California State Route 98

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State Route 98

SR 98 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Caltrans
Length57.29 mi[2] (92.20 km)
Existed1933[1]–present
Major junctions
West end I-8 near Ocotillo
Major intersections CR S2 near Ocotillo
CR S29 near Mount Signal
CR S30 in Mount Signal
CR S31 near Calexico
SR 111 in Calexico
SR 7 near Bonds Corner
CR S33 near Bonds Corner
East end I-8 east of Holtville
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesImperial
Highway system
← US 97→ US 99

State Route 98 (SR 98) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California. It is a loop of Interstate 8 (I-8) running west to east south of the Interstate through the border city of Calexico. It passes through the city of Calexico and ends east of Holtville. The highway was added to the state highway system in 1933, and signed as Route 98 by 1938. The highway was paved and rerouted to its current path during the 1950s.

Route description

SR 98 begins at an interchange with I-8 southwest of the community of Ocotillo. The highway intersects CR S2 and passes south of Coyote Wells, and northeast of the Crucifixion Thorn Natural Area, which preserves the plant life of the Sonoran Desert. The road passes near El Centinela, just across the border in Mexico.[3] The road then turns due east through the Colorado Desert. After over forty miles of desert, SR 98 intersects with CR S29 and then CR S30, the latter in the community of Mount Signal which contains several solar panels.[3] The road passes over the New River and intersects CR S31 before entering the border city of Calexico, just opposite from Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. SR 98 intersects SR 111, the north-south highway connecting Mexicali and El Centro, before leaving the city and continuing east through rural Imperial County. After meeting SR 7, SR 98 goes through the community of Bonds Corner before intersecting CR S33. SR 98 then parallels the All American Canal before terminating at I-8 at Midway Well.[4]

The portion of SR 98 from SR 111 east to I-8 is designated as part of the Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail auto tour route, promoted by the National Park Service.[5] SR 98 in Calexico is part of the National Highway System,[6] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[7] In 2022, SR 98 had an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 1,850 vehicles at the western terminus with I-8, and 23,700 vehicles between Cloke Road and Cesar Chavez Boulevard in Calexico, the latter of which was the highest AADT for the highway.[8]

History

The highway was originally designated as Route 202 in 1933.[1] By 1934, signed Route 98 headed due south from Seeley, before turning east through Calexico and curving slightly to the north and then east again through Bonds Corners. The easternmost portion of the highway was unpaved.[9][10] In October 1935, a contract was awarded for "grading and surfacing" the portion from East Highline Canal to Midway Wells.[11] On May 3, 1936, the new paved roadway from Bonds Corner to Midway Wells was dedicated; it was shifted north of the former roadway.[12] By 1938, the entirety of Route 98 at that time, which was signed, was either gravel or asphalt.[13]

Between 1952 and 1954, the western portion of SR 98 was rerouted onto the county road, moving the western terminus to southwest of Coyote Wells; however, the new portion was not paved.[14][15] Route 202 had its western terminus moved similarly as well.[16] In 1955, a contract was authorized to pave the road from Route 12 (US 80) near Coyote Wells to near Mount Signal for $279,700;[17] by the next year, the entire highway was paved.[18] In the 1964 state highway renumbering, the highway was officially renumbered as Route 98.[19] I-8 was extended to the western terminus of SR 98 by 1965,[20] and to the eastern terminus of SR 98 by 1970.[21]

In 2016, there were plans to add two lanes to SR 98 from Dogwood Road to Rockwood Avenue, at a cost of $75.9 million.[22] In 2022, local businesses complained about financial impacts when the Spectrum Construction company stopped work on the widening between Ollie and V.V. Williams avenues due to a labor shortage.[23]

Major intersections

The entire route is in Imperial County.

