road to Avenue T. At Avenue T it tapers to two lanes and continues straight ahead on Pearblossom Highway through Littlerock, Pearblossom, and Llano to its west junction with State Route 18. Route 18's western terminus siphons off Las Vegas-bound travelers from 138. At its west junction with State Route 18, State Route 138 turns southeast on Antelope Highway to the Los Angeles/San Bernardino County line where it loses its alternative name, Antelope Highway.

Between the county line and Interstate 15, State Route 138 traverses very mountainous and scenic terrain and it connects with State Route 2 that leads to winter resort areas in the San Gabriel Mountains used largely by residents of greater Los Angeles and greater San Diego. State Route 138 crosses Interstate 15 in the Cajon Pass. From Interstate 15 to State Route 173, near the northwest corner of Silverwood Lake, traffic on State Route 138 is rather sparse. The remaining road past Silverwood Lake is mountainous, narrow, and twisting, and not a prime mountain route to the San Bernardino Mountain resorts. The entire segment from Interstate 15 to the eastern terminus of State Route 138 at Mount Anderson Junction is known the El Cajon-Skyline Forest Highway.

Because of its twisting, mountainous segments and overloaded traffic conditions on its eastern leg, State Route 138 east of Palmdale and west of Interstate 15 is the site of numerous serious auto accidents as of 2004, according to CHP data. One of the chief contributors to accidents on Route 138 of late is drivers passing on the two-lane highway in unsafe conditions. A recent accident involved a vehicle leaving the roadway near the California Aqueduct, careering through the desert and crashing into the aqueduct.

Parts of the distinctive highway were used in the filming of the movie The Long, Long Trailer, a 1954 comedy with Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz. Despite the rapid growth of Southern California in the ensuing fifty years, the segment shown in the movie is little changed since the movie was filmed.

David Hockney composed the picturesque photographic collage Pearblossom Highway in 1986 off of the segment of Route 138 bearing that moniker. It may be viewed at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

[edit] Major intersections and junctions

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 [4][5][6]	Destinations	Notes
Los Angeles LA R0.00-74.97		R0.00	I-5 (Golden State Freeway) – Los Angeles, Sacramento	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		R0.24	Quail Lake Road	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
	East end of freeway
		1.71	Gorman Post Road
		4.11	CR N2 (Old Ridge Route Road)
		36.87 14 R74.00	SR 14 north (Antelope Valley Freeway) – Mojave	West end of SR 14 overlap; interchange
	See SR 14 (exits 49-35)
	Palmdale	14 R59.80 43.42	SR 14 south (Antelope Valley Freeway) – Los Angeles	East end of SR 14 overlap; interchange
		44.42	Sierra Highway	Former SR 14
		51.41	Pearblossom Highway, Avenue T
			CR N4 (Largo Vista Road)
		69.30	SR 18 – Victorville
San Bernardino SBD 0.00-R37.85		6.66	SR 2
		R15.20	I-15 – Victorville, San Bernardino	Interchange
	Hesperia	R23.96	SR 173 – Hesperia
		R28.48	Cleghorn Road – Silverwood Lake	Interchange
		R37.85	SR 18 – Lake Arrowhead, San Bernardino	Interchange

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• The Long, Long Trailer (1954) at the Internet Movie Database
• Pearblossom Highway (1986)