End of US highway 199 |
US 199 was among the inaugural 1926 routes, and it has connected the same cities ever since. US 199 is one of only four US routes whose implied "parent" route (in this case US 99) has been completely decommissioned:
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The north terminus of US 199 shifted a bit when I-5 was built; the map below shows the location of its original endpoint:
Originally US 199 ended at the intersection at lower left, known as "Redwood Junction". Following is an historic photo taken at that junction; this sign was probably posted on 6th Street, for the benefit of traffic on northbound US 99. North is to the right, so the photo was taken looking west. Just to the left is where 6th forks to either Rogue River Highway or Williams Highway, so US 199 traffic heading that direction would have quickly taken a right turn in order to follow Redwood Highway:
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Modern US 199 follows a relatively recent extension eastward from Redwood Junction, via a third bridge over the river, called Grants Pass Parkway. Traffic joins "old" US 199 (E Street) about a half-mile west of I-5, so the north terminus of US 199 did not change after the Parkway was built:
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The northernmost marker was in error, showing "OR 199" instead of US 199:
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Today US 101 continues straight ahead, and as the green sign in the distance attests, the modern junction with US 199 is three miles ahead. But originally US 101 went left there on Northcrest, and straight ahead was the south beginning of US 199.
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By the mid-1940s, US 101 had been rerouted to its current alignment southward as far as today's junction with US 199. From that point, it continued south on what is now English Lane, and then followed Parkway southwest into town. So then US 199 ended on Parkway at English. Here, we are looking south on Parkway:
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Originally that was all US 199, and it ended at US 101 in town, about three miles ahead. But later US 101 was rerouted such that it came in from the right on English, and then continued ahead. So US 199 was truncated to end at that intersection. Today, to the right on English is not a through road -- it was vacated when the US 101 freeway was built:
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Whenever that happened (maybe around 1965) was probably also when US 199 was rerouted to its current terminus. The photos below show the spot:
It is unclear why only one of those panels was replaced, and it is unfortunate that old button copy is no longer with us.
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Ahead at the turn itself is a newer sign, followed by a confirming marker on the connector road, and finally a stop sign at mainline US 199:
It is not so complicated heading north on US 101, but here too more button copy has now bitten the dust:
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The confirming marker on the offramp is shown close-up below...
This photo shows the first confirming marker on mainline US 199. The highway immediately enters the redwood forest visible in the background, and makes for a scenic drive through canyons and over passes all the way into Oregon:
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Research and/or photo credits: Paul Dienhart; Chris Elbert; Dennis McClendon; Alex Nitzman; Dale Sanderson; Michael Summa; Mike Wiley
Page originally created 2001;
last updated Nov. 26, 2021.
last updated Nov. 26, 2021.