| State Route 86 (california) |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT CALIFORNIA STATE ROUTE 86 | |
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State Route 86 is a north-south State Highway in the southeastern Desert region of Southern California , United States . It runs from State Route 111 , near the Mexican Border crossing at Calexico , north through the Imperial Valley via El Centro and Brawley , and around the west side of the Salton Sea into the Coachella Valley . It joins State Route 111 at Coachella and heads into Indio , ending at the intersection of Indio Boulevard and Avenue 46, where SR 111 turns west onto Avenue 46. (The locally-maintained Interstate 10 Business continues northwest on Indio Boulevard, as did SR 86 before that road was removed from the state highway system.) The legal definition of SR 86 takes it to Interstate 10 in Indio. The route has not done this since it was truncated to Avenue 46, but the State Route 86S Expressway , which will replace SR 86 around the east side of Coachella and Indio, does reach I-10. HISTORY In the late 20th century, 86 had a rather notorious reputation for frequent and often fatal collisions. For much of its length, especially between the southern tip of the Coachella Valley to the Imperial County line, 86 was a two-lane road with easy access from rural side roads. A driver trying to pass might find himself headed straight for the side of another vehicle pulling out from one of the side roads. This reputation earned 86 the nickname "Blood Alley". Originally a part of U.S. Route 99 , California's main north-south highway before 99's Decommissioning in 1964, the northern end of 86 was widened and rerouted through the new and rather unusually numbered "86S Expressway" soon after the signing of the NAFTA agreement, making Highway 86 a four- or six-lane highway for most of its length. Since it is easier to enter California from the Imperial Valley rather than through San Diego , 86 sees a great deal of truck traffic to and from Mexico, earning it still another nickname, "The NAFTA Highway". Unfortunately, the new highway has proven to be at least as dangerous as the old alignment owing to much the same problems of poorly marked and uncontrolled side roads. A rash of fatal crashes in early 2005 has prompted the city of Coachella to push Caltrans for the installation of at least two more traffic signals on 86S. One of the world's most important innovations in Highway Safety owes its existence to 86. Doctor June McCarroll worked as a nurse for the Southern Pacific Railroad in 1924. Her office in Coachella bordered on the highway ( Indio Boulevard ) and was the scene of many an accident even in the highway's earliest days, primarily head-on collisions caused by drivers drifting into oncoming traffic. Nurse McCarroll had the simple yet revolutionary idea of painting a stripe down the middle of the highway, which effectively kept the two lanes of traffic separated. This was the first ever highway marking of its kind and was soon adopted worldwide. A stretch of nearby Interstate 10 has been named in her honor. STATE LAW Legal Definition of Route 86: California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 386 SEE ALSO REFERENCES |
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