 State Route 70 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 70 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained byCaltrans | ||||
| Length | 178.528 mi[1] (287.313 km) (plus about 0.5 mi (1 km) onSR 20) | |||
| History | State highway in 1910 and 1931; becameSR 24 in 1934, US 40 Alt. in 1954, and SR 70 in 1964 | |||
| Tourist routes |  Feather River Scenic Byway | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| Southwest end |  SR 99 nearPleasant Grove | |||
| Major intersections |
| |||
| Northeast end |  US 395 atHallelujah Junction | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | California | |||
| Counties | Sutter,Yuba,Butte,Plumas,Lassen | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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State Route 70 (SR 70) is astate highway in theU.S. state ofCalifornia, connectingSR 99 north ofSacramento withU.S. Route 395 (US 395) nearBeckwourth Pass (lowest in theSierra Nevada) via theFeather River Canyon. Through the Feather River Canyon, fromSR 149 to US 395, SR 70 is the Feather River Scenic Byway, aForest Service Byway that parallels the ex-Western Pacific Railroad'sFeather River Route.
TheBeckwourth Trail was the earliest predecessor of SR 70, which was a spur of theCalifornia Trail. This was followed by the railroad, mostly built on the route of the trail; a dirt road was needed for construction that was later converted into part of the present state highway. Construction on the highway began in 1928, which involved the boring of three tunnels. Previously, the road was signed asU.S. Route 40 Alternate, crossing the Sierra Nevada at a lower elevation thanDonner Pass onUS 40, nowInterstate 80 (I-80). The road was renumbered SR 70 in the1964 state highway renumbering. Today, portions of SR 70 have been upgraded to a four-lane expressway, and even a freeway in a few locations.
State Route 70 begins at a partialinterchange withSR 99 north ofSacramento, close to theFeather River Routerail line that parallels the entire highway, and heads north along a four-lane mix of expressway andfreeway. Just north of the Bear River crossing /Yuba County line, inPlumas Lake, SR 70 becomes a freeway for the second time, which continues to just beyond theYuba River inMarysville. Within that city, SR 70 makes two turns andoverlapsSR 20 before heading north on a two-lane road, expanding to four lanes shortly thereafter. Another four-lane freeway begins south ofSR 162 inOroville, and ends atSR 149. SR 149 is a major connection northwest toSR 99, and became the straight-through movement when the construction to replace the intersection with an interchange was completed in November 2008.[2] TheState Scenic Highway portion of SR 70 begins at SR 149, which is where SR 70 turns northeast out of theSacramento Valley and into the mountains. The shortSR 191 spurs north toParadise, while SR 70 crosses theWest Branch Feather River on the double-deckerWest Branch Bridge, with the Feather River Route below. A short four-lane section runs over the bridge towardsJarbo Gap, where the present SR 70 merges with the old road (Dark Canyon Road) that was used before the Feather River wasdammed to createLake Oroville in the 1960s.[3]
After crossing through Jarbo Gap, SR 70 drops down into the canyon of theNorth Fork Feather River, which it follows almost toQuincy, usually on the opposite side from the Feather River Route; this results in two places where both transportation lines cross the river and each other. The first of these is thePulga Bridge, anarch bridge that crosses over a lower railroadtruss bridge; soon after are the highway's threetunnels through rock formations in the canyon. After a fair distance through the canyon, and that formed by theEast Branch North Fork Feather River, SR 70 reaches the junction withState Route 89 nearPaxton; Routes 70 and 89overlap southeast from that point, where the East Branch splits intoIndian Creek andSpanish Creek.[3]
The highway heads southeast, partly along the latter creek, pastKeddie toQuincy in theAmerican Valley. It leaves the valley via Greenhorn Creek, passing the Feather River Route'sWilliams Loop and then following the small Estray Creek toLee Summit, which the rail line passes under in theSpring Garden Tunnel. This brings SR 70 into the valley of theMiddle Fork Feather River, which takes it southeast toBlairsden, where the State Scenic Highway ends and State Route 89 splits to the south, and then east, through thePlumas National Forest, toPortola andBeckwourth. The largeSierra Valley begins at the latter community, and SR 70 heads almost directly across, passing the north end ofSR 49 atVinton and the south end ofSR 284 atChilcoot before crossingBeckwourth Pass, which the railroad takes theChilcoot Tunnel under, and descending slightly to end atU.S. 395 atHallelujah Junction.[3]
