California State Route 65

State Route 65
Defined by S&HC § 365, maintained by Caltrans
Length:	94.217 mi[1] (151.628 km)
South end:	SR 99 near Bakersfield
Major junctions:	SR 190 in Porterville SR 198 near Exeter I-80 in Roseville
North end:	SR 70 in Olivehurst
State highways in California (list - pre-1964) < SR 63 SR 66 > History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 65 (SR 65), commonly known as Highway 65, is a north–south state highway composed of two segments connecting Bakersfield to Exeter and Roseville to Olivehurst. While a large section that is supposed to link the two segments is currently unconstructed, a bypass segment around the city of Lincoln is currently under construction and is planned to open in 2012.^[2]

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System^[3].

Route description

California State Route 65 near Exeter.

South segment

The southern segment of State Route 65 begins at a partial interchange with State Route 99 north of Bakersfield. From here to Porterville is a mostly 40-mile (64 km) rural two-lane highway through hills and grasslands while passing through the communities of Ducor and Terra Bella. This stretch of roadway is often considered very dangerous given the heavy amount of semi-trucks that drive this corridor. SR 65 expands to a four-lane freeway through Porterville, downgrading into a four-lane expressway upon leaving the city. The highway remains an expressway, passing Strathmore and up to Lindsay. The highway is then reduced to a rural two-lane highway through agricultural areas while passing through Exeter. SR 65's southern segment ends at the junction of State Route 198.

North segment

The northern segment of State Route 65 begins at the interchange with Interstate 80 in Roseville as a freeway heading northwest to Blue Oaks Boulevard where the freeway turns north towards Lincoln. The freeway currently ends south of the Sunset Boulevard intersection in Rocklin where the highway continues as a four-lane expressway. The highway is then reduced to roughly two lanes as it enters downtown Lincoln. The highway heads northwest again outside of Lincoln as a rural two-lane highway, passing through the communities of Sheridan and Wheatland. It assumes its freeway designation a few miles north of Wheatland, ending at State Route 70 in Olivehurst.

A bypass around Lincoln is currently being constructed to alleviate traffic congestion in and around the city. It will ultimately become a four-lane freeway from Industrial Avenue in Lincoln to Riosa Road in Sheridan. Construction has begun as of late 2008.^[2]

State Route 65 will eventually become a full limited-access freeway from Interstate 80 in Roseville to Riosa Road in Sheridan once the Lincoln bypass is completed and the traffic signal eliminated at Sunset Boulevard for an interchange.^[4]

History

The original plan for the San Joaquin Valley, envisioned three major north/south highways, which could eventually be built as freeways. On the west side was the Westside Highway (Westside Freeway, I-5), in the center was the Golden State Highway (unofficially known as the Golden State Freeway, SR 99/I-5), and on the east side was the Eastside Highway (SR 65).^[5]

Construction on SR 65 started on both the northern and southern ends. In the north, the highway started at I-80 and was constructed to Marysville. Land was also reserved, and mostly purchased for a freeway east of Sacramento. In the south, the highway started at SR 99 and was constructed to Exeter. However, in 1975, the project was discontinued. The land purchased near Sacramento was sold and construction stopped. This resulted in a 215-mile gap between the northern and southern halves of the highway.^[6]

Future

With the projected growth of the Central Valley, interest has reemerged in constructing all or part of the unconstructed portion of SR 65. A multi-county committee has been formed to discuss the transportation needs of the Eastern Central Valley, including the construction of SR 65 over twenty years. The committee will look at what route the road will take, what type of road would be built (highway, expressway, or freeway), and what the road would eventually become (also known as the ultimate transportation corridor or UTC).^[5][6]

In addition, another study is looking at extending SR 65 north to a future extension of SR 152. Currently, five cities exist on the eastern Central Valley with population between 15,000 and 20,000 as of the 2000 census. These communities currently do not have a north/south state highway. This project would create a state highway that would connect these cities together and to SR 99. This connection would be north of Madera, providing a bypass to Visalia, and Fresno. It would also provide an alternative route for travelers in Southern California/South Central Valley, to access mountain vacation spots in areas east of Fresno.^[5][6]

In the southern section, plans are underway to convert all of the 2-lane highway portions to a 4-lane expressway. In addition, the short segment to Exeter would be moved to allow for a continuous roadway. Originally, the widening project was going to be a joint effort between Kern and Tulare counties, but priority changes in Kern County will delay its portion to a future date.^[6]

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 [1][7][8]	#[9]	Destinations	Notes
Kern KER R0.00-25.17		R0.00		SR 99 south – Bakersfield	Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
				Merle Haggard Drive to SR 99 north and 7th Standard Road
		2.90		James Road – Oildale
		4.67		Lerdo Highway – Shafter
		11.86		Sherwood Avenue – McFarland
		23.19		SR 155 – Glennville, Delano
Tulare TUL 0.00-39.58		R6.98		CR J22 (Avenue 56) – Ducor, California Hot Springs, Earlimart
		R11.86		CR J24 (Avenue 95) – Terra Bella, Pixley
	Porterville	South end of freeway
		18.16	43	SR 190 – Tipton, Springville
		19.14	44	Olive Avenue (CR J26) – Porterville
		R20.14	45	Henderson Avenue
		North end of freeway
				Pioneer Avenue	No access across SR 65
				CR J28 (Avenue 196) – Strathmore
	Lindsay	29.49		CR J29 (Hermosa Street) – Lindsay
		31.55		SR 137 west (Avenue 232) / CR J27 south (Road 196) – Tulare	South end of CR J27 overlap
	Exeter	37.65		CR J30 (Rocky Hill Drive)
		39.58		SR 198 / CR J27 north (Road 196) – Kings Canyon, Visalia	North end of CR J27 overlap
Gap in SR 65
Placer PLA R4.86-R24.26	Roseville	R4.86	306	I-80 – Reno, Sacramento	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 306A (east) and 306B (west)
		R5.93	307	Galleria Boulevard, Stanford Ranch Road
		R7.10	308	Pleasant Grove Boulevard
		M8.07	309	Blue Oaks Boulevard, Washington Boulevard
	Rocklin	North end of freeway
		R9.57		Sunset Boulevard – Rocklin	Interchange under construction[4]
			312	Whitney Ranch Parkway	Proposed interchange
	Lincoln	R11.92	313	Twelve Bridges Drive	Interchange
		13.14		Ferrari Ranch Road
		13.78		SR 193 east (McBean Park Drive) – Newcastle, Auburn
Yuba YUB R0.00-R9.18		2.60		Dairy Road – Arboga
		4.10		South Beale Road – Beale AFB
	South end of freeway
		R6.88	332	Forty Mile Road, Ostrom Road
	Olivehurst	R8.03	333	McGowan Parkway
		R9.18		SR 70 north – Marysville	Northbound exit and southbound entrance

Other names

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Route 65 has the following names, as designated by various state laws:^[10]

• All America City Highway: From Route 99 to Route 198. Named for linking "All American Cities" Lindsay, Porterville, and Bakersfield together (it is commonly called Porterville Highway).
• Harold T. "Bizz" Johnson Expressway: The Roseville bypass from Interstate 80 to Blue Oaks Boulevard.
• Officer Mark A. White Memorial Highway: From Sunset Boulevard near Rocklin to Route 193 in Lincoln.

References