California State Route 160
Encyclopedia
State Route 160 is a state highway
in the U.S. state
of California
consisting of two sections. The longer, southern, section is a scenic highway through the alluvial plain
of the Sacramento River
, linking SR 4 in Antioch
with Sacramento
via the Antioch Bridge
. The northern section, separated by the southern by Sacramento city streets, is the North Sacramento Freeway, running from the 16th Street Bridge over the American River
to Interstate 80 Business
towards Roseville
.
This northern section was deleted from the definition in the Streets and Highways Code in 2003, when the relinquished portion through downtown Sacramento
was also removed, but it is still maintained and signed by the California Department of Transportation
(Caltrans) as SR 160. This portion is also part of the California Freeway and Expressway System
, as is the piece south of SR 12 near Rio Vista
, though, of the latter, only the southernmost piece in Antioch is built to freeway standards. The entire southern portion, from SR 4 to Sacramento, is part of the State Scenic Highway System
.
State Route 160 begins in eastern Antioch
at the point where SR 4 leaves the freeway onto Main Street. After one interchange, with Wilbur Avenue, the highway rises onto the two lane Antioch Bridge
over the San Joaquin River
. It cuts north across the center of Sherman Island
, reaching the Sacramento River
on the opposite shore. From here to Sacramento, SR 160 never strays far from the river, first following the east levee
over the 1949 Three Mile Slough Bridge (a lift bridge
), past Brannan Island State Recreation Area
, and across SR 12 opposite the river from Rio Vista
. After passing Isleton
, the highway crosses the river on the Isleton Bridge, a bascule bridge
built in 1923, and runs along the west shore on Grand Island
, where it meets the east end of SR 220
. The Walnut Grove Bridge carries County Route J11 east across the river to Walnut Grove
, and, at the north end of the island, SR 160 crosses the 1924 Steamboat Slough Bridge onto Sutter Island and then the 1923 Paintersville Bridge across the Sacramento River to the mainland, both bascule bridges.
On the mainland, SR 160 once again runs atop the east levee, now 1-2 miles (1.5-3 km) west of Interstate 5. The final bridge over the river is the Freeport Bridge, which carries County Route E9 to the west levee, where it turns south to return to SR 160 at the west end of the Paintersville Bridge. About a mile (1.5 km) beyond the Freeport Bridge, SR 160 leaves the levee, enters the city of Sacramento
(where state maintenance and control ends), passes under I-5, and farm
s give way to suburb
s. Here the former SR 160 is known as Freeport Boulevard, a major surface road that passes the Sacramento Executive Airport
and Sacramento City College
. Freeport Boulevard turns to the northwest at about 4th Avenue. It was formerly a one-way pair with 21st Street with Freeport heading one-way southbound and 21st heading one-way northbound. The city converted these streets back to two-way street
s for traffic calming
purposes in 2008. After a short jog west on Broadway, former SR 160 turns north on the one-way pair of 15th (southbound) and 16th (northbound) Streets, almost immediately crossing Business 80 and entering downtown Sacramento
.
15th and 16th Streets lead traffic north past the east side of the State Capitol grounds, which lie between L and N Streets. At F Street, the path of southbound SR 160 jogged west for three blocks to 12th Street; both 12th and 16th Streets pass under the Union Pacific Railroad
's Martinez Subdivision (where B Street would be) in four-lane subway
s, but 15th Street dead-ends. 12th Street remains a one-way southbound roadway, but the two-way RT Light Rail now occupies its east side. 12th Street turns northeast at North B Street, and the two directions of former SR 160 come together at Richards Boulevard, just south of the 16th Street Bridge over the American River
and the south end of the state-maintained North Sacramento Freeway. The light rail, which crosses the river between the two directions of SR 160, soon leaves at the Del Paso Boulevard interchange as the freeway turns east. Two folded diamonds at local streets and a northbound-only entrance ramp from Tribute Road are all that remains before SR 160 merges with Business 80 at the Arden Way interchange. Business 80 is now known as the Capital City Freeway here.
improved the county road along the levee
of the Sacramento River
between Sacramento and Rio Vista
, which crossed the river twice on free ferries near Paintersville
and Isleton
. A toll
ferry across the San Joaquin River
connected Sherman Island
, south of Rio Vista, with Antioch
, where drivers could head west through the Broadway Tunnel to reach the San Francisco Bay
, but the road between Rio Vista and the ferry was poor. In 1922, the Victory Highway Association selected this "Netherlands Route" (through what was locally promoted as the "Netherlands of America") for the Victory Highway
west of Sacramento, as it was both shorter than the Lincoln Highway
route via Stockton
and more scenic. In particular, the river district would "impress [the motorist] with the enormous productive resources of this state as well as supply him with an unmatched scenic drive", and the Broadway Tunnel approach to the bay would bring him "over the Victory Highway to the end of his journey in such a fashion that he will never forget the view spread before him as he first comes into sight of the San Francisco Bay region".
