Route Description
This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System. However, it is not a scenic highway as designated by Caltrans.
Route 58 has several names throughout its length, including the Blue Star Memorial Highway (for its entire length); the Kern County Korean War Veterans Memorial Highway, for the section from Route 184 to the Kern County/San Bernardino County Line; and the Rosa Parks Highway, for the section between Route 99 and Route 184. The Korean War Veterans name honors the approximately 8,120 veterans from Kern County, while the section named for Rosa Parks honors the civil rights activist. The portion of the 58 from Barstow to Bakersfield is sometimes referred to as the Barstow–Bakersfield Highway.
Route 58 is a freeway from its south junction with Route 99 in Bakersfield (West Bakersfield Interchange) to several miles east of Mojave (a freeway bypass of Mojave was completed in 2004), except for two grade-level intersections two miles (3.2 km) apart in the Caliente area. There is another grade level intersection east of Mojave and west of the main Edwards AFB north gate exit where California City Blvd. intersects it. Other freeway segments are bypasses of Boron and Barstow. Except for the Boron freeway bypass, SR 58 is primarily a four lane expressway (two lanes per direction) just east of Boron up to the Barstow bypass segment with the exception of the portion of Route 58 between Boron and approximately 5 miles (8.0 km) east of Kramer Junction, which is currently two-lane highway and is not yet expressway.
Route 58 takes the southernmost route through the Sierra Nevada and allows motorists to travel between Northern California and points to the east, such as Las Vegas and Interstate 40 without having to face the extreme traffic congestion of greater Los Angeles. Route 58 and Interstate 80 are the only freeways to cross the Sierra Nevada. The route also offers an alternative to the often treacherous Donner Pass to truckers traveling from the San Francisco Bay Area to points eastward; prior to the construction of Interstate 80, the road (as U.S. Route 466) was heavily used for this purpose.
Route 58 west of Buttonwillow is a winding mountain road through a thinly-populated area. Alternatives such as State Route 46 to the north or State Route 166 to the south are recommended, such as on signage approaching the western terminus of Route 58 from US 101, for those not wishing to traverse so mountainous a route; much of this section of Route 58 is prohibited to truck traffic. However, this section of SR 58 does pass through the Carrizo Plain, which is known for its scenic beauty and geological features, including the San Andreas Fault.
Read more about this topic: California State Route 58
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