Deleted state highways in California

State Route 21

State Route 21 closely followed the route of current Interstate 680. It began in San Jose heading northeast from I-280 and US 101 and closely paralleling SR 17 (now I-880) until reaching Fremont. From there, SR 21 headed northeast toward Pleasanton and intersected I-580. SR 21 then headed northwest to Concord and Martinez, California, intersecting SR 24 and SR 4 before reaching the Carquinez Strait. In Benicia, SR 21 intersected with SR 141 (now I-780) and ended in Fairfield at I-80.

The Bureau of Public Roads approved urban routes of the Interstate Highway System on September 15, 1955, including a loop around the San Francisco Bay, soon numbered I-280 and I-680. Only I-680 was built along SR 21. The first piece of I-680 freeway built, other than the pre-existing Nimitz Freeway, was in the late 1950s, along the SR 24 overlap between North Main Street in Walnut Creek and Monument Boulevard in Pleasant Hill. A southerly extension, bypassing downtown Walnut Creek to South Main Street, opened on March 22, 1960, connecting with the SR 24 freeway to Oakland. In the next decade, the freeway was completed from Vallejo south to SR 238 at Mission San Jose, and the roadway north from Benicia to Fairfield, which became the only remaining piece of SR 21, was also upgraded to freeway standards. SR 21 then ceased to exist in 1973 and was deleted from the California legislature in 1976.

State Route 30

State Route 30 ran from Interstate 210 in San Dimas to Interstate 10 in Redlands through San Bernardino. It was built to freeway standards between Interstate 215 in San Bernardino and Interstate 10 and between the current terminus of State Route 57 in San Dimas to Foothill Blvd. in La Verne. When the freeway section between Foothill Blvd. and Interstate 215 was completed in 2007, the route was decommissioned and renumbered SR 210. It is expected to be included into the interstate highway system at some later date as an extension to Interstate 210.

State Route 31

State Route 31 ran from State Route 91 near Corona to Interstate 15 in Devore through San Bernardino. The route was deleted in 1974, when it was added to the interstate system. After being signed California 31, It was signed Temporary Interstate 15, and later, after being moved from Main Street in Corona, Hamner Avenue in Riverside County north of Corona, and Milliken Avenue in San Bernardino County to the Ontario Freeway. Became Interstate 15.

State Route 42

State Route 42 ran from State Route 1 west of Inglewood to State Route 91 in Santa Ana Canyon near Norwalk, largely along Manchester Avenue and Firestone Boulevard. It was deleted in 1968. The segment east of Interstate 5 (Santa Ana Freeway) was added to State Route 90. The segment west of Interstate 5 was added to the interstate system as Interstate 105. The freeway would not be opened until 1993, which resulted in the original route continuing to be signed as State Route 42. To this day, Route 42 is still sporadically signed in many places.

State Route 69

State Route 69 began at SR 198 amid Tulare County. It then headed north and intersected SR 216 in Woodlake and CR J27 amid farmland in the county. The route continued to meet SR 201 in Elderwood. After several miles through Tulare County, it crossed into Fresno County, where it met its north end at State Route 180. In 1972, this highway was decommissioned and renumbered SR 245.

State Route 106

State Route 106 was originally created in 1964, and ran from State Route 38 in Redlands to State Route 18 in Running Springs. Prior to 1964, the highway was a part of Legislative Route 190, which ran from US 66 to State Route 38. After 1964, the route was split in half. The western portion became State Route 30. The eastern portion was combined with Legislative Route 207, and became State Route 106. A year later, its southern terminus was moved to Interstate 10. In 1972, State Route 106 was decommissioned. The northern portion between State Route 30 and State Route 18 was renumbered to State Route 330. The southern portion was added to State Route 30, extending it to Interstate 10. This also reconnected both halves of the original Legislative Route 190.

