One of the more interesting aspects of California 99 in Merced County is that Livingston was home to the last traffic signal located along the California 99 mainline between Wheeler Ridge and Sacramento. This signal was in place until around 1997, when a bypass was constructed to replace the traffic signal.
Northbound California 99 - Merced County
California 99 enters Merced County as an expressway with intersections (after crossing the Chowchilla River), and it does not have any exits until reaching Merced. Intersections include Harvey Point Road, Plainsburg Road, Le Grande Road, Mariposa Way, and Mission Avenue. Upon reaching Merced, the freeway resumes along the California 99 bypass route, and the seven northbound exits along this bypass serve the City of Merced. They include Exits 186A (Childs Avenue), 186B (California 140 East), 186C (business loop), 187A (G Street), 187B (California 59 South), 188A, and 188B (California 59 North and California 140 West). Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 approaching Exit 186A, Childs Avenue/Motel Drive, next right. Childs Avenue parallels California 140 to the south, connecting Merced with Planada. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 186A, Childs Avenue/Motel Drive. The next exit is for Eastbound California 140. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 186B, Junction East California 140 to Planada, Catheys Valley, Mariposa, and Yosemite National Park. For access to downtown Merced, use the business route (Exit 186C, next right). Photo taken 05/20/03 by Pete Sison.
Northbound California 99 approaching Exit 186C, Junction Business California 99/16th Street. The business loop serves the city of Merced, the Merced County seat. According to the city's official webpage, the population is approximately 67,500 as of 2000. Another growing Central Valley community, Merced has growen by nearly three percent each year since 1994, and it was selected as the site for the first Central Valley campus of the University of California in 1995. The new UC campus is expected to open soon. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 186C, Business California 99/16th Street, in Merced. The business loop serves the city of Merced, the Merced County seat. According to the city's official webpage, the population is approximately 67,500 as of 2000. Another growing Central Valley community, Merced has growen by nearly three percent each year since 1994, and it was selected as the site for the first Central Valley campus of the University of California in 1995. The new UC campus is expected to open soon. The next exit is Exit 187A, G Street, one-half mile. Photo taken 08/15/03.
The next Merced exit is Exit 187A, G Street, followed by Exit 187B, Junction California 59 South/Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Reaching downtown Merced, Exit 187B leads to Junction California 59 South/Martin Luther King, Jr. Way. Note the tiny California 59 shield affixed to the pole holding up the signs. California 59 heads south to meet California 152 south of El Nido and west of Chowchilla at the Merced-Madera County Line. The next exit is Exit 188, Junction California 59 North and California 140 West. First photo taken 08/15/03 and second photo taken by Pete Sison 05/20/03. The former R Street exit was open at the time of the first photo and closed at the time the second photo was taken.
Northbound California 99 reaches its junction with California 59 north and California 140 west at Exit 188. California 59 leads north to Snelling, and changes into Merced County Route J-59 after passing the Snelling Courthouse State Historic Monument and Junction Merced County Route J-16. This is the location of the proposed Eastside Freeway/California 65. Merced County Route J-59 continues as Tuolumne County Route J-59 to terminate at California 108-120 west of Sonora. California 140, meanwhile, leads west via McSwain Road to serve Stevinson and Gustine before ending at Interstate 5. New photo taken 08/15/03 and old sign photo taken 05/20/03 by Pete Sison.
Northbound California 99 approaching Exit 191, Franklin Road. North-south Franklin Road lies between Merced and Atwater, connecting California 140 and Merced County Route J-7. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 191, Franklin Road. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 193, Buhach Road/Castle Airport. Due to camera troubles, we missed Exit 194, which is the business route into Atwater. The overhead pull through sign there is famous for having two U.S. 99 shields that are partially covered by California 99 shields. We'll get those overhead shields photographed next time! Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 195, Applegate Road (the second Atwater exit). Applegate Road leads northeast to meet Merced County Route J-7/Santa Fe Drive in Winton. Note the use of a separate exit number tab on this reflective sign, which added after the sign was initially installed. California 99 is angled in a northwesterly direction between Merced and Livingston via Atwater, then turns a bit more north around Turlock. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 196, Junction Business California 99 north into Atwater. Note the pull through signs with the poorly covered California/U.S. 99 shields. Photo taken 05/20/03 by Pete Sison.
After leaving Atwater, northbound California 99 changes into an expressway, with several cross streets but no traffic lights. This segment is programmed for expansion into a freeway in the mid to late 2000s, depending upon funding availability. The cross-streets include Central Avenue, Cressey Way, and Sultana Way, all of which are north-south highways. The next interchange along northbound California 99 is the first exit for Livingston, which is Exit 201, Hammatt Avenue. Photo taken 08/15/03.
The two exits departing northbound California 99 for Livingston include Exit 201/Hammatt Avenue and Exit 203/Winton Avenue. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 201, Hammatt Avenue/Livingston. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 approaching Exit 203, Winton Avenue, one-half mile. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 203, Winton Avenue. Connections may be made from Winton Avenue east to Livingston-Cressey Road en route to the McConnell State Recreation Area along the Merced River and the community of Cressey at Merced County Route J-7/Santa Fe Drive. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 approaching Exit 204, Collier Avenue, 0.75 mile. Photo taken 08/15/03.
The grain elevator to the east of California 99 indicates how agricultural the Central Valley is. This picture shows northbound California 99 at Exit 204, Collier Avenue. California 99 crosses the Merced River in the vicinity of this interchange. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 approaching Exit 205, South Avenue, one-half mile. Photo taken 08/15/03.
The next city of note along northbound California 99 is Delhi. The three exits that serve Delhi from California 99 are Exit 205/South Avenue, Exit 207/Shanks Road, and Exit 208/Bradbury Road. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 205, South Avenue. There are no signs indicating that this is a business route, but a connection to old U.S. 99 into the community of Delhi may be reached via South Avenue. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Continuing north, California 99 next meets Exit 207, which connects to Shanks Road, 0.75 of a mile from here. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Shanks Road (Exit 207) provides access into Delhi, which sits midway between Livingston and Turlock. Photo taken 08/15/03.
The next exit along northbound is Exit 208, Bradbury Road. As recently as the 1990s, this interchange was an intersection. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 208, Bradbury Road. Bradbury Road leads east-west, with westbound entering Stanislaus County near its junction with California 165. Heading east, it connects to Merced County Route J-7/Santa Fe Drive. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Along a route laden with business routes, many are poorly or unsigned from California 99. The Turlock business loop, which serves the city of Turlock (located in Stanislaus County) begins at Exit 209 and is well-signed (by California standards) from northbound. The loop follows aptly named Golden State Boulevard. Photo taken 08/15/03.
Reaching the final instance of a Golden State Boulevard along northbound, Business California 99 departs from the freeway, this time serving the community of Turlock. Unlike some other business loops along California 99, the Turlock loop is fairly well-signed through the city. Photo taken 08/15/03.