Two bascule bridge
s—the Paintersville Bridge and Isleton Bridge—replaced the free ferries in 1923, and are of a type patented by Joseph B. Strauss, who went on to design the Golden Gate Bridge
. Local businessmen Aven Hanford and Oscar Klatt replaced the toll ferry with the tolled Antioch Bridge
in mid-1926, almost a year before they opened the larger Carquinez Bridge
to the west. The counties of Contra Costa
and Sacramento organized a joint highway district in November 1925 to fund an improvement of the northern approach from Rio Vista; the concrete highway was completed in July 1927, creating a fully paved continuous route between Sacramento and the bay.
The legislature added this road to the state highway system in 1933, and it became part of Legislative Route 11, which had stretched east from Sacramento along US 50
. This part of Route 11 was not assigned a sign route number in 1934, but, by 1937, when the new Broadway Low Level Tunnel opened, it was part of Sign Route 24
. That route had initially begun at Woodland
and traveled northeast and east through the Feather River Canyon, and was extended southeast from Woodland along Sign Route 16 to Sacramento and then south and west via Antioch to the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge approach in Berkeley
. The California Freeway and Expressway System
was formed in 1959, and included in the planned upgrades was the road between Antioch and Rio Vista. (North of Rio Vista the present SR 84
was part of the system.) The entire length was included in the State Scenic Highway System
in 1963. In the 1964 renumbering, the Antioch-Sacramento roadway was split between two routes: Route 84 from Antioch to SR 12 near Rio Vista
, and Route 160 from SR 12 to Sacramento. However, the entire route was marked as SR 160, and in 1981 the legislative definition was changed to reflect this.
The part of SR 160 through and north of downtown Sacramento began as part of Legislative Route 3, which was added to the state highway system under the first bond issue, passed in 1910, and left the city on the 16th Street Bridge over the American River
, following Del Paso Boulevard, El Camino Avenue, and Auburn Boulevard
to Roseville
. (The short piece from the end of Route 3 near the State Capitol south to Broadway and Freeport Boulevard was Route 4, which followed SR 99
towards Los Angeles
.) Route 3 between Sacramento and Roseville was also part of the Victory Highway
, and was marked as part of US 40 in 1928 and US 99E in 1929. The North Sacramento Freeway opened on October 6, 1947, bypassing this route from the bridge to Auburn Boulevard near Ben Ali. In 1955, the Elvas Freeway opened from the midpoint of the North Sacramento Freeway to the east side of downtown, and US 99E was moved off the south half of the older North Sacramento Freeway and onto the Elvas Freeway. The North Sacramento Freeway was included in the California Freeway and Expressway System
when it was created in 1959, and the part of Route 3 southwest of the Elvas Freeway, which carried I-80
, became part of SR 160 in the 1964 renumbering.
By 2000, the city of Sacramento maintained the non-freeway portion of SR 160 within the city limits under a contract with Caltrans. However, since Caltrans's main goal is to move traffic efficiently, the city was not able to carry out pedestrian-friendly projects that they and local residents wanted. Under a law passed in July 1999, Caltrans was authorized to relinquish any part of Route 160 within the city limits to Sacramento. The two agencies agreed, and on October 19, 2000 the portion from the south city limits to the American River became the full responsibility of the city. A 2003 amendment to the Streets and Highways Code erroneously deleted not only this part, but the North Sacramento Freeway as well.
A project to convert the former southbound-only Richards Boulevard access just south of the American River to a standard signalized intersection was completed in August 2007; this improves access to existing and future development in the area, including redevelopment of a former rail yard
, while slowing northbound traffic heading for the bridge and freeway. Another project converting Freeport Boulevard and 21st Street south of Broadway into two-way streets was also completed. 21st Street has carried northbound traffic since 1974, when Caltrans took it over. This will calm traffic while improving the intersection at the south end of the former one-way pair
, which the RT Light Rail now crosses 21st Street just to the north of. In addition, the three blocks of F Street that carried southbound SR 160 from 12th Street to 15th Street have been calmed by the addition of a roundabout
at 13th Street.
