Recently I drove Interstate 680 over Carquinez Straight via the Benicia-Martinz Bridge. The Benicia Martinez Bridge is significant as it was location of the last major highway ferry crossing in the San Francisco Bay Area on California State Route 21. I-680 is a 71 mile Interstate Highway which begins at San Jose at the junction of US 101/I-280. I-680 is aligned north through the historic corridor of CA 21 and crosses the Carquinez Straights to a penultimate terminus at I-80 near Cordelia. Part 1; history of Interstate 680, California State Route 21 and the Benicia-Martinez Bridge Before the Benicia-Martinez Bridge opened in 1962 traffic on CA 21 had to take a ferry crossing over Carquinez Straight. Traffic on CA 21 northbound entered a ferry route located on Court Street north of downtown Martinez which crossed Carquinez Straight to 5th Street in Benicia. The alignment of CA 21 between Martinez to Benicia on the ferry route can be seen in it's final form on the 1962 Division of Highways Map. 1962 Division of Highways Map The 1962 Benicia-Martinez Bridge is an approximately 1.7 mile long truss span design that now serves as the southbound lanes of I-680. The 1962 Benicia-Martinez Bridge was built immediately west of 1930 Union Pacific Bridge which still is the longest rail bridge west of the Mississippi River in the United States. The 1962 Benicia-Martinez Bridge greatly improved automotive traffic flow over Carquinez Straight and can be seen on the 1963 Division of Highways Map. 1963 Division of Highways Map In my view it is impossible to have a legitimate historical blog/article/conversation about I-680 without including CA 21. I-680 essentially is a modernization of the corridor occupied by CA 21. CA 21 wasn't one of the original 1934 State Highways but was quickly added to the system by 1935. CA 21 originally was routed from CA 17 (briefly CA 13) at Warm Springs Road northbound on the following alignment: - Mission Boulevard on Legislative Route Number 5 to Mission San Jose. - Mission Road on LRN 108 to Paloma Road. - Paloma Road and Main Street in Sunol to Foothill Road. I'm not sure if this was a spur of LRN 107 or LRN 108. - Foothill Road on LRN 107 to US 50 in Dublin at Dublin Boulevard. - Dublin Boulevard/US 50 to San Ramon Road. - San Ramon Boulevard on LRN 107 to Railroad Avenue in Danville. - Railroad Avenue to Danville Boulevard. - Danville Boulevard and Main Street on LRN 107 to CA 24 in Walnut Creek. - A multiplex of CA 24 on LRN 75 via Main Street and Contra Costa Boulevard to Pleasant Hill. CA 24/LRN 75 split away from CA 21 in Pleasant Hill towards Concord. - Originally CA 21 was on County Maintained roadways between Pleasant Hill and Martinez; Contra Costa Boulevard and Pacheco Boulevard. (Note; it was likely that streets on the implied alignment of CA 21 in Martinez were likely never fully state maintained) - In Martinez CA 21 was aligned upon Jones Street and Pine Street to CA 4 which was originally on Escobar Street. - CA 21 multiplexed CA 4 on Escobar Street to Ferry Street. CA 21 used Ferry Street to reach Court Street to the ferry over Carquinez Straight. - Upon crossing Carquinez Straight to 5th Street in Benicia the route of CA 21 picked up LRN 74. - In Benicia CA 21 followed 5th Street, L Street and 2nd Street to exit the city. - CA 21 used 2nd Street/LRN 74 and the general right-of-way of I-680 on Goodyear Road (I suspect the original road was razed by the Interstate) to US 40 in Cordelia. CA 21 in it's original form can be seen on the 1938 Division of Highways Map. 1938 Division of Highways Map By 1940 State Highways were no longer signed on non-state controlled roads. This led to a situation where CA 21 was likely not signed between Pleasant Hill and Martinez. 1940 Division of Highways Map By 1949 the legislative definition of LRN 75 had been amended to a include a spur from Pleasant Hill to Martinez. CAhighways.org on LRN 75 State maintenance of CA 21 on Spur LRN 75 is shown between Pleasant Hill and Martinez by 1950. 1950 Division of Highways Map According to CAhighways.org the definition of Spur LRN 75 was changed in 1953 to include the Martinez-Benicia Ferry. Apparently the City of Martinez at the time was looking at shuttering ferry service to Benicia. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry has huge significance to the State Highway System as it was once part of US Route 40. Given the significance the Martinez-Benicia Ferry it's history does carry merit to the topic of CA 21 and I-680. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry began operation in 1847 and is the second oldest ferry in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry shuttled traffic across the Carquinez Straights long before a bridge was present in the area. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry was founded by Dr. Robert Semple and was taken over by Oliver Coffin (interesting last name) who built the Ferry Street Wharf in 1850. By 1915 a steam ferry known as the City of Seattle was the first to carry automotive traffic across the Carquinez Straights. Access to the Martinez-Benicia Ferry was by way of Legislative Route 14 and Legislative Route 7. LRN 14 was originally defined as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act according CAhighways. LRN 14 was routed into Martinez via what is now Carquinez Scenic Drive east of Crockett. Likewise LRN 7 between Tehama Junction and Benicia was also established as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act according to CAhighways. LRN 7 entered Benicia via 2nd Street. LRN 14 and LRN 7 can be seen meeting at the Carquinez Straights at the Martinez-Benicia Ferry on the 1918 Division of Highways Map. In late 1926 the US Route System was created. The initial routing of US Route 40 was aligned over LRN 7 into Benicia, over the Martinez-Benicia Ferry and LRN 14 towards Oakland. US 40 can be seen aligned over the Martinez-Benicia Ferry on the 1930 Automobile Club of Southern California. The primary driver of US 40 being routed away from Benicia and Martinez was the completion of the original Carquinez Bridge in 1927. The Carquinez Bridge originally carried the second alignment of the Lincoln Highway when it opened as a private toll bridge. According to CAhighways a spur route of LRN 7 was adopted from LRN 14 in Crockett through the American Canyon Route in 1931. This spur route of LRN 7 appears to have been completed some time in 1932. US 40 was reported rerouted through Vallejo via the Carquinez Bridge and the American Canyon Route on the 8th Biannual Report by the Division of Highways in November 1932. By 1960 the planned route of CA 21 over the Benicia-Martinez Bridge appears on the Division of Highways Map. 1960 Division of Highways Map By the 1964 State Highway Renumbering CA 21 was assigned as part of LRN 680. I-680 was only signed over CA 21 from Walnut Creek over the Benicia-Martinez Bridge and the current route of I-780. 1964 Division of Highways Map By 1965 I-680 appears to have been co-signed with CA 21 between Mission San Jose and Sunol. 1965 Division of Highways Map On the 1969 Division of Highways Map all of CA 21 south of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge is shown replaced by the completed I-680. Note; I-680 used a temporary alignment co-signed on CA 17/Nimitz Freeway south of Warm Springs. 1969 Division of Highways Map The 1975 Caltrans Map shows I-680 completed south towards San Jose. According to CAhighways.org the definition of the remaining segment CA 21 was changed in 1976 to become part of I-680 when I-780 was created. CAhighways.org on CA 21 The modern form of I-680 and I-780 can be seen on the 1977 Caltrans Map. CA 21 is shown to be completely removed as a designation. 1977 Caltrans Map In 2007 a new span of the Benicia-Martinez Bridge was built to carry northbound I-680 traffic. The northbound span is located directly east of the 1930 Rail Bridge and is a segmental structure. Once the 2007 Benicia-Martinez Bridge opened the 1962 Bridge was converted to southbound I-680. In total the 1962 and 2007 structures now carry 9 lanes of I-680. Part 2; a drive on Interstate 680 from Interstate 580 north to Interstate 780 My approach to I-680 northbound was from I-580 westbound in Dublin of Alameda County. I-680 north of I-580 is signed as 36 miles from Vallejo. I-680 north enters San Ramon of Contra Costa at Exit 31 for Alcosta Boulevard. I-680 north of Alcosta Boulevard is signed as a Scenic Corridor. At Exit 34 I-680 north accesses Bollinger Canyon Road. Cash traffic is