State Route 157

State Route 157 was planned to run from I-805 near Ocean View Boulevard in San Diego to SR 125 near the Sweetwater Reservoir, passing through the neighborhood of Paradise Hills. What was known as Route 285 became a state highway in 1959, and was redesignated as SR 157 in the 1964 state highway renumbering. By 1974, plans called for constructing the freeway from Nogal Street across Imperial Avenue to end at SR 54. However, the project was cancelled after objections from the community, and because it was not compatible with any long-term plans. Developments near the western half of the route served to discourage construction, and the plans for the eastern half were cancelled that year; the land was sold soon afterward. The mayor of National City, Kile Morgan, opposed the proposal, citing concerns that many projects for the South Bay were being opposed by others. The route was removed from the law by the Legislature in 1994.

State Route 159

State Route 159 Between July 1, 1964 and the time it was turned back to local authorities, Route 159 was the segment of Linda Vista Avenue in Pasadena between State Route 134, the Ventura Freeway, and Interstate 210, the Foothill Freeway. Prior to July 1, 1964 it was a segment of California Legislative Route 165 and signed as California Sign Route 11.

State Route 171

State Route 171 was planned to run from I-5 near San Diego to I-805 through Switzer Canyon. It was to be called the Switzer Canyon Freeway, and had been suggested by consultant John Nolen in 1926. Originally designated as Route 284 in 1959, the route was renumbered as SR 171 in the 1964 state highway renumbering. However, the community opposed the project; it would have passed through Balboa Park and would have gone through canyons, residential districts, and a golf course. SANDAG endorsed the deletion in 1993, and the Legislature deleted the route in 1994.

State Route 176

State Route 176 ran from US 101 in Santa Maria to Sisquoc along Stowell Road, Philbric Road, and Foxen Canyon Road. Prior to July 1, 1964 it was an unsigned segment of California Legislative Route 148.

State Route 195

State Route 195 connected SR 86 with SR 111. It served as a connector between the two routes while the SR 86 expressway was constructed. This route was deleted in 2014, when the part that was not deleted in 2009 was transferred to SR 111.

State Route 196

State Route 196 ran from Route 2 to Route 249 south of Palmdale. It was deleted in 1965.

State Route 206

State Route 206 Between July 1, 1964 and the time it was turned back to local authorities, Route 206 ran from Highland Avenue, formerly State Route 30, in San Bernardino along North E Street, Kendall Drive, and Palm Avenue to the Barstow Freeway, Interstate 215, in Verdemont. Prior to July 1, 1964, Route 206 was California Legislative Route 191 and was signed as Business U. S. 66.

State Route 209

State Route 209 connected Point Loma with the interchange of I-5 and I-8 in San Diego. The route began at the Cabrillo National Monument and passed through Fort Rosecrans and the neighborhood of Point Loma via Catalina Boulevard, Canon Street, and Rosecrans Street. This route was deleted in 2003.

State Route 214

State Route 214 Between July 1, 1964 and the time it was turned back to local authorities, Route 214 ran between Lakewood Boulevard, then State Route 19, in Long Beach and the Santa Ana Freeway, Interstate 5, in Anaheim. Route 214 traversed Carson Street in Los Angeles County (between Route 19 and the Los Angeles/Orange County Line). It continued into Orange County on Lincoln Avenue (between the Los Angeles/Orange County Line and Route 5). Prior to July 1, 1964, Route 214 was a segment of California Legislative Route 178. Between 1962 and July 1, 1964 it was signed as US 91. Before 1962, it was signed as both US 91 and State Route 18.

State Route 228

State Route 228 was to be a short bypass west of Brawley. The road as defined by the California State Legislature in the 1964 state highway renumbering would have begun at SR 86 2.5 miles (4.0 km) southwest of Brawley and ended 2 miles (3.2 km) west of Brawley. However, this was also included in the 1935 definition of Route 26, which continued north to Los Angeles and south to Calexico, along the approximate route of US 99. The route was deleted in 1998; by that time, no highway had been constructed along this route.

