California State Route 24

 

State Route 24
(CS&HC Section 324)
Length:	13.53 mi[1] (21.77 km)
Formed:	1934[2]
West end:	I-580/I-980 in Oakland
Major junctions:	SR 13 in Oakland
East end:	I-680 in Walnut Creek
California State Routes < SR 23 SR 25 > Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 24 in the U.S. State of California is a heavily-traveled east-west freeway in the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California between Oakland (junction Interstate 580, the MacArthur Freeway) and Walnut Creek (junction Interstate 680). It lies only in Alameda and Contra Costa counties, and it is highly urban.

History

Highway 24 was created with the opening of the Broadway Tunnel (subsequently re-named the Caldecott Tunnel) in 1937,^{[citation needed]} connecting with the new Eastshore Highway and the approaches to the new Bay Bridge by way of Ashby Avenue through Berkeley west of the Berkeley Hills, and routed along Mount Diablo Boulevard through Contra Costa County east of the hills.

Highway 24 remained along Ashby Avenue until completion of the Grove-Shafter Freeway in the late 1960s. This new freeway, which ran from the Caldecott Tunnel through downtown Oakland to the MacArthur and Nimitz Freeways, was designated Highway 24 and Ashby was re-designated Highway 13.

Route 24 used to extend much further east. The section of Interstate 680 between the current terminus of SR 24 and California State Route 242 was dual-signed I-680 and SR 24 until ca. 1987; California State Route 242 which runs primarily in Concord, California was signed as Route 24 until the same time. Older maps show routes for 24 which continue along California State Route 4 from the current intersection of 242 to the Antioch Bridge, and occasionally reappearing along the river road to Sacramento, currently California State Route 160. Parts of the same route were also sometimes designated as State Highway 84.

Route 24 rises from near sea level in downtown Oakland past its interchange with State Route 13 (completed August 1999) to cross the county line through the triple-bore Caldecott Tunnel and offers some attractive views of the hilly terrain through which it passes. Some protection of the views comes from the highway's designation as a California Scenic Highway. Due to the traffic jams, commuters get extended views of the scenery.

The Pittsburg/Bay Point Line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit runs in the freeway's center median, except around the Caldecott Tunnel.

Control cities

Eastbound

• Walnut Creek - entire route
• Concord - between SR-13 and I-680

Westbound

• Oakland - between I-680 and SR-13
• Downtown Oakland and San Francisco - between SR-13 and I-580

Major cities

• Oakland
• Orinda
• Lafayette
• Walnut Creek

Other names

• Grove Shafter Freeway: From the Caldecott Tunnel to the I-580 interchange segment of the MacArthur Maze, continuing henceforth as I-980 to the terminus with I-880.
• William Byron Rumford Freeway: From I-580 in Oakland to the Caldecott Tunnel.^[3]

State law

Legal definition of Route 24: California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 324

Route 24 is part of the Freeway and Expressway System, as stated by section 253.3 of the California State Highway Code.

Route 24 is part of the Scenic Highway System, as stated by section 263.3 of the California State Highway Code.

Exit list

Mileposts derived from^[1] and exit numbers derived from.^[4]

County	Location	Mile	#	Destinations	Notes
Westbound traffic defaults onto I-980 west.
Alameda	Oakland	ALA R1.85	2A	I-980 – Downtown Oakland; 27th Street	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
			2B	I-580 – Hayward, San Francisco	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
		ALA R2.59 ALA R2.77	2	Martin Luther King Jr Way; 51st Street	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance; 51st St ramps accessible via 52nd St
		ALA R3.06	3	Telegraph Avenue	Westbound exit and eastbound entrance, other access served by 51st St
		ALA R3.32	3	Claremont Avenue	Eastbound exit and westbound entrance, other access served by Telegraph Ave
		ALA R3.55	4A	College Avenue	Westbound exit only, accessible via Miles Ave
		ALA R4.17	4B	Broadway; To SR 13 north – Berkeley	Exit 4 eastbound, exit for SR 13 North; eastbound exit accessible via Keith Ave; westbound entrance accessible via Patton St and Miles Ave
		ALA R5.12	5A	SR 13 south – Hayward	Exit 5 eastbound
			5B	SR 13 north – Berkeley	Westbound exit only, all other access served by Broadway or Tunnel Road
		ALA R5.47	6	Tunnel Road	Westbound exit and entrance accessible via Caldecott Ln; Eastbound exit and entrance accessible via Broadway and Caldecott Ln
Alameda-Contra Costa county line		Caldecott Tunnel through the Berkeley Hills
Contra Costa		CC R0.28	7A	Fish Ranch Road	Eastbound exit and entrance accessible via Old Tunnel Rd
	Orinda	CC 1.20	7B	Gateway Blvd
		CC R2.31	9	Orinda; Moraga (Camino Pablo)
		CC R3.47	10	Saint Stephens Drive; Hidden Valley Road
	Lafayette	CC R4.40	11	Acalanes Road; Upper Happy Valley Road
		CC R6.26 CC R6.51	12	Oak Hill Road; Central Lafayette; Moraga	Exit 13 westbound; westbound exit and entrance accessible via Deer Hill Rd; eastbound entrance accessible via 1st St
		CC R7.66	14	Pleasant Hill Road; Mt Diablo Road
	Walnut Creek	CC 9.14	15A	I-680 south – Dublin, San Jose	All eastbound exits and westbound entrances
			15B	I-680 – Concord, Sacramento
			15C	Mt Diablo Road

References

1. ^ ^{a b} January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
2. ^ California Highways: State Route 24
3. ^ 2006 Named Freeways, Highways, Structures and Other Appurtenances in California. Caltrans, 126. Retrieved on 2007-03-28. 
4. ^ Cal-NExUS Interchange Exit Numbering

External links

Coordinates: 37.892440° N 122.14783° W

• WestCoast Roads- California 24
• Caltrans: Route 24 highway conditions
• California Highways: CA-24
• Cal-NExUS: Route 24 East
• Cal-NExUS: Route 24 West

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