directed to the right hand lanes whereas Fasttrak users are directed to the left lanes. Exit 56 for Marina Vista Avenue is the last exit before the toll booths. Two axle vehicle tolls on the Benicia-Martinez Bridge are presently $6 dollars. The Benicia-Martinez Bridge is presently signed as "Congressman George Miller Bridge." The 2007 Benicia-Martinez Bridge is far from a scenic structure. The 1930 rail bridge can be somewhat seen to the west but there isn't a single view of Carquinez Straight to be had from the actual roadway. There is a vista point in the between the three bridges but I wasn't aware of it at the time. My path after crossing the Benicia-Martinez Bridge had me turning west off of I-680 onto I-780. As an interesting foot note it seems that the Martinez-Benicia Ferry and surface alignment of CA 21 north of Carquinez Straight was part of the original route of US 40/LRN 7. The first Carquinez Bridge was completed in 1927 and it appears US 40 traffic was shifted to meet it possibly sometime between 1928 and 1930. This can be seen by comparing the 1928 State Highway Map to the 1930 edition. 1928 State Highway Map 1930 State Highway Map It should also be noted that the Lincoln Highway moved from Altamont Pass and followed US 40 over the Carquinez Bridge when it opened in 1927.
This past November I took a day trip out to the Carquinez Straights to explore the original alignment of US Route 40 over the Martinez-Benicia Ferry and Carquinez Scenic Drive. Part 1; the history of road bound travel over the Carquinez Straights The Martinez-Benicia Ferry began operation in 1847 and is the second oldest ferry in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry shuttled traffic across the Carquinez Strait long before a bridge was present in the area. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry was founded by Dr. Robert Semple and was taken over by Oliver Coffin (interesting last name) who built the Ferry Street Wharf in 1850. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry can be observed even vintage maps such as the 1857 Britton & Rey's Road Map of California. By 1915 a steam ferry known as the City of Seattle was the first to carry automotive traffic across the Carquinez Strait. Access to the Martinez-Benicia Ferry was by way of Legislative Route 14 and Legislative Route 7. LRN 14 was originally defined as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act according CAhighways. LRN 14 was routed into Martinez via what is now Carquinez Scenic Drive east of Crockett. Carquinez Scenic Drive as a State Highway was completed by 1912. Likewise LRN 7 between Tehama Junction and Benicia was also established as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act according to CAhighways. LRN 7 entered Benicia via 2nd Street. LRN 14 and LRN 7 can be seen meeting at the Carquinez Strait at the Martinez-Benicia Ferry on the 1918 Division of Highways Map. In late 1926 the US Route System was created. The initial routing of US Route 40 was aligned over LRN 7 into Benicia, over the Martinez-Benicia Ferry and LRN 14 towards Oakland. US 40 can be seen aligned over the Martinez-Benicia Ferry on the 1930 Automobile Club of Southern California. Below City of Seattle carrying US 40 traffic over the route of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry can be seen in 1930. The primary driver of US 40 being routed away from Benicia and Martinez was the completion of the original Carquinez Bridge in 1927. The Carquinez Bridge originally carried the final alignment of the Lincoln Highway when it opened as a private toll bridge. In 1929 the Martinez-Benicia Ferry was acquired by the American Toll Bridge Company which also operated the Carquinez Bridge. According to CAhighways a spur route of LRN 7 was adopted from LRN 14 in Crockett through the American Canyon Route in 1931. US 40 was reported rerouted through Vallejo (LRN 74) via the Carquinez Bridge and the American Canyon Route (LRN 8) on the 8th Biannual Report by the Division of Highways in November 1932. The American Canyon Cutoff of LRN 7 opened on November 10, 1936, as the new alignment US 40 from Cordelia bypassing downtown Vallejo directly to the Carquinez Bridge. The opening of the American Canyon Cutoff was featured in the November 1936 California Highways & Public Works. