State Route 4 (California)

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State Route 4 is a state highway in California, routed from Interstate 80 to State Route 89. It passes through Ebbetts Pass and contains the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway, a National Scenic Byway.

Route description

Route 4 through Humboldt-Toiyabe National Forest (©2005 Dick James, courtesy of [byways.org])

Route 4, an east-west highway, begins in Hercules at San Pablo Avenue next to the Interstate 80 junction as part of John Muir Parkway. (The actual parkway extends a bit past the western terminus.) The road is an expressway between from its starting point until it approaches Martinez, at which point it becomes a full freeway (the California Delta Highway) passing Concord, Pittsburg, and Antioch. BART tracks run in the median of the freeway from the Port Chicago Highway interchange in Concord to the Bailey Road interchange in Bay Point, where the line currently ends at the Pittsburg/Bay Point Station. Access to that station is provided by a pedestrian bridge crossing over the eastbound lanes of Highway 4. After Antioch, the freeway turns northward to become State Route 160, and Route 4 separates to become a suburban and rural road passing through the Bay Area's outermost eastern suburbs (Oakley and Brentwood). Route 4 continues to Stockton, where it briefly joins I-5 and then enters a separate freeway routing almost directly through downtown Stockton. The route then multiplexes with State Route 99 before running eastward into the Sierra through Angels Camp and Calaveras Big Trees State Park. The route runs through the 8,050 ft. (2,454 m) Pacific Grade Summit on its way up to the 8,730 ft. (2,661 m) Ebbetts Pass and ends at State Route 89 ten miles west of Topaz Lake, on the California–Nevada border. The portion from Arnold to its terminus is designated the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway.

Through the mountains, Route 4 is not suitable for large trucks, buses, or RVs, as it becomes very steep and narrow (sometimes with no center dividing line), with tight twists and turns. This portion is also often closed in the winter due to snowstorms and snowpack. Additionally, the segment between Bear Valley Mountain Resort to Monitor Pass near Markleeville is completely shut down through the winter, until the snowmelt.

As of April 2006, a freeway extension from the route 160 junction bypassing Oakley and Brentwood to the south and west is in the various stages of planning and construction. [link] [link]

History

Points of interest

• The John Muir National Historic Site is California Historical Landmark #312, located directly north of Route 4 on Alhambra Avenue in Martinez. Additionally, Route 4 is also known as John Muir Parkway between I-80 and I-680.
• The town of Copperopolis (CHL #296) is a mining town not for gold, but for copper.
• Altaville (CHL #288), an important foundry town.
• Angels Camp (CHL #287), one of the richest quartz mining sections of the Mother Lode and home of "The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County".
• Vallecito (CHL #273), one of California's important early-day mining towns.
• Douglas Flat (CHL #272), a roaring mining camp of the early 1850s.
• Murphys (CHL #275), one of the principal mining communities in Calaveras County, and where notorious bandit Joaquin Murietta is said to have begun his murderous career.
• Calaveras Big Trees State Park
• CHL #318, marking Ebbetts Pass, is located at postmile ALP 18.5, 18 miles southwest of Markleeville.

Exit list

Interstate 80 - San Francisco; Sacramento

Interstate 80 East -
Crockett; Port Costa; Vallejo

Interstate 680 - San Jose; Sacramento

State Route 242 - Oakland; Concord

State Route 160 - Rio Vista; Sacramento

East 18th Street; Main Street

Charter Way

Interstate 5 South - Los Angeles

Interstate 5 - Sacramento; Los Angeles

State Route 99 north - Sacramento

State Route 99 south - Fresno; Los Angeles

Farmington Road

State law

Route 4 is part of the [Freeway and Expressway System], as stated by section 253.2 of the California State Highway Code.

Route 4 is part of the [Scenic Highway System], as stated by section 263.2 of the California State Highway Code.

Other names

• Arnold Industrial Highway: From I-680 near Martinez to Route 242 near Concord. Runs parallel to Arnold Industrial Way.
• California Delta Highway: From I-680 near Martinez to I-5 in Stockton. The Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers empty into the Delta north of the highway.
• John Muir Parkway: From I-80 in Hercules to I-680 near Martinez. Named for the environmentalist John Muir.
• Ort J. Lofthus Freeway: Runs from I-5 to Route 99 within Stockton.

References