{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Exit
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=4|Contra Costa
CC 0.00-1.33
|rowspan=3|Antioch
|0.00
|1
|
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 1A (west) and 1B (east)
|-
|0.49
|1C
|Wilbur Avenue
|Signed as exit 1 northbound
|-
|0.55
|colspan=3 align=center|North end of freeway
|-
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|1.33
|rowspan=2 colspan=3 align=center|Antioch Bridge
over San Joaquin River
|-
|rowspan=32|Sacramento
SAC L0.00-47.05
|-
|
|L6.98
|colspan=3 align=center|Three Mile Slough Bridge over Three Mile Slough
|-
|
|L10.78
0.00
|
|
|
|-
|
|5.95
|colspan=3 align=center|Isleton Bridge over Sacramento River
|-
|Ryde
|11.46
|
| – Hogback Island
|
|-
|Walnut Grove
|14.16
|
|
|
|-
|
|19.76
|colspan=3 align=center|Steamboat Slough Bridge over Steamboat Slough
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|
|20.98
|colspan=3 align=center|Paintersville Bridge over Sacramento River
|-
|Hood
|26.25
|
|.svg.png)
Hood Franklin Road to I-5
|
|-
|
|34.07
|
|
|
|-
|
|rowspan=2|35.05
|rowspan=2 colspan=3 align=center|North end of state maintenance at Sacramento
south city limit
|-
|rowspan=20|Sacramento
|-
|35.85
|
| Meadowview Road, Pocket Road to I-5
|
|-
|36.85
|
|Florin Road
|
|-
|38.92
|
|Fruitridge Road
|
|-
|R41.41
L41.57
|
|Broadway east, 21st Street – Stockton
|Broadway east was former SR 99
south
|-
|41.71
41.79
|
|Broadway west, Land Park Drive – Woodland
|Broadway west was former SR 99
north
|-
|41.91
|
| – Reno
, Placerville
, Fresno
|
|-
|41.95
|
|
|
|-
|
|
|P Street – San Francisco
|
|-
|43.10
|
|J Street
|
|-
|R44.37
|
|Richards Boulevard
|At-grade intersection
; former southbound exit and entrance
|-
|rowspan=2|R44.46
|colspan=3 align=center|South end of freeway and state maintenance
|-
|colspan=3 align=center|16th Street Bridge over American River
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|R44.62
|46A
|Northgate Boulevard
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|R44.98
|46B
|Del Paso Boulevard
|Northbound left exit and southbound entrance; former US 40 east
|-
|45.60
|47A
|Leisure Lane, Canterbury Road
|
|-
|46.16
|47B
|Exposition Boulevard, Royal Oaks Drive
|
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|46.33
|
|Tribute Road
|Northbound entrance only; serves traffic from Exposition Boulevard to I-80 Bus. east because there is no direct ramp
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|46.58
|48
|Arden Way
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|47.05
|
|, Reno
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance; former US 99E north / I-80 east
State highway
State highway, state road or state route can refer to one of three related concepts, two of them related to a state or provincial government in a country that is divided into states or provinces :#A...
in the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
consisting of two sections. The longer, southern, section is a scenic highway through the alluvial plain
Alluvial plain
An alluvial plain is a relatively flat landform created by the deposition of sediment over a long period of time by one or more rivers coming from highland regions, from which alluvial soil forms...
of the Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
, linking SR 4 in Antioch
Antioch, California
Antioch is a city in Contra Costa County, California. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, it is a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland. The city's population was 102,372 at the U.S...
with Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
via the Antioch Bridge
Antioch Bridge
The Antioch Bridge crosses the San Joaquin River linking Antioch, California with Sacramento County, California. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 160. Unlike the other toll bridges in California, the Antioch bridge has only one lane going in each direction...
. The northern section, separated by the southern by Sacramento city streets, is the North Sacramento Freeway, running from the 16th Street Bridge over the American River
American River
The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
to Interstate 80 Business
Interstate 80 Business (Sacramento, California)
Interstate 80 Business, called the Capital City Freeway in its entirety, is a Business Loop of Interstate 80 through Sacramento. As it is state-maintained, unlike most business routes in California, it is assigned route numbers - part of U.S. Route 50 on its western half , and unsigned State Route...
towards Roseville
Roseville, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Roseville had a population of 118,788. The population density was 3,279.4 people per square mile...
.
This northern section was deleted from the definition in the Streets and Highways Code in 2003, when the relinquished portion through downtown Sacramento
Downtown Sacramento
Downtown Sacramento is the central business district of the City of Sacramento. Downtown is generally defined as the area south of the American River, east of the Sacramento River, north of Broadway, and west of 16th Street. The central business district is generally defined as north of R Street,...
was also removed, but it is still maintained and signed by the California Department of Transportation
California Department of Transportation
The California Department of Transportation is a government department in the U.S. state of California. Its mission is to improve mobility across the state. It manages the state highway system and is actively involved with public transportation systems throughout the state...
(Caltrans) as SR 160. This portion is also part of the California Freeway and Expressway System
California Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It is defined by the Streets and Highways Code.-List of roads in the system:*State Route 1 *State Route 2...
, as is the piece south of SR 12 near Rio Vista
Rio Vista, California
Rio Vista is a city located in the eastern end of Solano County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento River Delta region. The population was 7,360 at the 2010 census....
, though, of the latter, only the southernmost piece in Antioch is built to freeway standards. The entire southern portion, from SR 4 to Sacramento, is part of the State Scenic Highway System
State Scenic Highway System (California)
The State Scenic Highway System is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation as scenic highways. The California State Legislature, primarily through Section 263 of the Streets and Highways Code, makes highways eligible for...
.
