California State Route 39

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State Route 39
Defined by S&HC § 339, maintained by Caltrans
Length:	56.90 mi[1] (91.57 km) (not counting length of unbuilt gap)
Formed:	1934[2]
South end:	SR 1 in Huntington Beach
Major junctions:	I-5 in Buena Park La Habra I-10 in West Covina
North end:	SR 2 in Angeles National Forest
State highways in California (list - pre-1964) County routes in California (list) < SR 38 I-40 > History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 39 in the U.S. State of California is a north-south California State Highway that travels through Orange and Los Angeles counties. Its southern terminus is at Pacific Coast Highway (SR 1), in Huntington Beach, and its northern terminus is at Angeles Crest Highway (SR 2) in the Angeles National Forest.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System^[3] and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System^[4].

Contents 1 Route description 2 Recent Developments 3 Major intersections 4 References 5 External links

[edit] Route description

State Route 39 runs along Beach Boulevard (previously Huntington Beach Boulevard) through most of Orange County, then north on Stanton. At the road's terminus, it heads east along Whittier Boulevard, taking over a portion of Route 72 (72 heads west instead).

Prior to that, SR 39 had then continued north along Hacienda Road to the Los Angeles/Orange County line then north on Hacienda Boulevard and Glendora Avenue to US 60, 70, and 99 now Interstate 10 in West Covina. It then continued east with US 60, 70, and 99 to Azusa Avenue where it turned north to follow the present alignment as described in the following paragraph. The Hacienda Glendora segment can still be seen as Route 39 on some maps.

Although defined to be a continuous route, there is a break in adopted Route 39 at the intersection of Whittier Boulevard and Fullerton Road where an "END 39" sign appears. However, the planned alignment of Route 39 turns left from Whittier Boulevard onto Harbor Boulevard until it becomes Fullerton Road in southern Rowland Heights. Prior to 1991, Harbor Boulevard would become Fullerton Road heading northward at the Los Angeles/Orange County Line, and would continue north as Fullerton Road though the Puente Hills as a one-lane winding road into Rowland Heights. However, due to complaints of nearby residents due to the increased volume of traffic, a straighter, larger stub was built slightly to the east, and was named Harbor Boulevard. The new Harbor Boulevard became opened to the public early in 1992 and now serves as the primary passage between Orange County and Rowland Heights. The original winding Fullerton Road still exists but no longer serves as the primary passage. It is now strictly a residential street. The planned alignment of Route 39 continues its northward progress on Azusa Avenue to the northwest in Hacienda Heights. Adopted Route 39 resumes and signs for Route 39 appear on Azusa Avenue after the junction with the San Bernardino Freeway, Interstate 10 in West Covina. The adopted route continues for 1.0-mile (1.6 km) to the Covina/West Covina city limit, 0.1-mile (0.16 km) north of Grove Center Street. From 0.1-mile (0.16 km) north of Grove Center Street to the north limit of Azusa, 0.7-mile (1.1 km) northeast of Rock Springs Way, previously adopted Route 39 has been relinquished (to the cities of Covina and Azusa). However, to aid motorists wishing to continue on Route 39, California Route 39 shields remain through the relinquished area. It is noted that the portion of Route 39 within West Covina is eligible for relinquishment to that city in accordance with Section 339 of the California Streets and Highways Code.

At the north limit of Azusa, adopted Route 39 begins again as San Gabriel Canyon Road. Route 39 winds through the San Gabriel Mountains in the Angeles National Forest for 21.9 miles (35.2 km) until it reaches a gate barring the road 1.8 miles (2.9 km) north of Crystal Lake Road in the Crystal Lake Recreation Area. The last four and one-half miles of the route, including the connection to Route 2, are closed to public highway traffic, as the roadbed has been damaged by landslides dating from 1978 and 2005. The segment connecting the Crystal Lake Recreation Area to Route 2 is not scheduled to reopen before 2008.

A replacement of the northern section, in the next canyon to the east, was partly built in 1936 and 1961, but was never completed. It includes one bridge and two tunnels, all unused by traffic. This section is known in own local hiking guide as the "Road to Nowhere." A ca. 1967^[1] replacement, much closer to the existing alignment, was also stopped prematurely, and so the middle part with many hairpin curves still exists.

[edit] Recent Developments

Report to assess status, opening of Highway 39

On July 10, 2006, the Pasadena Star-News reported that the state provided funding for an Environmental Impact Report (EIR) in June 2006 to assess the feasibility of reopening Highway 39 in the Angeles National Forest.

A 6.1-mile (9.8 km) stretch of the road, from Snow Springs north of Azusa to Highway 2, has been closed to the public since 1978 due to a massive rock and mudslide caused by heavy rains and floods. The EIR will take three years to complete, according to California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) officials.

The highway was opened to emergency crews in February 2003 after a Caltrans study showed reopening it would not harm wetlands, air and water quality, natural vegetation or threatened plants and animals. The proposed State Route 39 Roadway Rehabilitation Project would begin five miles (8 km) north of Crystal Lake Recreation Area Campground. In 2003, Caltrans officials estimated the project would cost $26.5 million.

People heading to Mount Waterman must now travel west to Pasadena and join the Angeles Crest Highway (Highway 2) in La Canada Flintridge - a nearly two-hour trip. Reopening Highway 39 would cut the drive-time to the Waterman ski area in half and shorten the trip east to Wrightwood.

[edit] Major intersections

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 [5][6][7][8]	Destinations	Notes
Orange ORA 0.00-22.66	Huntington Beach	0.00	SR 1 (Pacific Coast Highway)
		5.80	I-405 (San Diego Freeway) – San Diego, Long Beach
	Westminster
		8.48	SR 22 (Garden Grove Freeway)
	Garden Grove
		9	Garden Grove Boulevard	Former SR 22
	Stanton
	Anaheim	12.69	Lincoln Avenue	Former SR 214
	Buena Park	14.38	SR 91 (Artesia Freeway) – Riverside
		15.07	I-5 (Santa Ana Freeway)
		15.15	Auto Center Drive	Former US 101/SR 14
		16.13	Stage Road	Former SR 26
	La Habra	19.17	SR 90 (Imperial Highway)
		20.72	SR 72 (Whittier Boulevard)
		20.88	Hacienda Road - La Puente, West Covina	Former SR 39 north
		22.66	Harbor Boulevard	Former SR 72 south
Gap in SR 39
Los Angeles LA 10.70-44.40	West Covina	10.71	I-10 (San Bernardino Freeway) – San Bernardino, Los Angeles
		11.68	Badillo Street	North end of state maintenance
	Covina
		13.10	Arrow Highway
	Azusa	14.05	I-210 (Foothill Freeway) – San Bernardino, Pasadena
		14.95	Foothill Boulevard	Former Route 210 (US 66)
		17.81	Bridge over the San Gabriel River	South end of state maintenance
		38.50	Gate	Closed north of here
	Islip Saddle	44.40	SR 2	Closed

[edit] References

[edit] External links

• Mike Ballard on SR 39
• WestCoastRoads - State Route 39
• Caltrans: Route 39 highway conditions
• California Highways: SR 39