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry remained in operation after US 40 was moved to the Carquinez Bridge and became part of California State Route 21 which occurred likely by 1935. In 1940 the legislature approved for Department of Public Works to formally request that control of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry be transferred by the American Toll Bridge company to the cities of Martinez and Benicia. The legislative process for transferring the Martinez-Benicia Ferry is discussed in the December 1940 California Highway and Public Works Guide. The photo in said California Highway and Public Works Guide is of the ferry landing in Martinez. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry was transferred to the City of Martinez on January 1st of 1941. Interestingly the City of Benicia withdrew from becoming an owner of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry which left it under sole ownership of the City of Martinez. The new ownership of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry is discussed in the January 1941 California Highway and Public Works Guide. LRN 14 west of Martinez on Carquinez Scenic Drive remained part of the State Highway System as an unsigned highway until 1953. In 1953 LRN 14 was truncated from Martinez to Crockett according to CAhighways.org. 1953 was also saw the definition of LRN 75 changed to include the Martinez-Benicia Ferry under state ownership. CA 21 continued to utilize the Martinez-Benicia Ferry until September 15, 1962 when it was replaced by highway bridge which now carries the southbound lanes of I-680. The opening the Benicia-Martinez Highway Bridge and closure of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry are covered in the September/October 1962 California Highway and Public Works Guide. The "Last Ferry" article goes into extensive detail regarding the history of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry in addition to the Central Pacific Railroad Ferry between Benicia to Port Costa. Part 2; a drive and hike on former US 40 between Benicia and Crockett Although ferry service between Benicia and Martinez is no longer available I sought out to attempt to replicate the original alignment of US 40. While the surface routing of US 40 between Benicia and Crockett is intact it does require a bit of hiking on an eroded Carquinez Scenic Drive. My path of travel between Benicia and Crockett is best illustrated by zooming in on the 1930 ACSC Map. Part 2.1; former US Route 40 in Benicia Former US 40 on LRN 7 westbound entered Benicia on what is now; Park Road, McKinney Place and Hillcrest Avenue where it swung south on 5th Street. US 40 followed 5th Street all the way to the shores of the Carquinez Strait where it boarded the Benicia-Martinez Ferry. LRN 7 through Benicia can be seen in detail on the 1935 Division of Highways Map of Solano County when it was part of CA 21. My approach to former US 40 on 5th Street was from I-780 westbound. I drove south on 5th Street on what was US 40 westbound towards the Martinez-Benicia Ferry landing. I parked at E Street and walked the remainder of 5th Street to the Martinez-Benicia Ferry landing. US 40 would have crossed the tracks of the Southern Pacific Railroad as the latter was approaching it's ferry landing towards Port Costa. The grade of the Southern Pacific Railroad is obvious looking both east towards the Benicia-Martinez Bridges and west towards 1st Street. Continuing towards the landing of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry there isn't any indication of the historic route of travel which once was located there. The Martinez-Benicia Ferry is presently occupied by Bay Area Ship Services and is on private property. The landing of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry can be viewed by following the grade of the Southern Pacific Railroad west through Turnbull Park. Part 2.2; a side trip to the Central Pacific Railroad ferry landing in Benicia Since I was in Benicia I decided to a make a side trip towards the Central Pacific Railroad Ferry landing at Pointe Benicia which is at the end of 1st Street. The Central Pacific Railroad Ferry between Benicia and Port Costa opened when