Ultimate Interstates:Corridors 7 and 9

California-Nevada Map Showing the location of I-9

Sacramento Detail Map

Stockton Detail Map

Showing potential I-x09 Routes

Ultimate Interstate 9 is a planned interstate corridor located in the central valley of California. The proposed interstate highway would largely replace existing SR-99 throughout most of the state of California. Possible route number designations also included the possibility of numbering the route as Interstate 7 instead of Interstate 9. This would fit in the interstate numbering plan and also free up the I-9 designation to be used further eastward for a potential interstate designation along US-395 instead. However it seems that based on current proposals that I-9 is the preferred route number for this route.

Proposed Routing

Current proposals have the interstate routing terminating in Stockton rather than Sacramento or Red Bluff as indicated in the Map. As Currently proposed this route beginning in Mettler (south of Bakersfield) would instead end in Stockton by connecting to I-5 via SR-4 (Crosstown Freeway) However this routing is not recommended since it would neglect the northern California cities that the longer route would serve.

Recommended Routing

Indyroads proposes that the routing should begin in Red Bluff and travel down the central valley through Sacramento and ending in Mettler. The route wouls pass through Chico along existing SR-99. the route would then switch to near SR-70 through Oroville and Marysville before rejoining SR-99 near Nicolaus, the route will then continue along I-5 through Sacramento, US-50 (Hidden I-305) and then south along SR-99 through the cities of Modesto, Fresno, and Bakersfield until it reaches its terminus in Mettler.

Purpose and Need

Due to the high volume of truck and commercial traffic along this corridor this road needs to be upgraded to interstate standards. This would also provide direct interstate access to several largely populated central valley cities.

Potential Auxiliary Routes

I-209 (Stockton to Vallejo), I-809 (Marysville to Roseville), as well as the possibility of auxiliary routes in Fresno and Bakersfield if eventually needed.

See Ultimate Interstates:Bay Area For more info.

Plausibility

This route seems likely to become reality but CalTrans does not seem to be in a hurry to post the interstate designation to the route. Most Californians see SR-99 as a major route in california and the route is also well known to truckers nationally as an important route since it connects so many major California cities. The interstate designation makes sense, however, for all intents and purposes this route is largely a bypass or auxiliary route for Interstate 5 and could just be designated a 3-digit extension (such as I-305). Due to its length however, it is recommended to carry its own primary number.

Extension

In theory this route could be extended northward via US-97 through Oregon and Washington, however this seems highly unlikely to happen an as such has not been depicted on the maps.