Route description
Antioch, California
Antioch is a city in Contra Costa County, California. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, it is a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland. The city's population was 102,372 at the U.S...
at the point where SR 4 leaves the freeway onto Main Street. After one interchange, with Wilbur Avenue, the highway rises onto the two lane Antioch Bridge
Antioch Bridge
The Antioch Bridge crosses the San Joaquin River linking Antioch, California with Sacramento County, California. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 160. Unlike the other toll bridges in California, the Antioch bridge has only one lane going in each direction...
over the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
. It cuts north across the center of Sherman Island
Sherman Island (California)
Sherman Island is an island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta at the confluence of the two rivers in Sacramento County, California, two kilometres northeast of Antioch...
, reaching the Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
on the opposite shore. From here to Sacramento, SR 160 never strays far from the river, first following the east levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
over the 1949 Three Mile Slough Bridge (a lift bridge
Lift bridge
A vertical-lift bridge or lift bridge is a type of movable bridge in which a span rises vertically while remaining parallel with the deck....
), past Brannan Island State Recreation Area
Brannan Island State Recreation Area
Brannan Island State Recreation Area is a state park unit of California, USA preserving a maze of waterways in the delta of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River. The recreation area is located in Sacramento County between Rio Vista and Isleton...
, and across SR 12 opposite the river from Rio Vista
Rio Vista, California
Rio Vista is a city located in the eastern end of Solano County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento River Delta region. The population was 7,360 at the 2010 census....
. After passing Isleton
Isleton, California
Isleton is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. The population was 804 at the 2010 census, down from 828 at the 2000 census. It is located on Andrus Island amid the slough wetlands of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, on the eastern edge of the Rio Vista Gas Field.The city...
, the highway crosses the river on the Isleton Bridge, a bascule bridge
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
built in 1923, and runs along the west shore on Grand Island
Grand Island (California)
Grand Island is on the land lying between Sycamore Slough and the Sacramento River. A post office operated at Grand Island from 1854 to 1919.Grand Island is located in Sacramento County, California at...
, where it meets the east end of SR 220
California State Route 220
State Route 220 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, defined to run between State Route 84 and State Route 160 on Ryer Island. At the eastern end of Ryer Island, the road crosses Steamboat Slough on the J-Mack Ferry, a cable ferry....
. The Walnut Grove Bridge carries County Route J11 east across the river to Walnut Grove
Walnut Grove, California
Walnut Grove is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
, and, at the north end of the island, SR 160 crosses the 1924 Steamboat Slough Bridge onto Sutter Island and then the 1923 Paintersville Bridge across the Sacramento River to the mainland, both bascule bridges.
On the mainland, SR 160 once again runs atop the east levee, now 1-2 miles (1.5-3 km) west of Interstate 5. The final bridge over the river is the Freeport Bridge, which carries County Route E9 to the west levee, where it turns south to return to SR 160 at the west end of the Paintersville Bridge. About a mile (1.5 km) beyond the Freeport Bridge, SR 160 leaves the levee, enters the city of Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
(where state maintenance and control ends), passes under I-5, and farm
Farm
A farm is an area of land, or, for aquaculture, lake, river or sea, including various structures, devoted primarily to the practice of producing and managing food , fibres and, increasingly, fuel. It is the basic production facility in food production. Farms may be owned and operated by a single...
s give way to suburb
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
s. Here the former SR 160 is known as Freeport Boulevard, a major surface road that passes the Sacramento Executive Airport
Sacramento Executive Airport
Sacramento Executive Airport , also known as simply Executive Airport, is a public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Sacramento, a city in Sacramento County, California, USA...
and Sacramento City College
Sacramento City College
Sacramento City College is a two-year community college located in Sacramento, California. SCC is part of the Los Rios Community College District and had an enrollment of 25,307 in 2009. Sacramento City College is officially accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges , offering...
. Freeport Boulevard turns to the northwest at about 4th Avenue. It was formerly a one-way pair with 21st Street with Freeport heading one-way southbound and 21st heading one-way northbound. The city converted these streets back to two-way street
Two-way street
A two-way street is a street that allows vehicles to travel in both directions. On most two-way streets, especially main streets, a line is painted down the middle of the road to remind drivers to stay on their side of the road. Sometimes one portion of a street is two-way, the other portion one-way...
s for traffic calming
Traffic calming
Traffic calming is intended to slow or reduce motor-vehicle traffic in order to improve the living conditions for residents as well as to improve safety for pedestrians and cyclists. Urban planners and traffic engineers have many strategies for traffic calming...
purposes in 2008. After a short jog west on Broadway, former SR 160 turns north on the one-way pair of 15th (southbound) and 16th (northbound) Streets, almost immediately crossing Business 80 and entering downtown Sacramento
Downtown Sacramento
Downtown Sacramento is the central business district of the City of Sacramento. Downtown is generally defined as the area south of the American River, east of the Sacramento River, north of Broadway, and west of 16th Street. The central business district is generally defined as north of R Street,...
