State Route 127 (SR 127) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that connects Interstate 15 in Baker to Nevada State Route 373 at the Nevada state line, passing near the eastern boundary of Death Valley National Park. The entire length of the highway closely follows the central portion of the former Tonopah and Tidewater Railroad and loosely follows the Amargosa River.
 State Route 127 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Map of eastern California with SR 127 highlighted in red | ||||
| Route information | ||||
| Maintained by Caltrans | ||||
| Length | 91.033 mi[1] (146.503 km) | |||
| Major junctions | ||||
| South end |  I-15 at Baker | |||
| North end |  SR 373 at Nevada state line south of Amargosa Valley, NV | |||
| Location | ||||
| Country | United States | |||
| State | California | |||
| Counties | San Bernardino, Inyo | |||
| Highway system | ||||
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Route description
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The highway begins at I-15 in the community of Baker, the last town travelers from the Greater Los Angeles area or the Las Vegas Valley see before making their trek across Death Valley. SR 127 travels through the town of Baker as Death Valley Road before turning slightly northwest and traveling along the edge of Silver Lake, a dry lake. The road parallels Salt Creek and Silurian Lake as it crosses the Valjean Valley. SR 127 soon runs along the southeastern edge of Death Valley National Park and cuts through the mountains at Ibex Pass as it is entering Inyo County.[2]
After passing by the turnoff for Tecopa Hot Springs, SR 127 runs concurrently with SR 178 through the community of Shoshone. SR 127 continues along the eastern edge of Death Valley National Park, passing by Eagle Mountain and the Amargosa River before intersecting SR 190 at Death Valley Junction. The road ends at the California-Nevada border, where Nevada State Route 373 begins.[3] It is the "Lost Highway" featured in David Lynch's film Lost Highway.
SR 127 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[4] and near I-15 is part of the National Highway System,[5] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[6] SR 127 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System,[7] but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation.[8]
History
editIn 1933, Route 127 was added to the state highway system, and went from Baker to Death Valley Junction; Route 128 went from there to the Nevada state line.[9] In the 1964 state highway renumbering, SR 127 was defined from I-15 to the Nevada state line.[10] The route has remained the same since its definition.
Major intersections
editExcept 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. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary ().[1] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
| County | Location | Postmile [1][11][12] | Destinations | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| San Bernardino SBD L0.00-41.47 | Baker | L0.00 | Kelbaker Road | Continuation beyond I-15 | |
| L0.00 | I-15 (Mojave Freeway) – Las Vegas, Barstow | Interchange; south end of SR 127; I-15 exit 246 | |||
| 0.00 | Baker Boulevard (I-15 Bus.) – Las Vegas, Barstow | Former US 91 / US 466 | |||
| San Bernardino–Inyo county line | | 41.47 0.00 | Ibex Pass, elevation 2,072 feet (632 m)[13] | ||
| Inyo INY 0.00-49.42 | | 6.51 | Old Spanish Trail Highway – Tecopa, Hot Springs | ||
| Shoshone | 14.75 |   SR 178 east – Pahrump, Las Vegas | South end of SR 178 overlap | ||
| | 16.25 |  SR 178 west – Badwater | North end of SR 178 overlap | ||
| Death Valley Junction | 42.15 |  SR 190 – Death Valley National Park | |||
| | 49.42 |   SR 373 to US 95 – Amargosa Valley, Las Vegas | Continuation beyond the Nevada state line; north end of SR 127 | ||
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi
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See also
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References
edit- ^ a b c 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.
- ^ San Bernardino County Road Atlas (Map). Thomas Brothers. 2008.
- ^ California Road Atlas (Map). Thomas Brothers. 2009.
- ^ "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 (South) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved September 30, 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.
- ^ "Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets & Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
- ^ California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved September 30, 2017.
- ^ California State Assembly. "An act to amend sections 2, 3 and 5 and to add two sections to be numbered 6 and 7 to an act entitled 'An act to provide for the acquisition of rights of way for and the construction, maintenance..." Fiftieth Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 767 p. 2034–2042.
- ^ California State Assembly. "An act to add Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) to Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, and to repeal Section 253 and Article 3 (commencing with Section 300) of Chapter 2 of Division 1 of, the..." 1963 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 385 p. 1182.
- ^ California Department of Transportation (July 2007). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
- ^ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006
- ^ "Elevation and Location of Summits and Passes in California". California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on March 1, 2017.
External links
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