The portion of SR 70 west ofState Route 89 nearBlairsden is also eligible for theState Scenic Highway System,[4] but has not been designated as such by Caltrans.[5] The entire route is part of theCalifornia Freeway and Expressway System,[6] though it is mostly two lanes. SR 70 south of SR 149 is part of theNational Highway System,[7] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by theFederal Highway Administration.[8] All of SR 70 is designated as the Feather River Scenic Byway, aNational Forest Scenic Byway.[9]
James Beckwourth opened theBeckwourth Trail overBeckwourth Pass in 1851, crossing theSierra Nevada at a lower elevation than the existingDonner Pass route of theCalifornia Trail. This split from theTruckee Route of the California Trail nearReno and roughly followed the present SR 70 toQuincy, but, rather than passing through the Feather River Canyon, it followed Oroville-Quincy Highway along ridges toBidwell's Bar.[10] A company was incorporated on July 23, 1855, to build theQuincy and Spanish Ranch Wagon Road, which bypassed the older trail from Quincy west toSpanish Ranch and began collectingtolls in November. ThePioneer Wagon Road, another toll road, was built in 1856 and 1857, continuing the improvements southwest to Buckeye (just before theButte County line). An 1866 law authorizedPlumas County to improve the portion from Quincy east toBeckwourth. The county also improved the road east from Beckwourth over the pass as part of theRed Clover Wagon Road, which began atGenesee and was completed in the 1870s.[11]
TheWestern Pacific Railroad completed its main line into California in 1909. This followed the old Beckwourth Trail east of Quincy, but to the west it reachedOroville andMarysville via theFeather River Canyon. While building the railroad, theUtah Construction Company had created a dirt road through the canyon to assist with construction; citizens created the Plumas County Road Association in 1911 to push for improvements to this roadway and creation of a year-round route between Oroville and Quincy (the existing route over the ridges was closed for at least four months each winter). The first state highway bond issue, passed by the state's voters in 1910, included a Route 30 connecting Oroville with Quincy.Plumas County surveyor Arthur W. Keddie surveyed the Feather River Canyon route for theCalifornia Highway Commission in 1913, but the state announced in 1916 that the existing ridge route would be improved. After much debate, the state legislative road committee included the statement that this route would follow the Feather River in the 1919 amendment authorizing a third bond issue;[12] instead of keeping it as Route 30, the Highway Commission changed the designation to an extension of the shortRichvale-Oroville (nowSR 162) Route 21, which was also part of the first bond issue.[13][14]
Construction began on July 1, 1928, withconvict labor for the easier portions andcontractors for the remainder, as well as bridges and tunnels, but was slowed by theGreat Depression. On the most difficult portion, between Cresta and Rock Creek, three tunnels had to be built at Arch Rock, Grizzly Dome, and Elephant Butte; at the former two,surveyors had to hang out on rope over steepgranite slopes, androckslides repeatedly caused delays. The commission dedicated the road at a ceremony at Grizzly Dome, halfway between the ends, on August 14, 1937. Construction had cost $8.15 million for 78 miles (126 km) of new road. The remainder of the old trail from Quincy to the junction withRoute 29 (nowU.S. 395) east of Beckwourth Pass was added to the state highway system in 1931 as an extension of Route 21,[15] and was paved by 1936.[14] A newRoute 87 was created in 1933, stretching fromWoodland viaMarysville andOroville toRoute 3 (State Route 99) southeast ofChico, including the present SR 70 between Marysville and Oroville.[16][17] Route 87 from Woodland to Oroville and Route 21 from Oroville to east of Beckwourth Pass became a newState Route 24 in 1934;[18] State Route 24 was extended southwest from Woodland toOakland by the end of 1937.[19]
 .svg) U.S. Route 40 Alternate | |
|---|---|
| Location | Sacramento, CA–Reno, NV |
| Existed | 1954–1964 |