Locationmi
[24][2]		kmDestinationsNotes
​0.000.00
 I-8 west – San Diego		Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; west end of SR 98; I-8 exit 87
​1.802.90

 CR S2 (Imperial Highway) to I-8 east – Ocotillo, Plaster City, El Centro
​22.4836.18
 CR S29 (Drew Road) to I-8 – Seeley
Mount Signal24.3739.22 CR S30 (Brockman Road)
​30.5449.15 CR S31 (Dogwood Road)
Calexico32.5952.45
 SR 111 (Imperial Avenue) to I-8 – El Centro, Calexico		Former US 99
39.9564.29 SR 7 – International Border
​43.9670.75 CR S33 (Bonesteele Road)
​57.1691.99 I-8 – El Centro, YumaInterchange; I-8 exit 143
​57.2992.20Evan Hewes HighwayEast end of SR 98
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

References

  1. ^ a b California State Assembly. An act to amend sections 2, 3 and 5 and to add two sections to be numbered 6 and 7 to an act entitled 'An act to provide for the acquisition of rights of way for and the construction, maintenance... Fiftieth Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 767, pp. 2034–2042.
  2. ^ a b California Department of Transportation (2016). Postmile Services (Map). California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 12, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Sylvester, Arthur Gibbs; Gans, Elizabeth O'Black (2016). Roadside Geology of Southern California. Missoula, Montana: Mountain Press Publishing Company. pp. 128–130. ISBN 9780878426539.
  4. ^ San Diego County Street Atlas (Map). Thomas Brothers. 2009.
  5. ^ "Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail Guide: Imperial County". National Park Service. Retrieved October 6, 2008.
  6. ^ Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: California (South) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  7. ^ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  8. ^ California Department of Transportation (2022). "All Traffic Volumes on CSHS". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
  9. ^ California Division of Highways (1934). Road Map of the State of California (Map). [1:1,463,040]. Sacramento: California Division of Highways. OCLC 26955146.
  10. ^ California Division of Highways (August 1934). "State Routes will be Numbered and Marked with Distinctive Bear Signs". California Highways and Public Works. 12 (8): 20, 34. OCLC 7511628.
  11. ^ "Midway Well Road Bid Let". Imperial Valley Press. October 24, 1935. p. 1. Retrieved February 19, 2023 – via Newspapers.com.
  12. ^ Roussel, Julien (May 1936). "Calexico Celebrates Completion of Highway Link Across Desert Sands". California Highways and Public Works. California Division of Highways. 14 (5): 10–12. OCLC 7511628.
  13. ^ California Division of Highways (1938). Road Map of the State of California (Map). [1:1,463,040]. Sacramento: California Division of Highways.
  14. ^ California Division of Highways (1952). Road Map of the State of California (Map). 1:1,411,705. Sacramento: California Division of Highways.
  15. ^ California Division of Highways (1954). Road Map of the State of California (Map). [1:1,411,705]. Sacramento: California Division of Highways.
  16. ^ California State Assembly. An act...relating to the State Highway Route 202. 1953 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 1793, pp. 3574–3575.
  17. ^ California Division of Highways (July–August 1955). "State Highway Contracts Awarded". California Highways and Public Works. 33 (5): 62–63. OCLC 7511628.
  18. ^ California Division of Highways (1956). Road Map of the State of California (Map). [1:1,411,705]. Sacramento: California Division of Highways.
  19. ^ California State Assembly. An act to add Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) to Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, and to repeal Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, the... 1963 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 385, p. 1182.
  20. ^ "Jacumba Grade Opens Tomorrow". The San Diego Union. May 2, 1965. p. A22. OCLC 13155544.
  21. ^ California Division of Highways (1970). State Highway Map: California (Map). [1:1,341,120]. Sacramento: California Division of Highways.
  22. ^ Staff (June 13, 2016). "When will highway be widened". Imperial Valley Press. El Centro, California.
  23. ^ Morales, Julio (June 18, 2022). "Stalled Highway 98 Project Blamed for Lost Sales". Calexico Chronicle. Retrieved December 13, 2024.
  24. ^ California Department of Transportation (October 2018). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.

External links

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