the rail ferry ship Solano began operation in 1879. The Central Pacific Line to Benicia had been built during the late 1870s and can be seen as an planned route on this 1874 Gray's Atlas Railroad Map of Oregon, California and Nevada. The rails had reached 1st Street in Benicia by 1878 as shown on this Thompson & West Map of Benicia. Interestingly the Martinez-Benicia Ferry is shown landing at 1st Street in Benicia. By 1885 the Central Pacific Railroad leased it's lines to the Southern Pacific Railroad before it became a non-operating subsidiary of the latter. In 1914 the Southern Pacific launched the ferry ship Contra Costa. Both the Solano and Contra Costa operated on the ferry between Benicia to Port Costa until 1930 when the Benicia-Martinez Railroad Bridge opened. The last voyage of the rail ferry from Benicia to Port Costa via the Solano can be seen seen this photo below. The Solano was launched in 1878 and was 425 feet in length. The Solano was a steamship which was propelled by sidewheel paddles. The Solano was capable of carrying as many as 48 rail cars and was the largest rail ferry before the Contra Costa was built. The Solano was scuttled in 1931 to create breakwater at the mouth of the Old San Joaquin River (Old River) near Antioch. Numerous vintage photos of the Solano, the ferry landing in Benicia and the ferry landing in Port Costa can be found at the Central Pacific Railroad Museum website. Conversely the Contra Costa was similar in specification to the Solano but was 433 feet in length. The photo of the Contra Costa below is dated to 1920. Today the railroad ferry landing in Benicia is easy to find at Pointe Benicia due to the presence of Benicia Depot. Benicia Depot was originally built in Banta in 1879 and was relocated to Benicia in 1902. The Benicia Depot remained in operation until 1958 when it was shuttered by the Southern Pacific. Benicia Depot was eventually restored and reopened in 2002. Despite the railroad ferry being long gone the rail grade is obvious in front of Benicia Depot. The dual slips of the Central Pacific Railroad ferry landing can be found at the tip of Pointe Benicia. Both slips point almost directly westward over the Carquinez Strait towards Port Costa. From certain vantage points at Point Benicia a full view of the 1958 and 2007 Carquinez Bridges can be viewed to the west. Note; on a historic footnote Benicia was once the Third State Capitol of the State of California. Benicia served as the State Capitol between February of 1853 to February of 1854. The capitol was apparently moved to Sacramento due to "bad weather," a "lack of comfortable sleeping quarters" and that the state records could not be adequately secured. Amusingly Benicia lost the Solano County Seat Fairfield in 1858, in that sense ferries more or less kept it on the map. Part 2.3; former US 40 in Martinez I departed Benicia and took the 1962 Benicia-Martinez Bridge to the City of Martinez (which is the County Seat of Contra Costa County) to Ferry Point. Ferry Point is where US 40 westbound would have landed upon taking the Martinez-Benicia Ferry from 5th Street in Benicia. US 40 would have crossed the Solano/Contra Costa County line in the middle of the Carquinez Strait. Unlike Benicia much of the ferry landing of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry is accessible as a public park and the former departure route of US 40 can be emulated on foot. An astute observer can see the grade of Carquinez Scenic Drive looking west from Ferry Point towards the Diablo Range. From Ferry Point US 40 would have followed LRN 14 through Martinez via what is now; Court Street, Joe Dimaggio Drive, Ferry Street, Escobar Street and Talbart Street to Carquinez Scenic Drive. The path of LRN 14 through Martinez to Carquinez Scenic Drive can be seen on the 1935 California Division of Highways Map. I followed former US 40 via Court Street and Joe Dimaggio Drive to Ferry Street. Former US 40 at the intersection of Ferry Street and Joe Dimaggio Drive has a rail road display of a Southern Pacific Steam Locomotive and numerous ATSF rail cars. A small historical plaque regarding the Martinez-Benicia Ferry can be found within view of the 1876 Central Pacific Railroad Depot. Suffice to say the 2000s era Amtrak platform