U.S. Route 97 marker

U.S. Route 97

US 97 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Caltrans
Length54 mi[1] (87 km)
Existed1935–present
Tourist
routes		 Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South end I-5 in Weed
Major intersections SR 161 near Hatfield
North end US 97 at Oregon state line towards Klamath Falls, OR
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesSiskiyou
Highway system
← SR 96→ SR 98

U.S. Route 97 (US 97) is a United States Numbered Highway, stretching from Weed, California to the Canadian border in Oroville, Washington. The California portion of US 97 runs north from I-5 in Weed to the Oregon state line. This is the majority of a shortcut between I-5 and Klamath Falls, Oregon, added to both states' state highway systems in 1931. It was designated as US 97 in 1935, replacing an east–west section in southern Oregon.

Route description

US 97 begins in Weed at an interchange with Interstate 5. It runs on Weed's Business Loop of Interstate 5, which all of the loop used to be U.S. Route 99. At the junction with California State Route 265, U.S. Route 97 ends its concurrency with the Business Loop and turns right, heading to the northeast into the Shasta-Trinity National Forest, and later the Klamath National Forest. US 97 passes by Grass Lake as it travels through the mountains before descending into the community of Macdoel. The route continues into the city of Dorris before intersecting with California State Route 161 near Indian Tom Lake before it crosses the Oregon state border and leaves California.[2]

View of US 97 from the viewpoint near Mount Shasta.

US 97 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[3] and is part of the National Highway System,[4] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[5] US 97 is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System,[6] but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation.[7] US 97 is also part of the Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway, an All-American Road.[8]

History

US 97 was created in 1926 and originally terminated near Ashland, Oregon, but was extended from Klamath Falls to Weed in 1935.[9]

In 2002, Caltrans allocated $23.7 million to construct a 2.6-mile (4.2 km) bypass of Dorris to carry US 97 traffic, replacing a set of city streets with three turns that caused tractor trailers to flip over.[10] The proposal was rejected by the city government in 2003 due to fears it would affect business traffic, which had already been struggling in Dorris.[11]

Major intersections

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. 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 (for a full list of prefixes, see California postmile § Official postmile definitions).[1] Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The entire route is in Siskiyou County.

LocationPostmile
[1][12][13]		DestinationsNotes
WeedL0.00
 I-5 BL south (South Weed Boulevard)		South end of I-5 BL overlap; continuation beyond I-5
I-5 / College Avenue – Redding, Portland, College of the SiskiyousInterchange; southern terminus of US 97; south end of Hist. US 99 overlap; former US 99 south; I-5 exit 747
Historic US 99 begins
L0.43
0.05



 I-5 BL north / Historic US 99 north (SR 265 / North Weed Boulevard) to I-5 north – Yreka, Portland		North end of I-5 BL / Hist. US 99 overlap; southern terminus of SR 265; former US 99 north
​R12.13
 CR A12 west (99-97 Cutoff) – Grenada, Yreka		Eastern terminus of CR A12
​21.80Grass Lake Rest Area
​49.90Agricultural Inspection Station (southbound only)
​53.81
 SR 161 east – Tulelake		Western terminus of SR 161
​54.09
 US 97 north – Klamath Falls, Bend		Continuation into Oregon
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. ↑ California Road Atlas (Map). Thomas Brothers. 2008.
  3. ↑ "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  4. ↑ Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: California (North) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  5. ↑ 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.
  6. ↑ "Article 2.5 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets & Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  7. ↑ California Department of Transportation (August 2019). "Officially Designated State Scenic Highways and Historic Parkways" (XLSX). Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Retrieved October 7, 2017.
  8. ↑ "Volcanic Legacy Scenic Byway web site". Retrieved May 13, 2019.
  9. ↑ Oregon State Highway Department (1935). State Highway Department's Map of the State of Oregon Showing Main Traveled Automobile Roads, 1935 (Map). Oregon State Highway Commission. LCCN 75696277. OCLC 5673552. Retrieved December 1, 2021 – via State Library of Oregon Digital Collections.
  10. ↑ Juillerat, Lee (March 6, 2003). "Dorris rejects bypass". Herald and News. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  11. ↑ Juillerat, Lee (February 27, 2013). "Dorris: City park brings town together". Herald and News. Retrieved December 1, 2021.
  12. ↑ California Department of Transportation (July 2007). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
  13. ↑ California Department of Transportation, All Traffic Volumes on CSHS, 2005 and 2006
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