// Workers AI · dad joke modeIs California State Route 59 a road to success? Route-inely.
 State Route 59 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 SR 59 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Caltrans | ||||
| Length | 33.76 mi[1] (54.33 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  SR 152 near El Nido | |||
  SR 99 / SR 140 in Merced | ||||
| North end |   CR J16 / CR J59 in Snelling | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | California | |||
| Counties | Merced | |||
| Highway system | ||||
| ||||
State Route 59 (SR 59) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California located entirely in Merced County. It connects State Route 152 near El Nido to the city of Merced and beyond, ending abruptly at the intersection of County Routes J59 and J16 in Snelling.
Route description
[edit]The California Streets and Highways Code defines Route 59 as follows in section 359[2]:
Route 59 is from:
(a) Route 152 northerly to Route 99 near Merced.
(b) Route 99 near Merced to Snelling.
SB 1334, which amends the definition to include the alignment of County Route J59, was introduced on February 20, 2026. If signed into law, the California Transportation Commission and the counties of Merced, Stanislaus, and Tuolumne must come to an agreement to allow the state to acquire CR J59 by December 31, 2030. On January 1, 2031, the new definition would go into effect.[3]
SR 59 begins at SR 152 as Los Banos Highway. The highway travels north through the town of El Nido until entering the city of Merced, where it runs concurrently with the SR 99 freeway and with SR 140. SR 59 leaves the concurrency on the west side of Merced and travels north as the Snelling Highway. The highway winds up the Sierra Nevada foothills until it passes through Snelling, where it ends.[4]
SR 59 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[5] but except for a portion in Merced is not part of the National Highway System,[6] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[7]
Future
[edit]In January 2010, the Tuolumne County board of supervisors made a formal request to the state to add the entire length of County Route J59 as a northerly extension of State Route 59 from its terminus in Snelling, Merced County, to the intersection of State Routes 108 and 120 in Tuolumne County.
Major intersections
[edit]Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. Postmile prefixes include: R reflecting a realignment in the route since then, M indicating a second realignment, L referring to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicating postmiles classified as temporary.[8] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The entire route is in Merced County.
| Location | Postmile [8][1][9] | Destinations | Notes | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| | 0.00 | SR 152 – Madera, Los Banos | Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; south end of SR 59 | ||
| Merced | 14.77 14.69[N 1] |    SR 99 south / SR 140 east / Martin Luther King Jr. Way – Los Angeles, Yosemite | Interchange; south end of SR 99 / SR 140 overlap; SR 99 exit 187B; Martin Luther King Jr. Way serves Dignity Health – Mercy Medical Center Merced | ||
| South end of freeway on SR 99 | |||||
| 15.80[N 1] 14.78 | North end of freeway on SR 99 | ||||
   SR 99 north / SR 140 west (McSwain Road) / V Street – Sacramento, Gustine | Interchange; north end of SR 99 / SR 140 overlap; SR 99 exit 188; V Street serves Merced Regional Airport | ||||
| 14.98 | V Street, 16th Street south (SR 99 Bus. south) | South end of SR 99 Bus. overlap; former US 99 south | |||
| 15.35 | 16th Street north (SR 99 Bus. north) | North end of SR 99 Bus. overlap; former US 99 north | |||
| 16.10 |  CR J7 (Santa Fe Drive) / West Olive Avenue | Southern terminus of CR J7; West Olive Avenue serves Merced College | |||
| | 19.00 | Bellevue Road – Yosemite Lake | Serves UC Merced | ||
| | R28.81 |  CR J17 (Turlock Road) – Turlock | Eastern terminus of CR J17 | ||
| Snelling | 33.00 |  CR J16 west (Montgomery Street) | South end of CR J16 overlap | ||
| 33.71 |  CR J16 east (Merced Falls Road) / CR J59 (La Grange Road) – Merced Falls, Hornitos, La Grange, Sonora | North end of CR J16 overlap; north end of SR 59; southern terminus of CR J59 | |||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
| |||||
See also
[edit]
References
[edit]- 1 2 California Department of Transportation (April 2008). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
- ↑ "Section 359". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ "SB-1334 Route 59: adoption.(2025-2026)". CALIFORNIA LEGISLATURE— 2025–2026 REGULAR SESSION. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved April 5, 2026.
- ↑ California Road Atlas (Map). Thomas Brothers. 2008.
- ↑ "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ↑ Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: California (North) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 14, 2017.
- ↑ Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
- 1 2 California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on September 5, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
- ↑ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2007
- Compass Maps: Merced, Atwater, Merced County
External links
[edit]