On December 21, 2019, a small group of us took a drive over the Ridge Route. Unlike most trips since January 2005, this one wasn’t predicated upon the gate hopefully being open for us. This time, we had keys. As a part of our Volunteer Service Agreement, we were given a key so that we can access the roadway for our CUTRR projects. This trip, while also sightseeing and enjoyable, was also to survey the roadway and determine if there are any sections needing work first. We did find a few sections in need of repairs or clearing but overall the roadway was in pretty good condition.
Opening the north gate.Between Kelly’s Halfway Inn and Reservoir SummitCovered in dirt and mud. These are the sections I would like to clear, on the north grade for Reservoir Summit.Bad section south of Reservoir Summit. This may be the first section we clear.Area at Reservoir Summit where we can dump excess debris we clear.Not bad for 100 year-old concrete.
We cleared a few rocks here and there along the roadway, mostly for clearance issues with our vehicle. The only place that required a bit more work for us to pass was at Swede’s Cut. It wasn’t unexpected as most trips along the Ridge Route involve clearing rocks there.
Swede’s Cut before we cleared the rocks and debris.After clearing at Swede’s Cut.Closing the south gate.
Overall, the trip was a success. We found the roadway to be traversable and in decent shape, under the circumstances it is in. Work is necessary at multiple locations and will be monitored regularly. Our first CUTRR event will be in late Spring of 2020 and we look forward to having you all join us.
In 2001, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Concurrent Resolution 98, declaring that a monument be placed to commemorate the Historic Ridge Route. This monument, in the form of a plaque, was placed at the I-5 / State 126 interchange at the southeast corner. We hope to expand this declaration by having them declare the entire roadway as historic, not just for a plaque at the south end.
BILL NUMBER: ACR 98 CHAPTERED
BILL TEXT
RESOLUTION CHAPTER 150
FILED WITH SECRETARY OF STATE OCTOBER 2, 2001
ADOPTED IN SENATE SEPTEMBER 14, 2001
ADOPTED IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 4, 2001
INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Runner
JULY 20, 2001
Assembly Concurrent Resolution No. 98--Relative to the 1915 Ridge
Route Highway Historical Monument.
LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST
ACR 98, Runner. 1915 Ridge Route Highway Historical Monument.
This measure would request the Department of Transportation to
grant, without charge, an encroachment permit authorizing an
appropriate historical monument and plaque to commemorate the 1915
Ridge Route Highway, to be placed within the rights-of-way of State
Highway Route 126 and Interstate Highway 5, where those highways
converge.
WHEREAS, Begun in 1914 and completed in late 1915, the Ridge Route
Highway, officially named the "Castaic-Tejon Route," connected
Castaic Junction in Los Angeles County to Bakersfield; and
WHEREAS, The 1915 Ridge Route Highway was one of the first
products of the newly formed State Bureau of Highways, paid for
through the passage of a 1910 bond act; and
WHEREAS, The 1915 Ridge Route Highway was considered an
engineering marvel of its day and was the first mountain highway
built in California; and
WHEREAS, Many credit the 1915 Ridge Route Highway, which opened up
travel and commerce between the Los Angeles basin and the San
Joaquin Valley, with having prevented California from separating into
two separate states; and
WHEREAS, Workers carved out the original 20-foot wide roadway by
using horse and mule drawn scrapers and graders, going from ridge top
to ridge top across the western San Gabriel mountains; and
WHEREAS, Originally completed as an oiled, graded gravel road, the
1915 Ridge Route Highway was paved in 1919; and
WHEREAS, The 1915 Ridge Route Highway was well known for its 697
curves, the most notorious of which was Deadman's Curve near Tejon,
that if added together, would make 110 complete circles; and
WHEREAS, The 1915 Ridge Route Highway was replaced in 1933, by a
straighter, three-lane highway, which was later widened and became
State Highway 99; and
WHEREAS, On September 25, 1997, 17.6 miles of the 1915 Ridge Route
Highway south of Gorman, was accepted into the National Registry of
Historic Places; and
WHEREAS, The Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus has
proposed to construct and dedicate, at no cost to the public, a
monument and plaque in honor of the historical significance of the
1915 Ridge Route Highway; now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Assembly of the State of California, the Senate
concurring, That the Department of Transportation is requested to
grant, without charge, the necessary encroachment permit authorizing
an appropriate historical monument and plaque dedicated to
commemorate the 1915 Ridge Route Highway, to be placed within the
rights-of-way of State Highway Route 126 and Interstate Highway 5,
where those highways converge; and be it further
Resolved, That the Chief Clerk of the Assembly transmit a copy of
this resolution to the Director of Transportation, the Director of
Parks and Recreation, the Ridge Route Preservation Organization, and
to the Platrix Chapter No. 2, Queen of the Cow Counties of the
Ancient and Honorable Order of E Clampus Vitus.
Finally, really good news. Last month was just “good news”. Now we’re on to really good news. Our Volunteer Service Agreement with the Angeles National Forest was finalized on December 11 and is now in effect. We will be getting a key to the gates within the next week.
Assuming weather and roadway conditions cooperate, I plan to make my first visit on the road, past the gates, on December 21st. The plan is to come from Sandberg and head to Castaic. It will be a lot of fun and an adventure. Yes, plenty of photos will be taken and posted. I haven’t fully traversed the road since about 2009 or 2010 at the latest.
With this agreement finally in place, we can begin to move forward with our portion of the physical preservation of the roadway. We are looking toward late Spring 2020, likely in early May, for our first volunteer event. Over the next few months, we will be making regular visits to the Ridge Route to assess what section we will work on first. I figure, as the road has been mostly inaccessible for so long, that a location within the closure would be best. As it gets closer, we will finalize a date for the first event on the road. All the information regarding these will be posted here as well as on RidgeRoute.com and SoCalRegion.com. Subscribe to this site, available on the right, to keep up to date with events and information on the Ridge Route.
Beyond getting the agreement and key, the roadway is still closed to motor vehicles between the gates. We are still working with the Angeles National Forest to open the road and get it properly maintained. Our maintenance events are meant to be supplementary, not primary. Our work will at least help keep the roadway in place as much as possible for the time being.
Finally, some good news! While it is not finalized at the time of this writing, our Volunteer Service Agreement is nearing completion. We got a copy today to review and so far, things look quite promising. We will also be getting a key to the gate, which means we will have access to the road. My first act, after getting the key, is to do a preliminary survey of the road to assess the general condition of the roadway and determine what needs to be worked on prior to the upcoming rainy season.
What this means is that we are planning to do work on the Ridge Route in late Spring 2020, after the rains have subsided. Details on this event will be posted once we get a bit more information together and work out what the event will entail. The agreement does have a few stipulations, mostly regarding how our events will be held and what we can do during them. One of those is that we need to give a list of all attendees prior to an event, as such we will be expecting all persons attending to let us know before they attend.
So, things are looking up for the Ridge Route. Work is still in progress regarding Forest Service maintenance, right-of-way, and land ownership issues. Those will take a while but I have confidence they will be resolved in due time. In the mean time, plan on going on the road in late Spring 2020 and prepare to work!
The Ridge Route, a roadway that is one of the most important to California in the 20th century, needs your help. How can you help? Write, or otherwise contact, your representative in Congress, California State Legislature, be they in the House, Senate, or Assembly. Contact the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors as well. Tell any and all of them how you feel about the problems the roadway is undergoing. Once we get our volunteer agreement in place, you can also help with the roadway maintenance, which will help keep the road there for the future.
If you have additional questions, please contact us. We can use all the help we can get. The louder the voices, the more we will all be heard.
