FUD Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> As for mook, hasn't been seen in years. Did we
> drive (him?) away?

[www.altamontpress.com]

Re: [Not RR] Bakersfield freeway project
Author: mook
Date: 06-09-2017 - 21:58

Work has been busy recently, and a few other things are demanding time, but I'm back for a few days.

Nearly 30 years ago, I did peripheral work for some early route studies for 58 west of 99. As it turns out, the part that has been built pretty closely follows one that we looked at. At the time, options were studied all over the area, including going around both north and south of town. But the Powers That Be wanted the central route, in part to serve new development out to the west, which did happen. They also kicked the connection to 99 down the road for some other group of politicians and planners to deal with, because at the time touching the neighborhoods was political death. And the options that would not have gone through any neighborhoods were expensive and ugly.

BTW, "I-40" was (still is?) fightin' words in Bakersfield. It's "Highway 58" or "Route 58" thank you. But the Westside Parkway *is* someday going to connect with 58 to the east and 99, and the basic planning work was done a long time ago (not that Stockdale Hwy. is particularly bad, for now, if maintained) for a connection to I-5. The "Parkway" section is built to freeway standards. Most of 58 to the east is 4 lanes or plans exist to make it so, and a fair amount of it is freeway already. It has a nice connection to I-15 in Barstow that's conveniently close to the I-40 interchange. Does it take deep thinking to figure out what the ultimate status of 58 will be, if we keep using long-distance trucking and highway construction money continues to be available?

In truly ancient days, before CHSRA came along, there was a scheme for HSR near I-5 that would have had stations with cross-valley rail links to Fresno and Bakersfield. Didn't seem to get much traction once the Proposition was passed, and iirc the Valley towns were against it because they didn't want to have to transfer to a Toonerville to get from HSR to town. The Bakersfield connection would have followed much of the path of the Westside Parkway.

Curious: while looking at 58 in Google, I came across what appears to be an old rail r/w connecting with BNSF at Kramer. Remnants of a nice big wye, then striking out to the north and a little east before going through the hills and back to the northwest. Was that a branch to Randsburg or Johannesburg by any chance? Never heard of one, but it's pretty obvious on the overhead photos. Yes, there's a solar plant covering some of it now, but most is still pretty clear.

Cheers!