An upcoming project to revamp a busy interchange of Interstate 15 and Interstate 215 in the San Bernardino, Calif., area will restore a long-closed portion of Route 66, reported the Highland Community News.
The San Bernardino County Board of Supervisors on Wednesday approved an agreement with the California Department of Transportation about the interchange. The bottleneck handles more than 1 million vehicles weekly and often produces traffic jams that stretch for miles.
The $324 million project will ad lanes in each direction, plus truck lanes, the newspaper said. Then there’s this part:
The interchange will be reconfigured so I-15 is the primary route of travel and traffic from northbound I-215 will merge from the right. Cajon Boulevard will be reconnected between Devore Road and Kenwood Avenue, restoring that stretch of historic Route 66 and providing an alternative local route through the Devore area.
This Google Map shows the current interchange:
As you can see on the interactive map, a substantial portion of old Route 66 to the southwest of Cajon Boulevard and Kenwood Avenue remains closed to traffic. That would be reopened.
The map also reveals two options of Cajon Boulevard at Devore Road for CalTrans to link back up.
It’s fascinating to think that nearly two miles of Route 66 will be put back into service — ironically, thanks to the interstate.
Very wise decision.
That’s simply cool!
About time. They really screwed up driving down the old road forcing traffic to go through residential neighborhoods to connect the two sections.