In 1954,[20][21] the original part of State Route 24 was replaced by U.S. Route 40 Alternate, which continued south onU.S. 99W from Woodland toDavis and southeast onU.S. 395 toReno, Nevada to joinU.S. 40 at both ends.[22] A direct route from Marysville south toSacramento was added to the state highway system in 1949 as Route 232,[23][24] and later became part of a rerouted State Route 24.[25] The U.S. 40 Alternate designation was short-lived, and was mostly replaced by State Route 70 in the1964 renumbering. Southwest of Marysville, former U.S. 40 Alternate instead becameState Route 113, and SR 70 ran south along former State Route 24 (Route 232) to a point north of Sacramento, where the newState Route 99 came in from the northwest and continued south.[26][27] Despite SR 70 always ending at State Route 99, it was once signed along State Route 99 (El Centro Road, Garden Highway, and theJibboom Street Bridge) to Sacramento.[28]
When it was originally built, the Feather River Highway northeast from Oroville followed the present Oroville Dam Boulevard (County Route B2) to the present location of theOroville Dam, and then ran north and northeast alongside the North Fork Feather River along a route now covered byLake Oroville. It left to the north on Dark Canyon Road, meeting the present alignment atJarbo Gap.[29] Since the old road would be flooded, a $14.8 million new alignment, much of it four lanes, was built around the west side; the Western Pacific Railroad was also relocated to a nearby alignment.[30] The double-deckerWest Branch Bridge over theWest Branch Feather River northwest of the dam, carrying the highway above the rail line, was dedicated on August 15, 1962.[31] Three portions of SR 70 have been upgraded tofreeways: north ofSR 99 to Berry and Kempton Roads in the early 2010s; south fromMarysville to theState Route 65 split in the mid-1950s, extended farther south in the late 1960s and late 2000s; and around downtownOroville, built in the early 1960s.[32]
In 2004, SR 70 was upgraded to a four-lane expressway between Feather River Boulevard north of theBear River and theYuba/Sutter county line to the freeway portion south of McGowan Parkway.[33] A freeway interchange was constructed in 2008 at Plumas Lake Boulevard for access to thePlumas Lake development previously served at an uncontrolled intersection with Plumas Arboga Road. The removal of this intersection effectively upgraded the expressway portion to freeway south to the Feather River Boulevard intersection.[34][35][36] In the early 2010s, the last two-lane segment of SR 70 south of Marysville was expanded to a four-lane expressway, with a freeway section bypassing the small town ofEast Nicolaus to the west. In 2015, the interchange with Feather River Boulevard in Plumas Lake was opened to traffic, eliminating the last signalized intersection between Sacramento (with SR 99) and Marysville.[37]
In 2023, one of the last stretches of two-lane highway of SR 70, between East Gridley Road and just north of Laurellen Road, was widened to a four-lane expressway, with acenter left-turn lane and eight foot wide shoulders on each side.[38] The project was completed in September of that year.[39] The portions between SR 162 and East Gridley Road were completed in the early 2010s to the early 2020s.[40]
The last two-lane section of SR 70 between Marysville and Oroville, which involves the portion between 14th Street in Marysville and Laurellen Road just north of Marysville was approved to be expanded into four lanes, with a center left-turn lane. It will involve expanding the narrow roadway under two railroad overcrossings and the relocation of a levee. The project is on hold as the city of Marysville is in a lawsuit with Caltrans over the increased traffic through the city.[40] Once the project is completed, SR 70 will become a continuous four-lane highway from its start at SR 99 all the way to SR 191 south of Paradise, even though traffic will still have to navigate through the center of Marysville.
Except where prefixed with a letter,postmiles were measured on the road as it was in1964, based on primarily a south-to-north alignment (especially the freeway segment betweenState Route 99 andState Route 149), and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary (for a full list of prefixes, seeCalifornia postmile § Official postmile definitions).[1] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
| County | Location | Postmile [1][32][41] | Exit [42] | Destinations | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sutter SUT R0.05-8.30 | | R0.05 |  SR 99 south –Sacramento | Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; southwestern terminus of SR 70; SR 99 north exit 319 | |
| | M1.00 |   Striplin Road toSR 99 north –Yuba City | |||
| | 1.18 | South end of freeway | |||
