California 66 is a remnant section of Historic U.S. 66 (the Mother Road; Will Rogers Highway) between La Verne and San Bernardino. U.S. 66 is perhaps the most famous highway in the United States. Traversing eight states on its trip from Santa Monica to Chicago (through California, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, and Illinois), Historic U.S. 66 passes through many towns that time forgot. Relegated to business loop or frontage road status for much of its route nationally, the last segment of U.S. 66 was bypassed by freeway in 1985 in Arizona. The entire route was decommissioned shortly thereafter, and now U.S. 66 is signed as an historic route. Signs are erected all along the various routings of U.S. 66 in the Los Angeles metropolitan area and Inland Empire, and U.S. 66 is well-signed on its extant sections between Cajon Pass, Barstow, and Needles.
A portion of this route is still state maintained, even though portions of the route are being remanded to local control. Currently, however, California 66 is Foothill Boulevard between California 30 in San Dimas/Claremont and Interstate 215 in San Bernardino. California 66 matches the original routing of Historic U.S. 66 for its entire length. This highway is much more often signed as either Historic U.S. 66 (brown shields) or even as U.S. 66, even though U.S. 66 is long since decommissioned.
California 66 east
Eastbound California 66 (Foothill Boulevard) at California 83 (Euclid Avenue). These shields are just about the only shields for either California 66 or California 83 in Upland. As noted earlier, most California 66 shields seem to have been replaced with brown Historic U.S. 66 or even regular black on white U.S. 66 shields. With the recent construction of the California 210 freeway, it is possible that the state-maintained portions of Foothill Boulevard (California 66) as well as Base Line Road/Highland Avenue (California 30) might be decommissioned in the future, since they are both so close to the new freeway alignment. This is in keeping with recent Caltrans actions that have decommissioned urban routes that are not freeways or expressways. Meanwhile, California 83 is also very poorly signed for its entire route in Upland, with the only trailblazer located at this intersection and at Interstate 10. There are few, if any, remaining reassurance markers along Euclid Avenue itself. Photos taken 09/28/02.
Eastbound California 66 at Campus Avenue in Upland. This street will be extended north to meet the new California 210 freeway. Ali Pezeshkpour wrote on 10/24/02 that in September 2002, the Daily Bulletin indicated that Rancho Cucamonga and Fontana, and possibly Upland were requesting that the state relinquish the state portions of California 66 in their city limits to them. Ali writes, "the article said that when the area was rural, Foothill Boulevard was a major east-west route (Baseline and Highland/19th and Arrow Route/Highway weren't too popular in the pre-suburbia era) and that it was necessary to secure state funding for improvements. Now that the two (three with Upland) cities have grown, it is no longer necessary to have California 66 as a state-maintained road. The article also said that the cities were complaining that they want the go-ahead to do their own improvements to the street without having to wait for state approval or direct funds." It seems like this relinquishment will become a reality. Photo taken 09/28/02.
U.S. 66 is still signed with these authentic U.S. shields in Rancho Cucamonga. There are no California 66 shields to be found in this area. This section of California 66 is proposed to be given to local control. Photo taken 09/28/02.
