California State Route 146
Encyclopedia
State Route 146 is a state highway in the U.S. state
of California
in Monterey
and San Benito
Counties. The route serves as an entryway to the Pinnacles National Monument
, located in the Gabilan Mountains, from both the Salinas Valley
on the west and State Route 25
on the east.
This route is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
.
along Metz Road and Shirttail Canyon Road to the west area of Pinnacles. The eastern portion runs into the east area of Pinnacles from Route 25 along Pinnacles Road.
Highway 146 has the distinction of following the San Andreas Fault
line for much of its length. As it does, it straddles two separate landmass
es: the Pacific Plate
and the North American Plate
.
, Pinnacles has been administered as a wilderness area as long as that unit has been under their jurisdiction, and NPS sources contacted during research cannot recall any time when Route 146 proceeded through the park unbroken.
{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|Monterey
MON 0.00-10.08
|rowspan=2|Soledad
|0.00
|
|Interchange
|-
|0.55
|Monterey Street
|
|-
|
|3.48
|
|
|-
|rowspan=4|San Benito
SBT 10.08-15.15
|
|10.19
|colspan=2 align=center|Pinnacles National Monument
west boundary
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|Gap in SR 146
|-
|
|12.71
|colspan=2 align=center|Pinnacles National Monument
east boundary
|-
|
|15.15
|
|
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in Monterey
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
and San Benito
San Benito County, California
San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California, south of San Jose. As of 2010 the population was 55,269. The county seat is Hollister, which includes nearly two-thirds of the county's population. El Camino Real passes through the county and...
Counties. The route serves as an entryway to the Pinnacles National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument is a protected mountainous area located east of central California's Salinas Valley, just miles from the town of Soledad...
, located in the Gabilan Mountains, from both the Salinas Valley
Salinas Valley
The Salinas Valley lies south of San Francisco, California.The word "salina" is spanish for salt marsh, salt lake or salt pan.-Geography:The Salinas Valley runs approximately south-east from Salinas towards King City. The valley lends its name to the geologic province in which it's located, the...
on the west and State Route 25
California State Route 25
State Route 25 is a state highway in the U.S. state of California between Gilroy and State Route 198. This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System.-Route description:...
on the east.
This route is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System
State Scenic Highway System (California)
The State Scenic Highway System is a list of highways, mainly state highways, that have been designated by the California Department of Transportation as scenic highways. The California State Legislature, primarily through Section 263 of the Streets and Highways Code, makes highways eligible for...
.
Route description
Route 146 is divided into two sections and does not provide a continuous vehicular route through the monument. The western part of Route 146 passes from U.S. Route 101 near SoledadSoledad, California
Soledad, meaning "solitude" and "loneliness" in Spanish, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Soledad is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 190 feet...
along Metz Road and Shirttail Canyon Road to the west area of Pinnacles. The eastern portion runs into the east area of Pinnacles from Route 25 along Pinnacles Road.
Highway 146 has the distinction of following the San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
line for much of its length. As it does, it straddles two separate landmass
Landmass
A landmass is a contiguous area of land surrounded by ocean. Although it may be most often written as one word to distinguish it from the usage "land mass"—the measure of land area—it is also used as two words.Landmasses include:*supercontinents...
es: the Pacific Plate
Pacific Plate
The Pacific Plate is an oceanic tectonic plate that lies beneath the Pacific Ocean. At 103 million square kilometres, it is the largest tectonic plate....
and the North American Plate
North American Plate
The North American Plate is a tectonic plate covering most of North America, Greenland, Cuba, Bahamas, and parts of Siberia, Japan and Iceland. It extends eastward to the Mid-Atlantic Ridge and westward to the Chersky Range in eastern Siberia. The plate includes both continental and oceanic crust...
.
History
According to the National Park ServiceNational Park Service
The National Park Service is the U.S. federal agency that manages all national parks, many national monuments, and other conservation and historical properties with various title designations...
, Pinnacles has been administered as a wilderness area as long as that unit has been under their jurisdiction, and NPS sources contacted during research cannot recall any time when Route 146 proceeded through the park unbroken.
Major intersections
- Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column.
{| class=wikitable
!County
!Location
!Postmile
!Destinations
!Notes
|-
|rowspan=3|Monterey
Monterey County, California
Monterey County is a county located on the Pacific coast of the U.S. state of California, its northwestern section forming the southern half of Monterey Bay. The northern half of the bay is in Santa Cruz County. As of 2010, the population was 415,057. The county seat and largest city is Salinas...
MON 0.00-10.08
|rowspan=2|Soledad
Soledad, California
Soledad, meaning "solitude" and "loneliness" in Spanish, is a city in Monterey County, California, United States. Soledad is located southeast of Salinas, at an elevation of 190 feet...
|0.00
|
|Interchange
|-
|0.55
|Monterey Street
|
|-
|
|3.48
|
|
|-
|rowspan=4|San Benito
San Benito County, California
San Benito County is a county located in the Coast Range Mountains of the U.S. state of California, south of San Jose. As of 2010 the population was 55,269. The county seat is Hollister, which includes nearly two-thirds of the county's population. El Camino Real passes through the county and...
SBT 10.08-15.15
|
|10.19
|colspan=2 align=center|Pinnacles National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument is a protected mountainous area located east of central California's Salinas Valley, just miles from the town of Soledad...
west boundary
|-
|colspan=4 align=center|Gap in SR 146
|-
|
|12.71
|colspan=2 align=center|Pinnacles National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument
Pinnacles National Monument is a protected mountainous area located east of central California's Salinas Valley, just miles from the town of Soledad...
east boundary
|-
|
|15.15
|
|