| East Nicolaus | M3.99 | 4 | Nicolaus Avenue | ||
| | 6.82 | North end of freeway | |||
| | 7.09 | South end of freeway | |||
| Yuba YUB 0.00-25.82 | Plumas Lake | R0.35 | 9 | Feather River Boulevard | |
| R3.47 | 12 | Plumas Lake Boulevard | |||
| Olivehurst | R7.35 | 16 | McGowan Parkway | ||
| R8.29 | 17 |  SR 65 south –Roseville | Southbound left exit and northbound entrance; northern terminus of SR 65; formerUS 99E south | ||
| R9.28 | 18A | Olivehurst (Olivehurst Avenue) | |||
| Linda | R10.16 | 18B | Erle Road | ||
| R11.39 13.01 | 20A | Feather River Boulevard | ServesBeale AFB,Yuba College (northbound only) | ||
| 13.23 | 20B | North Beale Road | No southbound entrance; servesBeale AFB,Yuba College | ||
| Marysville | 14.08 | — | 1st Street, F Street | Southbound entrance only | |
| 14.25 | North end of freeway | ||||
| 14.70 0.99[N 1] |   SR 20 west (E Street) / 9th Street –Yuba City | South end of SR 20 overlap; formerUS 40 Alt. west /US 99E north | |||
| 1.47[N 1] 14.71 |  SR 20 east (12th Street) –Grass Valley | North end of SR 20 overlap | |||
| Butte BUT 0.00-48.08 | | 12.65 | South end of freeway | ||
| Oroville | 13.90 | 46 |  SR 162 (Oroville Dam Boulevard,SR 70 Bus. east) –Richvale | ||
| 14.61 | 47 | Montgomery Street (CR B2) | Western terminus of CR B2 | ||
| 15.43– 15.72 | 48 | Grand Avenue, Nelson Avenue (SR 70 Bus. west) | |||
| 16.63 | 49 | Garden Drive | |||
| Wicks Corner | 20.48 | — |  SR 149 north toSR 99 –Chico,Red Bluff | Southern terminus of SR 149 | |
| | R21.22 | North end of freeway | |||
| | 21.87 |  SR 191 north (Clark Road) / Table Mountain Boulevard –Paradise | Southern terminus of SR 191 | ||
| | 28.22 | West Branch Bridge overWest Branch Feather River | |||
| | 40.99 | Pulga Bridge overNorth Fork Feather River | |||
| | 47.15 | Arch Rock Tunnel | |||
| Plumas PLU 0.00-95.96 | | 0.77 | Grizzly Dome Tunnel | ||
| | 0.99 | Elephant Butte Tunnel | |||
| | 6.99 | Tobin Bridge overNorth Fork Feather River | |||
| | 33.03 |  SR 89 north –Greenville,Lake Almanor | West end of SR 89 overlap | ||
| | 49.80 | Massack Rest Area | |||
| Blairsden | R66.63 | SR 89 south –Truckee | East end of SR 89 overlap | ||
| Portola | 75.96 |  CR A15 (Gulling Street) | Northern terminus of CR A15 | ||
| | R79.20 | Davis Rest Area | |||
| Beckwourth | R80.32 |  CR A23 (Beckwourth-Calpine Road) –Calpine | Northern terminus of CR A23 | ||
| | 83.17 |  CR A24 (Beckwourth-Loyalton Road) | Northern terminus of CR A24 | ||
| Vinton | 92.07 |  SR 49 south –Loyalton | Northern terminus of SR 49 | ||
| Chilcoot | 94.28 |  SR 284 (Frenchman Lake Road) / Patterson Street –Frenchman Lake Recreation Area | Southern terminus of SR 284 | ||
| | 95.76[43] | Beckwourth Pass, elevation 5,212 feet (1,589 m)[43] | |||
| Lassen LAS 0.00-3.89 | Hallelujah Junction | 3.89 | US 395 –Reno,Susanville | Interchange; northeastern terminus of SR 70; US 395 exit 8; formerUS 40 Alt. east | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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 State Route 70 Business | |
|---|---|
| Location | Oroville |
State Route 70 Business (SR 70 Bus.) is abusiness route of California State Route 70 inOroville. It provides access to downtown Oroville, followingOroville Dam Boulevard (SR 162),Myers Street,Montgomery Street (CR B2),Table Mountain Boulevard, andNelson Avenue.
The entire route is inOroville,Butte County.
| mi | km | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | 0.0 | SR 162 west (Oroville Dam Boulevard west) –Willows | Continuation beyond SR 70 | |
| Module:Jctint/USA warning: Unused argument(s): state | ||||
| 0.0 | 0.0 |  SR 70 –Marysville,Quincy | Interchange; southern terminus; south end of SR 162 overlap; SR 70 exit 46 | |
| 1.5 | 2.4 | SR 162 east (Oroville Dam Boulevard east) / Myers Street south –Lake Oroville | North end of SR 162 overlap | |
| 2.2 | 3.5 | Montgomery Street west (CR B2 west) / Myers Street north | South end of CR B2 overlap; Montgomery Street is formerUS 40 Alt. west | |
| 2.6 | 4.2 | Montgomery Street east (CR B2 east) / Washington Avenue | Montgomery StreetRoundabout; north end of CR B2 overlap | |
| 3.4 | 5.5 | Table Mountain Boulevard, Cherokee Road | Table Mountain Roundabout; Table Mountain Boulevard is formerUS 40 Alt. east | |
| 4.2 | 6.8 | SR 70 north / 3rd Street –Chico,Quincy | Interchange; northern terminus; SR 70 exit 48; connects toSR 149 | |
| 4.2 | 6.8 | 4th Street to SR 70 south –Marysville | ||
| 4.2 | 6.8 | Nelson Avenue west | Continuation beyond SR 70 | |
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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