California State Route 83

Route description

Route 83 is defined as follows in section 383, subdivision (a), of the California Streets and Highways Code, last amended by the California State Legislature in January 2024:

Subdivision (b) of section 383 states that the relinquished former northern segment of Route 83 in Upland is no longer officially part of the state highway system, but the city must still "maintain signs directing motorists to the continuation of Route 83". Subdivisions (c) and (d) of section 383 permit the state to also relinquish all or a portion of Route 83 located in the cities of Ontario and Chino respectively. If a full relinquishment occurs under both subdivisions, Route 83 will be removed from the state highway system.

Route 83 is a major north–south arterial serving the cities and communities of Western San Bernardino County. Known as Euclid Avenue for its entire length, the route begins at its southern terminus at the Chino Valley Freeway (State Route 71) and traverses the communities of Chino, Ontario, and Upland before reaching the San Bernardino Freeway (Interstate 10). Euclid Avenue, as a city street in Upland, and later a county road in unincorporated San Bernardino County, then continues north into the unincorporated community of San Antonio Heights and provides direct access to Mount Baldy.

North of the Pomona Freeway (State Route 60), Route 83 follows an expanded right of way with six lanes of traffic and a 30 ft wide landscaped median. Through the communities of Ontario, and Upland, the route traverses several designated historic districts, with craftsman homes and civic buildings dating from the late 19th century lining either side of the street. South of the Pomona Freeway (State Route 60), Route 83 assumes the characteristics of a rural highway, narrowing to two lanes while passing through what was traditionally agricultural land.

SR 83 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, and 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.

History

The segment of Euclid Avenue from Philadelphia Street in Ontario north to 24th Street in Upland was added to the National Register of Historic Places as a historic district in 2005. The historic district includes a Madonna of the Trail monument, one contributing site, one contributing structure, and three contributing objects over a 203 acre.

Originally, SR 83 extended north from I-10 to the Foothill Freeway (State Route 210) in Upland, but the state relinquished that segment and turned it over to local control. There has never been any direct connection from Euclid Avenue to the Foothill Freeway (State Route 210) in Upland. During the planning stages for the construction of the Foothill Freeway through the area, Upland residents (in conjunction with the residents of other communities along the route) successfully petitioned the State and local governments to require Caltrans to construct the new freeway 'below grade', i.e. build the road surface of the freeway below the elevation of the surrounding terrain. Furthermore, due to concerns of existing traffic volume, noise, etc. along major thoroughfares, such as Euclid Avenue, many Upland residents who lived along or near Euclid Avenue did not want a fully functional interchange at the junction between the new freeway and the street as it was anticipated that doing so would increase traffic and noise, thereby undermining the aesthetic qualities of the street and negatively affecting the residents' "quality of life". Thus, at the intersection of SR 83 and SR 210, there are no on/offramps or associated improvements like traffic lights - direct access between the highways is not possible. Instead, on both sides of the Euclid Avenue overpass there are two wide landscaped areas that provide a visual (and to a lesser extent, acoustic) buffer between the street and the freeway passing below. The landscaped area also serves to provide continuity with the landscaped segments of the street to the north and south of the intersection.

Future

The California State Legislature passed AB 744 in 2021 and AB 250 in 2023, amending the California Streets and Highways Code defining Route 83 to allow the state to relinquish segments of the state highway to the cities of Ontario and Chino, respectively. An early draft of AB 744 explicitly mentioned "the southbound portion between Merrill Avenue and Riverside Drive within the City of Chino", referencing the segment of the Chino–Ontario border that runs along SR 83's median strip, but that line was removed. In June 2024, Ontario took control over its segment of the highway, including those northbound lanes between Merrill Avenue and Riverside Drive within its borders. Once all these segments are relinquished, SR 83 will cease to exist.

Major intersections

References

References

1. [http://www.cahighways.org/maps.html Los Angeles-Orange County Highway history 1930s to 1964 growth]
2. "Section 383". California Office of Legislative Counsel.
3. {{CAFESystem
4. {{FHWA NHS map
5. {{FHWA NHS
6. {{NRISref. 2009a
7. "AB-744 State highways: State Route 83: reduction".
8. "AB-250 State highways: State Route 83: reduction".
9. "AB-744 Chaptered Version Compared to Version 03/06/21".
10. (June 24, 2024). "Ontario acquires Euclid Avenue as downtown renaissance continues to take shape".
11. (July 2007)
12. [[California Department of Transportation]], [http://traffic-counts.dot.ca.gov/2006all.htm All Traffic Volumes on CSHS] {{webarchive. link. (July 21, 2011 , 2006)