.
15th and 16th Streets lead traffic north past the east side of the State Capitol grounds, which lie between L and N Streets. At F Street, the path of southbound SR 160 jogged west for three blocks to 12th Street; both 12th and 16th Streets pass under the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
's Martinez Subdivision (where B Street would be) in four-lane subway
Subway (underpass)
In England and Wales, the Republic of Ireland, Hong Kong and some Commonwealth countries , the term subway normally refers to a specially constructed underpass for pedestrians and/or cyclists beneath a road or railway, allowing them to reach the other side in safety.The term is also used in the...
s, but 15th Street dead-ends. 12th Street remains a one-way southbound roadway, but the two-way RT Light Rail now occupies its east side. 12th Street turns northeast at North B Street, and the two directions of former SR 160 come together at Richards Boulevard, just south of the 16th Street Bridge over the American River
American River
The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
and the south end of the state-maintained North Sacramento Freeway. The light rail, which crosses the river between the two directions of SR 160, soon leaves at the Del Paso Boulevard interchange as the freeway turns east. Two folded diamonds at local streets and a northbound-only entrance ramp from Tribute Road are all that remains before SR 160 merges with Business 80 at the Arden Way interchange. Business 80 is now known as the Capital City Freeway here.
History
In the late 1910s, Sacramento CountySacramento County, California
Sacramento County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Sacramento, which is also the state capital. As of 2010 the county had a population of 1,418,788....
improved the county road along the levee
Levee
A levee, levée, dike , embankment, floodbank or stopbank is an elongated naturally occurring ridge or artificially constructed fill or wall, which regulates water levels...
of the Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
between Sacramento and Rio Vista
Rio Vista, California
Rio Vista is a city located in the eastern end of Solano County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento River Delta region. The population was 7,360 at the 2010 census....
, which crossed the river twice on free ferries near Paintersville
Paintersville, California
Paintersville is an unincorporated community in Sacramento County, California, United States. Paintersville is located along the Sacramento River and California State Route 160 less than south-southwest of Courtland. The community is named after Levi Painter, who laid out lots in the community in...
and Isleton
Isleton, California
Isleton is a city in Sacramento County, California, United States. The population was 804 at the 2010 census, down from 828 at the 2000 census. It is located on Andrus Island amid the slough wetlands of the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta, on the eastern edge of the Rio Vista Gas Field.The city...
. A toll
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
ferry across the San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
connected Sherman Island
Sherman Island (California)
Sherman Island is an island in the Sacramento-San Joaquin River Delta at the confluence of the two rivers in Sacramento County, California, two kilometres northeast of Antioch...
, south of Rio Vista, with Antioch
Antioch, California
Antioch is a city in Contra Costa County, California. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, it is a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland. The city's population was 102,372 at the U.S...
, where drivers could head west through the Broadway Tunnel to reach the San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay
San Francisco Bay is a shallow, productive estuary through which water draining from approximately forty percent of California, flowing in the Sacramento and San Joaquin rivers from the Sierra Nevada mountains, enters the Pacific Ocean...
, but the road between Rio Vista and the ferry was poor. In 1922, the Victory Highway Association selected this "Netherlands Route" (through what was locally promoted as the "Netherlands of America") for the Victory Highway
Victory Highway
The Victory Highway was an auto trail across the United States between New York City and San Francisco, roughly equivalent to the present U.S. Route 40.-History:...
west of Sacramento, as it was both shorter than the Lincoln Highway
Lincoln Highway
The Lincoln Highway was the first road across the United States of America.Conceived and promoted by entrepreneur Carl G. Fisher, the Lincoln Highway spanned coast-to-coast from Times Square in New York City to Lincoln Park in San Francisco, originally through 13 states: New York, New Jersey,...
route via Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
and more scenic. In particular, the river district would "impress [the motorist] with the enormous productive resources of this state as well as supply him with an unmatched scenic drive", and the Broadway Tunnel approach to the bay would bring him "over the Victory Highway to the end of his journey in such a fashion that he will never forget the view spread before him as he first comes into sight of the San Francisco Bay region".
Bascule bridge
A bascule bridge is a moveable bridge with a counterweight that continuously balances the span, or "leaf," throughout the entire upward swing in providing clearance for boat traffic....
s—the Paintersville Bridge and Isleton Bridge—replaced the free ferries in 1923, and are of a type patented by Joseph B. Strauss, who went on to design the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
. Local businessmen Aven Hanford and Oscar Klatt replaced the toll ferry with the tolled Antioch Bridge
Antioch Bridge
The Antioch Bridge crosses the San Joaquin River linking Antioch, California with Sacramento County, California. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 160. Unlike the other toll bridges in California, the Antioch bridge has only one lane going in each direction...
in mid-1926, almost a year before they opened the larger Carquinez Bridge
Carquinez Bridge
The Carquinez Bridge refers to parallel bridges spanning the Carquinez Strait, forming part of Interstate 80 between Crockett and Vallejo, California. The name originally referred to a single cantilever bridge built in 1927, helping to form a direct route between San Francisco and Sacramento. A...
to the west. The counties of Contra Costa
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
and Sacramento organized a joint highway district in November 1925 to fund an improvement of the northern approach from Rio Vista; the concrete highway was completed in July 1927, creating a fully paved continuous route between Sacramento and the bay.
