State Route 68 (SR 68) is a
state highway in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
California
California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...
, located entirely in
Monterey County
Monterey County ( ), officially the County of Monterey, is a county located on the Pacific coast in the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, its population was 439,035. The county's largest city and county seat is Salinas.
Montere ...
. It runs from
Asilomar State Beach in
Pacific Grove to
U.S. Route 101 in
Salinas. The approximately long highway serves as a major route between the
Monterey Peninsula
The Monterey Peninsula anchors the northern portion on the Central Coast of California and comprises the cities of Monterey, Carmel, and Pacific Grove, and the resort and community of Pebble Beach.
History Monterey
Monterey was founded i ...
and Salinas.
Route description
SR 68 begins as Asilomar Avenue in the city of
Pacific Grove at an intersection with Sinex Avenue, at the entrance to
Asilomar Conference Grounds
Asilomar Conference Grounds is a conference center built for the Young Women's Christian Association (YWCA). It is located east of what was known as Moss Beach on the western tip of the Monterey Peninsula in Pacific Grove, California. Between 1913 ...
of
Asilomar State Beach. The highway continues south to an intersection with Sunset Drive, turning east on Sunset Drive before continuing south after roughly half a mile onto Forest Avenue. Soon after entering
Monterey
Monterey (; es, Monterrey; Ohlone: ) is a city located in Monterey County on the southern edge of Monterey Bay on the U.S. state of California's Central Coast. Founded on June 3, 1770, it functioned as the capital of Alta California under bot ...
and passing by the
Presidio of Monterey
The Presidio of Monterey (POM), located in Monterey, California, is an active US Army installation with historic ties to the Spanish colonial era. Currently, it is the home of the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language Center (DLI-FLC). ...
, SR 68 becomes the W.R. Holman Highway until its junction with
SR 1 at the terminus of the
17 Mile Drive
17-Mile Drive is a scenic road through Pebble Beach and Pacific Grove on the Monterey Peninsula in California, much of which hugs the Pacific coastline and passes famous golf courses, mansions and scenic attractions, including the Lone Cypress, ...
.
SR 68 is
concurrent
Concurrent means happening at the same time. Concurrency, concurrent, or concurrence may refer to:
Law
* Concurrence, in jurisprudence, the need to prove both ''actus reus'' and ''mens rea''
* Concurring opinion (also called a "concurrence"), a ...
with SR 1 for until nearing the Monterey County Fairgrounds. At this point, SR 68 exits SR 1 as the Monterey-Salinas Highway, which is a freeway for the first half mile. The freeway becomes a highway and passes by the
Monterey Regional Airport, intersecting
SR 218 at
Del Rey Oaks, continuing for towards
Salinas. The route goes past Pasadera,
WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca
Laguna Seca Raceway (branded as WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca, and previously Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca) is a paved road racing track in central California used for both auto racing and motorcycle racing, built in 1957 near both Salinas and ...
,
Laureles Grade,
Corral De Tierra,
San Benancio, Toro Park and
Spreckels, becoming a freeway for the last before Salinas, eventually turning north. At the city limits, SR 68 becomes South Main Street and continues to downtown. SR 68 makes a right off of Main and follows John Street to its terminus at
U.S. Route 101.
Highway 68 is heavily traveled. The road has a design capacity of 16,000 vehicles per day. , it carries about 26,000 vehicles per day, and this figure is projected to increase as residential development in and around Salinas continues, and the Monterey Peninsula's tourism economy continues to expand. Highway 68 and the "68" road symbol have become iconic in Pacific Grove skating culture. This association developed after the opening of the skate shop "68 Skate".
SR 68 is part of the
California Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses both State highways and federal highways in California. It is defined by Article 2 (comme ...
,
and east of SR 1 is part of the
National Highway System,
a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the
Federal Highway Administration
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program ...
.
SR 68 is eligible for the
State Scenic Highway System;
however, only the part from
SR 1 to the
Salinas River is designated by Caltrans as a scenic highway.
The Monterey-Salinas Highway is a California Scenic Route because of its views of the
chaparral and springtime
lupin for between State Route 1 in Monterey to the Salinas River. State Route 68 is part of the
Juan De Anza Trail.
History
Highway 68 is part of the DeAnza Trail, a route that linked all of California's mission settlements during the Spanish colonial period. With the advent of the automobile, Highway 68 was upgraded from a dirt wagon road to a 2-lane paved road in 1937.
During the 1950s and 1960s,
Caltrans had planned to upgrade Highway 68 to a freeway between Salinas and
Highway 1 in Monterey, that was to start at
US 101
U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 (US 101), is a north–south United States Numbered Highway that runs through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast of the United States. It is also known as (The Royal Roa ...
south of the city and proceed west between Salinas and
Spreckels, serving as a bypass for Salinas. The freeway was to then follow the existing Highway 68 alignment into Monterey.
The freeway plan died as a result of environmental concerns along the route. The only portions of this freeway that were actually built were a section approaching the Highway 1 interchange in Monterey, and a segment starting in Spreckels and heading west, bypassing the unincorporated village of Toro Park. The segment around Spreckels opened in 1967 and included a pair of new bridges spanning the
Salinas River, which replaced an old
truss bridge
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
built in 1889. At the western terminus of the Spreckels freeway segment, land acquired for the freeway can still be seen.
There continues to be discussions, but no definitive plans, to either bypass Route 68 or convert the existing road to 4-lanes by building a second roadway alongside the present 2-lane carriageway. Caltrans and Monterey County officials mention the most practical route for a bypass would be to the north of the existing Route 68, through
Fort Ord
Fort Ord is a former United States Army post on Monterey Bay of the Pacific Ocean coast in California, which closed in 1994 due to Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) action. Most of the fort's land now makes up the Fort Ord National Monument, ...
. A major upgrade of the Highway 68 corridor would cost on the order of $300 million. In the fall of 2007, Caltrans is scheduled to begin a $6 million project to implement safety upgrades at three major intersections along Highway 68.
Meanwhile, Caltrans and Monterey County are proceeding with a plan to divert Monterey-Salinas traffic away from Highway 68 by converting Davis Road and Reservation Road from two lanes to four between Highway 101 on the north side of Salinas and Highway 1 in Marina. These two roads pass through Fort Ord and the upgrades are using excess land set aside following the base's closure in 1994. The Davis Road/Reservation Road upgrade is a short-term fix, and most state and county officials realize that a permanent fix for Highway 68 will eventually be necessary.
Major intersections
See also
*
References
''State Route 68''
External links
{{commonscat
Caltrans: Route 68 highway conditions
068
068
State Route 068
068
Pacific Grove, California
Monterey, California
Salinas, California