California State Route 33

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State Route 33
Ojai Freeway Defined by S&HC § 333, maintained by Caltrans
Length:	290 mi[1] (467 km)
South end:	US 101 in Ventura
Major junctions:	SR 119 in Taft SR 269 in Avenal SR 152 near Los Banos
North end:	I-5 near Tracy
State highways in California (list - pre-1964) County routes in California (list) < SR 32 SR 34 > History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 33 is a north-south state highway that connects the central and southern areas of the U.S. State of California. SR 33 replaced part of U.S. Route 399 in 1964 during the "great renumbering" of routes. It is known as the Westside Highway. The southernmost portion is a freeway known as the Ojai Freeway.

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

Beginning in Ventura as a short freeway (the "Ojai Freeway"), it continues north as an undivided surface road through Ojai, follows Matilija Canyon past the easternmost extremity of the Santa Ynez Mountains, passes over the Transverse Ranges at Pine Mountain Summit, coming down into the Cuyama Valley to an eventual junction with SR 166. After joining with 166 for about 20 miles (32 km) it turns northwest, following the western side of the San Joaquin Valley. Between Taft and Avenal it roughly parallels Interstate 5; for the first 15 miles (24 km) of this portion it follows the axis of the Midway-Sunset Oil Field. Northwest of Avenal, it turns due west to enter Coalinga, then turns northeast and soon becomes concurrent with I-5 for 13 miles (21 km). Thereafter, it departs due north near Cantua Creek, turns northwest at Mendota, and meets State Route 152 in Dos Palos, with which it runs concurrently for approximately ten miles. It departs again to the northwest near Los Banos, turns north at Santa Nella (where it has an interchange with I-5), and roughly parallels I-5 and the San Joaquin River until its final terminus at I-5 at Yarmouth.

Route 33 in the mountains above Ojai

In the 1960s, the freeway was originally planned to continue all the way to Castaic. In the face of anti-development pressure from Ventura County citizens, and suffering from severe financial problems as a result of the 1971 Sylmar earthquake and the late-'70s California tax revolt, Caltrans abandoned these plans.

View northeast from near Pine Mountain Summit on SR 33, the highest elevation on the route; the Lockwood Valley and Mount Pinos are in the distance

When passing through the Avenal/Coalinga area travelers pass near a series of prisons and government facilities. They include: Avenal State Prison, Pleasant Valley State Prison, and the new Coalinga Mental Hospital.

In the portions of the route in Kern and Fresno Counties, SR 33 passes through one of the United States' largest petroleum extraction fields, with hundreds of nodding oil pumps along the highway. Some of the fields visible from the highway include the Midway-Sunset, South Belridge, Cymric, Lost Hills, and Coalinga oil fields.

Most of SR 33's route is through sparsely populated, relatively desolate portions of the San Joaquin Valley. Travelers along it should use caution, since emergency services are typically dozens of miles away. Carrying extra water and coolant is especially advised, since summertime temperatures in the area routinely surpass 100 °F (39 °C).

Before the US 399 designation was deleted in 1964, SR 33 followed SR 166 east from US 99 at Wheeler Ridge to Maricopa in lieu of the segment from Ventura to Maricopa, and followed the old US highway from Taft to Maricopa. Today, SR 166 remains on the segment between Wheeler Ridge and Maricopa.

[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
Ventura VEN 0.00-57.51	Ventura	0.00	US 101 (Ventura Freeway) – Los Angeles, San Francisco	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		0.17	Main Street – Ventura	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		1.57	Stanley Avenue	Southbound exit and entrance are on the left
		2.65	Shell Road
		R4.49	Cañada Larga Road
		R5.64	Casitas Vista Road
	North end of freeway
		11.21 150 R14.41	SR 150 west	South end of SR 150 overlap
	Ojai	150 16.58 11.21	SR 150 east – Ojai, Santa Paula	North end of SR 150 overlap
		48.50	Lockwood Valley Road
Santa Barbara SB 0.00-8.18	No major intersections
San Luis Obispo SLO 0.00-4.95		2.80	SR 166 west – Cuyama, Santa Maria	South end of SR 166 overlap
Kern KER 0.00-73.74			Cerro Noroeste Road – Mount Abel Recreation Area
			Soda Lake, Carrizo Plain National Monument
	Maricopa	R11.56	SR 166 east to I-5 south – Los Angeles	North end of SR 166 overlap
	Taft	17.89	SR 119	Former US 399 north
		33.45	SR 58 west	South end of SR 58 overlap
		34.29	SR 58 east to I-5 – Buttonwillow, Bakersfield	North end of SR 58 overlap
		60.09	SR 46
Kings KIN 0.00-18.99		7.80	SR 41
	Avenal	17.14	SR 269
Fresno FRE 0.00-R83.05	Coalinga	15.71	SR 198 west	South end of SR 198 overlap
		24.32	SR 198 east	North end of SR 198 overlap
		R29.02 5 17.96	I-5 south / SR 145 – Los Angeles, Kerman	South end of I-5 overlap; interchange
		5 29.96 R39.82	I-5 north / Derrick Avenue – Sacramento	North end of I-5 overlap; interchange
	Mendota	61.45	CR J1 (Belmont Avenue)
		62.25	SR 180 east – Fresno
Merced MER R0.00-30.30		R5.64 152 R32.37	SR 152 east – Merced	South end of SR 152 overlap; interchange
	Los Banos	152 21.27	SR 165 (Mercey Springs Road) to I-5 south – Turlock
		152 13.85	I-5 – Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles	Interchange
		152 11.27 R13.24	SR 152 west – Gilroy	North end of SR 152 overlap; interchange
	Santa Nella	16.64	I-5 – Sacramento, Los Angeles	Interchange
	Gustine	26.46 140 4.35	SR 140 west	South end of SR 140 overlap
		140 6.06 27.11	SR 140 east – Merced	North end of SR 140 overlap
Stanislaus STA 0.00-27.09		2.06	CR J18 (Stuhr Road)
	Patterson	12.57	CR J17 west (Sperry Avenue)	South end of CR J17 overlap
		13.18	CR J17 east (Las Palmas Avenue)	North end of CR J17 overlap
	Westley	19.55	CR J16 (Grayson Road, Howard Road)
San Joaquin SJ 0.00-5.00		0.82	SR 132	Interchange
		4.83	I-5 – Stockton, Los Angeles
		5.00	Ahern Road	Continuation beyond I-5

[edit] References

[edit] Photos along SR 33

SR 33 heading south through Kern County.

A foggy winter day looking northbound south of Brown Material Road near Blackwells Corner.

[edit] External links

• California @ WestCoastRoads.com - State Route 33
• Caltrans: Route 33 highway conditions
• California Highways: SR 33