The legislature added this road to the state highway system in 1933, and it became part of Legislative Route 11, which had stretched east from Sacramento along US 50
U.S. Route 50 in California
In the U.S. state of California, U.S. Route 50 runs east from I-80 in West Sacramento to the Nevada state line in South Lake Tahoe. Portions within Sacramento are known as the Capital City Freeway and El Dorado Freeway...
. This part of Route 11 was not assigned a sign route number in 1934, but, by 1937, when the new Broadway Low Level Tunnel opened, it was part of Sign Route 24
California State Route 24
State Route 24 in the U.S. state of California is a heavily-traveled east–west freeway in the eastern side of the San Francisco Bay Area of northern California that runs from the Interstate 580/Interstate 980 interchange in Oakland to the Interstate 680 junction in Walnut Creek...
. That route had initially begun at Woodland
Woodland, California
Woodland is the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento - Arden-Arcade - Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 55,468 at the 2010 census.Woodland's origins trace back to 1850 when California...
and traveled northeast and east through the Feather River Canyon, and was extended southeast from Woodland along Sign Route 16 to Sacramento and then south and west via Antioch to the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge approach in Berkeley
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. The California Freeway and Expressway System
California Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It is defined by the Streets and Highways Code.-List of roads in the system:*State Route 1 *State Route 2...
was formed in 1959, and included in the planned upgrades was the road between Antioch and Rio Vista. (North of Rio Vista the present SR 84
California State Route 84
State Route 84 is a split-section California State Highway consisting of two sections. The first section is an east–west arterial road running from San Gregorio to Menlo Park, across the Dumbarton Bridge through Fremont and Newark and ending at I-580 in Livermore. The route overlaps the...
was part of the system.) The entire length was included in the State Scenic Highway System
State Scenic Highway System (California)
The State Scenic Highway System is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation as scenic highways. The California State Legislature, primarily through Section 263 of the Streets and Highways Code, makes highways eligible for...
in 1963. In the 1964 renumbering, the Antioch-Sacramento roadway was split between two routes: Route 84 from Antioch to SR 12 near Rio Vista
Rio Vista, California
Rio Vista is a city located in the eastern end of Solano County, California in the San Francisco Bay Area, on the Sacramento River, in the Sacramento River Delta region. The population was 7,360 at the 2010 census....
, and Route 160 from SR 12 to Sacramento. However, the entire route was marked as SR 160, and in 1981 the legislative definition was changed to reflect this.
The part of SR 160 through and north of downtown Sacramento began as part of Legislative Route 3, which was added to the state highway system under the first bond issue, passed in 1910, and left the city on the 16th Street Bridge over the American River
American River
The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
, following Del Paso Boulevard, El Camino Avenue, and Auburn Boulevard
Auburn Boulevard
Auburn Boulevard is the long-used street name for the highway, formerly part of U.S. Route 40 connecting downtown Sacramento to Roseville. It is a major thoroughfare carrying surface street traffic through the local communities of North Sacramento, Arden-Arcade, Foothill Farms, and Citrus...
to Roseville
Roseville, California
-2010:The 2010 United States Census reported that Roseville had a population of 118,788. The population density was 3,279.4 people per square mile...
. (The short piece from the end of Route 3 near the State Capitol south to Broadway and Freeport Boulevard was Route 4, which followed SR 99
California State Route 99
California State Route 99 , commonly known as Highway 99 or, simply, as 99 , is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, stretching almost the entire length of the Central Valley...
towards Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.) Route 3 between Sacramento and Roseville was also part of the Victory Highway
Victory Highway
The Victory Highway was an auto trail across the United States between New York City and San Francisco, roughly equivalent to the present U.S. Route 40.-History:...
, and was marked as part of US 40 in 1928 and US 99E in 1929. The North Sacramento Freeway opened on October 6, 1947, bypassing this route from the bridge to Auburn Boulevard near Ben Ali. In 1955, the Elvas Freeway opened from the midpoint of the North Sacramento Freeway to the east side of downtown, and US 99E was moved off the south half of the older North Sacramento Freeway and onto the Elvas Freeway. The North Sacramento Freeway was included in the California Freeway and Expressway System
California Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It is defined by the Streets and Highways Code.-List of roads in the system:*State Route 1 *State Route 2...
when it was created in 1959, and the part of Route 3 southwest of the Elvas Freeway, which carried I-80
Interstate 80 in California
In the U.S. state of California, Interstate 80 , a major east–west route of the Interstate Highway System, has its western terminus in San Francisco, California, United States. From there it heads east across the Bay Bridge to Oakland, where it turns north and crosses the Carquinez Bridge...