State Route 231

State Route 231 was a designation for a state highway from SR 86 to SR 195 near Mecca. In 1935, the route was added to the state highway system. Two years later, the route was given the designation of Route 204. In the 1964 state highway renumbering, the route was renumbered as SR 231. The Division of Highways proposed deleting this state highway in 1971, The routing was removed from the state highway system in 1972.

SR 231 was later used for what is now SR 261 and SR 241.

State Route 252

State Route 252 was to connect I-5 to I-805, and provide almost direct access from I-805 to I-5, near the southern terminus of SR 15. The route would have run parallel to, and approximately halfway between, the current alignment of SR 94 and SR 54.

SR 252 was defined as Route 283 in 1959, and was redesignated as Route 252 in the 1964 state highway renumbering. The California Highway Commission reviewed a 1.8-mile (2.9 km) proposal for the route in 1965. It was known as the El Toyon Freeway, and plans were to use it to balance the congestion between I-5 and I-805. By 1973, there was opposition based on concerns that it would split the community; according to an engineer from Caltrans, it was "a white man's freeway vs. a black community." If the freeway was not constructed, the federal government would stand to lose $10 million. The Comprehensive Planning Organization in 1974 proposed widening arterial streets nearby as an alternative, even though the construction would affect 240 buildings. Meanwhile, relocation of 280 households and the start of demolition had taken place.

In 1977, a local vote took place to determine what to construct or if SR 252 should be constructed; however, $4.4 million had already been spent to construct the 43rd street interchange with I-805. Alternate plans included a city street and constructing a below-grade freeway. By 1980, the California Transportation Commission had canceled plans to construct SR 252, due to the residential opposition. The city of National City made attempts to have the plans reinstated in 1986 to reduce congestion within city limits. The city of San Diego opposed the idea of constructing an additional freeway, while the county supported it. The state told Caltrans to sell the land to the city of San Diego, though National City expressed interest in purchasing it, even though there would be San Diego city permits needed to construct a freeway on it. National City then sued the state, but agreed to drop the suit in exchange for $10 million in traffic improvements on behalf of the city of San Diego.

In 1993, the San Diego Association of Governments and Caltrans planned to have SR 252, along with SR 157 and SR 171, officially removed; the abandoned land was to be used for residential purposes. The state legislature removed from the state highway system in 1994. The only portion constructed is the ramps to and from I-805 at 43rd Street, in southern San Diego, approximately zero point five miles (0.80 km) long; the ramps were completed in 1975.

State Route 256

State Route 256 ran from I-80 to State Route 65 north of Roseville. It was deleted in 1994. This was originally signed as part of Route 65. It was originally part of US 99E through Roseville.

State Route 274

State Route 274 ran along Balboa Avenue, entirely within the city of San Diego. The highway started at I-5 in Pacific Beach before continuing east into Kearny Mesa and intersecting I-805 and SR 163. Balboa Avenue continued east to I-15. As of 2014, Balboa Avenue still exists as a road between I-5 and I-15.

Balboa Avenue was constructed in Pacific Beach by 1956, and east into Clairemont by 1961. The Legislature designated the route as from I-5 to SR 103 in 1965, changing SR 103 to SR 15 in 1969. Between 1969 and 1970, Balboa Avenue was completed from I-5 to SR 163 and signed as SR 274. Completion of the route to I-15 was in place by 1982. A sinkhole 700-foot (210 m) long and 65 feet (20 m) deep opened at the I-15 interchange in 1998 after a storm across the region. The route was deleted from state laws in 1999, and given to the city of San Diego in 2001.

State Route 285

State Route 285 was defined in 1970 as Route 70 on West Street in Portola northwesterly to the north city limits, then to Lake Davis via Humbug Canyon, and then easterly to Grizzly Reservoir via the south shore of the lake. This was deleted in 1998. The route was never constructed. According to the Caltrans photolog, the old alignment for Route 285 essentially is exactly the same as existing West Street (in Portola) and Lake Davis Road northeast to Grizzly Road just northeast of the Big Grizzly Creek.