Northbound California 99 approaching Exit 319, Junction Northbound California 70 north of Sacramento. At one time, California 70 and California 99 were cosigned between Interstate 5 and Exit 319, but the California 70 signs were removed or covered in the late 1990s. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 319, Junction Northbound California 70. California 70 roughly parallels California 99 to the east of the Feather River, while California 99 remains west of the Feather River. The Feather River is a major tributary of the Sacramento River. California 70 follows the north branch of the Feather River into the Sierra Nevada, following former Alternate U.S. 40 through the Feather River Canyon and ultimately to a junction with U.S. 395 just northwest of Reno, Nevada. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Northbound California 99 after Exit 319, the northbound California 70 split. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Two-lane California 99 continues as a busy highway after splitting off California 70. The next major intersection is with California 113, coming from Davis and Woodland and Interstate 5. California 113 carries a good amount of traffic itself, since it is a freeway between Davis and Woodland. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Heading into the metropolitan Yuba City-Marysville area, California 99 widens into four lanes as it passes through a commercial area. This photo shows northbound California 99 approaching Junction California 20. Note the lack of a California 20 shield on the advance signs. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Northbound California 99 at Junction California 20. California 20 leads east into downtown Yuba City and Marysville, then continues into the foothills via Grass Valley/Nevada City. Westbound California 20 crosses the Central Valley, passing south of the Sutter Buttes, then crossing the Sacramento River near Colusa. California 20 meets Interstate 5 at Williams, then enters the Coast Range, skirting the north shore of Clear Lake en route to Ukiah and Fort Bragg on the coast. Photo taken 01/20/03.
After passing California 20, northbound California 99 widens into a freeway. The first exit is Exit 342, Queens Avenue, in Yuba City. There are provisions to construct an interchange between California 99 and California 20 to the west of the current intersection, but no such construction has occurred. It is very clear as to how the road would connect to such an interchange as seen from southbound. According to Warren Jensen (12/19/03), "To my knowledge, there is no plan to create an interchange with California 20 in Yuba City. You mention the switch-back on the north side of the intersection, but to my knowledge, this was done because the freeway was aligned on the west side of Onstott Road north of California 20, whereas the highway south of California 20 had already been built on the east side of Onstott. The original California 99 followed Colusa Ave (California 20) into Yuba City at this point to Live Oak Boulevard about a mile into town, then turned northward. The present California 99 connects with old California 99 where it crosses the railroad track between Yuba City and Live Oak. When this was all U.S. 99, the highway followed Live Oak Boulevard south to Yuba City, then turned toward Marysville, instead of toward the current California 99. I don't know when the current California 99 south of California 20 was constructed." Photo taken 01/20/03.
Northbound California 99 at Exit 342, Queens Avenue, in Yuba City. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Northbound California 99 approaching Exit 344, Eager Road, one-half mile. Photo taken 01/20/03.
This section of freeway ends a few miles north of Yuba City, as northbound California 99 reverts to a busy, two-lane highway. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Northbound California 99 entering the community of Live Oak. Photo taken 01/20/03.
Northbound California 99 continues as a two-lane road, passing through Live Oak, Gridley, and Biggs en route to Chico. Although there are not many cities between Yuba City and Chico, California 99 carries a fair amount of traffic, some of which is on parallel California 70 to the east. Warren Jensen adds that Live Oak and Gridley have developed into commuter towns for Yuba City and Sacramento. The town of Biggs is not located on California 99, but it is nearby and located on the railroad tracks about a mile west of the highway. Photo taken 01/20/03.