, became part of SR 160 in the 1964 renumbering.
By 2000, the city of Sacramento maintained the non-freeway portion of SR 160 within the city limits under a contract with Caltrans. However, since Caltrans's main goal is to move traffic efficiently, the city was not able to carry out pedestrian-friendly projects that they and local residents wanted. Under a law passed in July 1999, Caltrans was authorized to relinquish any part of Route 160 within the city limits to Sacramento. The two agencies agreed, and on October 19, 2000 the portion from the south city limits to the American River became the full responsibility of the city. A 2003 amendment to the Streets and Highways Code erroneously deleted not only this part, but the North Sacramento Freeway as well.
A project to convert the former southbound-only Richards Boulevard access just south of the American River to a standard signalized intersection was completed in August 2007; this improves access to existing and future development in the area, including redevelopment of a former rail yard
Rail yard
A rail yard, or railroad yard, is a complex series of railroad tracks for storing, sorting, or loading/unloading, railroad cars and/or locomotives. Railroad yards have many tracks in parallel for keeping rolling stock stored off the mainline, so that they do not obstruct the flow of traffic....
, while slowing northbound traffic heading for the bridge and freeway. Another project converting Freeport Boulevard and 21st Street south of Broadway into two-way streets was also completed. 21st Street has carried northbound traffic since 1974, when Caltrans took it over. This will calm traffic while improving the intersection at the south end of the former one-way pair
One-way pair
A one-way pair, one-way couple, or just couplet is a pair of parallel, usually one-way streets that carry opposite directions of a signed route or major traffic flow, or sometimes opposite directions of a bus or streetcar route....
, which the RT Light Rail now crosses 21st Street just to the north of. In addition, the three blocks of F Street that carried southbound SR 160 from 12th Street to 15th Street have been calmed by the addition of a roundabout
Roundabout
A roundabout is the name for a road junction in which traffic moves in one direction around a central island. The word dates from the early 20th century. Roundabouts are common in many countries around the world...
at 13th Street.
Major intersections
- Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it (and Route 84California State Route 84State Route 84 is a split-section California State Highway consisting of two sections. The first section is an east–west arterial road running from San Gregorio to Menlo Park, across the Dumbarton Bridge through Fremont and Newark and ending at I-580 in Livermore. The route overlaps the...
south of Route 12) existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Exit
Exit number
An exit number is a number assigned to a road junction, usually an exit from a freeway. It is usually marked on the same sign as the destinations of the exit, as well as a sign in the gore....
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=4|Contra Costa
Contra Costa County, California
Contra Costa County is a primarily suburban county in the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2010 census, it had a population of 1,049,025...
CC 0.00-1.33
|rowspan=3|Antioch
Antioch, California
Antioch is a city in Contra Costa County, California. Located in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area along the San Joaquin-Sacramento River Delta, it is a suburb of San Francisco and Oakland. The city's population was 102,372 at the U.S...
|0.00
|1
|
|Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 1A (west) and 1B (east)
|-
|0.49
|1C
|Wilbur Avenue
|Signed as exit 1 northbound
|-
|0.55
|colspan=3 align=center|North end of freeway
|-
|rowspan=2|
|rowspan=2|1.33
|rowspan=2 colspan=3 align=center|Antioch Bridge
Antioch Bridge
The Antioch Bridge crosses the San Joaquin River linking Antioch, California with Sacramento County, California. The bridge is signed as part of State Route 160. Unlike the other toll bridges in California, the Antioch bridge has only one lane going in each direction...
over San Joaquin River
San Joaquin River
The San Joaquin River is the largest river of Central California in the United States. At over long, the river starts in the high Sierra Nevada, and flows through a rich agricultural region known as the San Joaquin Valley before reaching Suisun Bay, San Francisco Bay, and the Pacific Ocean...
|-
|rowspan=32|Sacramento
Sacramento County, California
Sacramento County is a county in the U.S. state of California. Its county seat is Sacramento, which is also the state capital. As of 2010 the county had a population of 1,418,788....