is somewhat out of character in such a historic rail corridor. US 40 westbound followed Ferry Street south and made a right turn onto Escobar Street. US 40 westbound followed westbound Escobar Street to Talbart Street where it made a right hand turn. US 40 westbound followed Talbart Street northward to a westbound curve onto Carquinez Scenic Drive. Traffic headed towards Carquinez Scenic Drive is advised it is closed to traffic 2.2 miles to the west. Part 2.4; former US 40 on Carquinez Scenic Drive from Martinez west to Port Costa Former US 40 on Carquinez Scenic Drive begins to climb into the Diablo Range as it passes by Alhambra Cemetery. Carquinez Scenic Drive is very similar to other early era US Route alignments such as; US 99 on the Old Ridge Route, US 101 on the San Juan Grade and US 60/70 on Jackrabbit Trail. Carquinez Scenic Drive from Martinez most of the way west towards Port Costa is aligned directly on the cliffs above the Carquinez Strait through Carquinez Straight Regional Shoreline. This alignment makes for a narrow roadway but also makes for a very "scenic" route with numerous vistas of; Martinez, Benicia and the Benicia-Martinez Bridges. In the last photo below the route of the Martinez-Benicia Ferry can be seen from Carquinez Scenic Drive. Former US 40 on Carquinez Scenic Drive continues west as a roadway to a gate where it become the George Miller Trail above the former rail siding of Ozol. The George Miller Regional Trail is a 1.7 mile segment of former US 40 on Carquinez Scenic Drive which was washed out in the 1980s. The George Miller Regional Trail opened as a multi-use facility in 2014. Sadly there is no historical plaques that denote the George Miller Trail as part of early US 40. Former US 40 on George Miller Regional Trail/Carquinez Scenic Drive continues 1.7 miles westward to the ruins of Nevada Dock. Almost all of George Miller Regional Trail has a vista of the Carquinez Strait somewhere nearby. The views of the railroad grade below really illustrate how much of a superior route the rails once had in the Carquinez Strait. Fortunately I'm a distance runner so getting to Nevada Dock and back to my car wasn't much an issue. Crockett is named for a California Supreme Court Judge by the name of Joseph Crockett who was a land owner in the area the community now stands. Crockett began to be settled in the late 1860s and grew into a town. Crockett received Post Office Service in 1883 as "Crockettville" which was simplified a year later. Crockett is traditionally be known as the home of the California and Hawaiian Sugar Company which operated in the community between 1906 until 2017. Former US 40 originally followed Ponoma Street west through downtown Crockett beyond the Carquinez Bridge to San Pablo Avenue. The originally alignment of US 40 followed San Pablo which was also part of LRN 14 all the way into downtown Oakland. US 40 originally met the Lincoln Highway as it exited the west approach of the 1927 Carquinez Bridge near what is now the on ramp/off ramp for I-80 southbound today. For illustrative purposes the original alignment of US 40/LRN 14 on San Pablo Avenue between Crockett west to Oakland can be viewed on the 1930 ACSC map below. West of I-80 the 1958 and 2003 Carquinez Bridges can be viewed from a vista on former US 40 on San Pablo Avenue. The 1958 Carquinez Bridge carries I-80 eastbound and is a 3,300 foot long cantilever design. The 2003 Carquinez Bridge carries I-80 westbound and replaced the 1927 structure. The 2003 Carquinez Bridge is a 3,465 foot long suspension span. The 1958 Carquinez Bridge has a 140 foot clearance above the Carquinez Strait whereas the 2003 span has a 148 foot clearance. The 1927 Carquinez Bridge was a cantilever design that resembles the 1958 Bridge. The 1927 Carqueinz Bridge ultimately became part of I-80 westbound but was determined to be seismically unstable following the 1989 Loma Prieta Earthquake. Upon the completion of the 2003 Carquinez Bridge the 1927 structure was demolished. Construction of the 1927 Carquinez Bridge began in 1923 and can be seen in an unfinished state below. The 1927 Carquinez Bridge can be seen wedged between the 2003 and 1958 Bridges in this stock photo from 2006.
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