SAC L0.00-47.05
|-
|
|L6.98
|colspan=3 align=center|Three Mile Slough Bridge over Three Mile Slough
|-
|
|L10.78
0.00
|
|
|
|-
|
|5.95
|colspan=3 align=center|Isleton Bridge over Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
|-
|Ryde
Ryde, California
Ryde is an unincorporated community in Sacramento County, California, United States. Ryde is located on the Sacramento River at the junction of California State Route 160 and California State Route 220, north-northeast of Isleton. Ryde has a post office with ZIP code 95680, which was established...
|11.46
|
| – Hogback Island
|
|-
|Walnut Grove
Walnut Grove, California
Walnut Grove is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area...
|14.16
|
|
|
|-
|
|19.76
|colspan=3 align=center|Steamboat Slough Bridge over Steamboat Slough
|-
|
|
|
|
|
|-
|
|20.98
|colspan=3 align=center|Paintersville Bridge over Sacramento River
Sacramento River
The Sacramento River is an important watercourse of Northern and Central California in the United States. The largest river in California, it rises on the eastern slopes of the Klamath Mountains, and after a journey south of over , empties into Suisun Bay, an arm of the San Francisco Bay, and...
|-
|Hood
Hood, California
Hood is a census-designated place in Sacramento County, California, United States. Hood is located on the Sacramento River and California State Route 160 south of downtown Sacramento. Hood has a post office with ZIP code 95639, which was established in 1912. The community was named in 1910 after...
|26.25
|
|
|
|-
|
|34.07
|
|
|
|-
|
|rowspan=2|35.05
|rowspan=2 colspan=3 align=center|North end of state maintenance at Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
south city limit
|-
|rowspan=20|Sacramento
Sacramento, California
Sacramento is the capital city of the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. It is located at the confluence of the Sacramento River and the American River in the northern portion of California's expansive Central Valley. With a population of 466,488 at the 2010 census,...
|-
|35.85
|
|
|
|-
|36.85
|
|Florin Road
|
|-
|38.92
|
|Fruitridge Road
|
|-
|R41.41
L41.57
|
|Broadway east, 21st Street – Stockton
Stockton, California
Stockton, California, the seat of San Joaquin County, is the fourth-largest city in the Central Valley of the U.S. state of California. With a population of 291,707 at the 2010 census, Stockton ranks as this state's 13th largest city...
|Broadway east was former SR 99
California State Route 99
California State Route 99 , commonly known as Highway 99 or, simply, as 99 , is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, stretching almost the entire length of the Central Valley...
south
|-
|41.71
41.79
|
|Broadway west, Land Park Drive – Woodland
Woodland, California
Woodland is the county seat of Yolo County, California, located approximately northwest of Sacramento, and is a part of the Sacramento - Arden-Arcade - Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 55,468 at the 2010 census.Woodland's origins trace back to 1850 when California...
|Broadway west was former SR 99
California State Route 99
California State Route 99 , commonly known as Highway 99 or, simply, as 99 , is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California, stretching almost the entire length of the Central Valley...
north
|-
|41.91
|
| – Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
, Placerville
Placerville, California
Placerville is the county seat of El Dorado County, California. The population was 10,389 at the 2010 census, up from 9,610 at the 2000 census. It is part of the Sacramento–Arden-Arcade–Roseville Metropolitan Statistical Area.-Geography:...
, Fresno
Fresno, California
Fresno is a city in central California, United States, the county seat of Fresno County. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 510,365, making it the fifth largest city in California, the largest inland city in California, and the 34th largest in the nation...
|
|-
|41.95
|
|
|
|-
|
|
|P Street – San Francisco
San Francisco, California
San Francisco , officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the financial, cultural, and transportation center of the San Francisco Bay Area, a region of 7.15 million people which includes San Jose and Oakland...
|
|-
|43.10
|
|J Street
|
|-
|R44.37
|
|Richards Boulevard
|At-grade intersection
At-grade intersection
An at-grade intersection is a junction at which two or more transport axes cross at the same level .-Traffic management:With areas of high or fast traffic, an at-grade intersection normally requires a traffic control device such as a stop sign, traffic light or railway signal to manage conflicting...
; former southbound exit and entrance
|-
|rowspan=2|R44.46
|colspan=3 align=center|South end of freeway and state maintenance
|-
|colspan=3 align=center|16th Street Bridge over American River
American River
The American River is a California watercourse noted as the site of Sutter's Mill, northwest of Placerville, California, where gold was found in 1848, leading to the California Gold Rush...
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|R44.62
|46A
|Northgate Boulevard
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|R44.98
|46B
|Del Paso Boulevard
|Northbound left exit and southbound entrance; former US 40 east
|-
|45.60
|47A
|Leisure Lane, Canterbury Road
|
|-
|46.16
|47B
|Exposition Boulevard, Royal Oaks Drive
|
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|46.33
|
|Tribute Road
|Northbound entrance only; serves traffic from Exposition Boulevard to I-80 Bus. east because there is no direct ramp
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|46.58
|48
|Arden Way
Arden Way (Sacramento, California)
Arden Way is a major east-west arterial in Sacramento County, California in the United States. It is approximately long and runs through Sacramento and the unincorporated suburbs of Arden-Arcade and Carmichael.-Sacramento:...
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance
|-bgcolor=#ffdddd
|47.05
|
|, Reno
Reno, Nevada
Reno is the county seat of Washoe County, Nevada, United States. The city has a population of about 220,500 and is the most populous Nevada city outside of the Las Vegas metropolitan area...
|Northbound exit and southbound entrance; former US 99E north / I-80 east