West Sacramento Freeway

Photo Album

Pre-West Sacramento Freeway Pre-1954

Maps of the West Sacramento Freeway

In the map above from a 1953 Shell map of Sacramento, shows the proposed West Sacramento Freeway. You can see interchanges for West Capitol Ave at each end of the freeway, plus interchanges for Harbor Blvd & Jefferson Blvd.

In the map above from a 1954 Chevron map of Sacramento, you can see the completed West Sacramento Freeway, along with the interchanges

Above maps courtesy of Gousha'

In the old b/w photo to our left you can see how West Capitol Ave approached the Tower Bridge. Notice how traffic is backed-up because of the railroad sharing the Tower Bridge with US40-99W traffic. Alignment of the West Sacramento Freeway followed the railroad alignment. When the freeway was completed the Sacramento Northern Railroad alignment was shifted to the south (to the left in photo) and discontinued crossing the Tower Bridge.

Photo Courtesy of CalTrans

In the old b/w photo to our right you can see West Capitol Ave Approaching the Yolo Causeway from the left hand side. Construction is well underway on the connector ramps to the old West Capitol Ave and the Causeway in the distance you can see the freeway is allmost completed.

Photo Courtesy of CalTrans

In the old b/w photo to our left you can see a overhead shot of the West Sacramento Freeway as it approaches the Tower Bridge into Downtown Sacramento you can see the Capitol in the distance. Notice how the railroad was realigned to the south of the freeway. West Capitol can be seen to the left side of the freeway at the curve you can see the 1925 RR underpass & the 1951 freeway overpass

Photo Courtesy of CalTrans

Above: Aerial photo looking west over the Sacramento River at the West Sacramento Freeway under construction you can see the section from the Tower Bridge to the factory is not completed yet. In the distance you can see West Capitol Ave in the center of the photo the railroad veering to the upper-right corner of the photo and the Freeway to the left. The interchange at Jefferson is where the freeway makes a triangle this is where the current Capitol City Freeway interchange with SR-275. Notice in the distance the Yolo Causeway filled with water the railroad bridge is on the right and US-40-99E is on the

In the old b/w photo to our left is a aerial view of the West Sacramento Freeway at the start of the Yolo Causeway. You can see West Capitol Ave on the left hand side joining the alignment of the future freeway, on the right you can see the future West Capitol interchange, in the distance you can see Downtown Sacramento

Photo Courtesy of CalTrans

Above: Aerial photo looking west over the Sacramento River at the West Sacramento Freeway now completed, the section by the Tower Bridge you can still see the old alignment to the right paralleling the freeway. Notice in the distance the lack of water in the causeway.

In the b/w photo to our left of the West Capitol Ave offramp you can see the gore point overhead sign with the old style white gaurdrailing. The offramp sign today would be approximately in the number one westbound lane of I-80. The sign in the background saids Roadside business along with the old style black & white post. On the sign on the left you can see three shields with the control city of Sacramento this sign was one of the first in California to post   a new Interstate shield on a freeway with a US route

Photo Courtesy of CalTrans

1954 to 1967

Tower Bridge to the Yolo Causeway

Today

In the photos above of the start and end of the West Sacramento Freeway in Sacramento. On the left you can see the 1935 Tower Bridge over the Sacramento River this picture was shot from the bridge over I-5. On the right you can see Capitol Mall with the Capitol in the distance at the first signal after crossing the I-5 bridge is the end of the West Sacramento Freeway and California 275

In the photo on the left looking eastbound at the Tower Bridge in the distance you can see the South River Road exit (Notice the arrow is straight and not at a angle. On the right you can see West Capitol Ave offramp just after crossing the Sacramento River this was orginally how the old alignment went into West Sacramento as shown in a photo at the top of this page

In the photo's above of the West Capitol offramps you can see in this interchange there is a exit for both east & west bound sides. The overpasss in the photo on the left is for the old Sacramento Northern Railroad, in the photo to the right the overpass is for eastbound traffic to go over the freeway to go to West Capitol Ave.

In the photo to our right of the overpass for the east bound West Capitol Ave offramp you can see the nice steel railing with sidewalk on the left side only, notice the smooth curve to this bridge. In the lower right hand corner you can see the date stamp which is stamped at each end of the bridge on the curb

In the photo's above of the Jefferson Blvd offramps off the Capitol City & West Sacramento freeways. In the photo to the left is the sign approaching the westbound offramp on the West Sacramento Freeway in the center photo you can see the on the left the flyover ramp from the eastbound Capitol City freeway, on the sign post to the right you can see some the stained post below the sign this was because the former sign was larger,  on the left where the olendars end the old west bound lanes continued before the flyover ramp was constructed in 1966. In the photo on the right taken from the opposite side from the middle photo you can see the offramp & flyover ramp for Jefferson Blvd & the West Sacramento Freeway you can also see downtown Sacramento in the distance plus the Capitol City Freeway to the left

In the photo's above taken on the flyover ramp from the Capitol City to the West Sacramento Fwy, in the photo on the left taken from the top of the flyover ramp you can see downtown Sacramento & the Tower Bridge in the background at the bottom you can see the freeway with the olendar median strip. On the left photo taken on the Jefferson Blvd. onramp at the bottom of the flyover ramp, the old alignment followed this onramp until 1965.

In the photo's above both of which are overview shots taken from the 1951 overpass you can see in the left photo looking west bound I-80 bridge over the Sacramento River in the upper lefthand corner and the flyover ramp in the distance. and in the right photo you can see the railroad bridge in the distance the on & offramps are for the West Capitol Ave exits.

West Sacramento Freeway Speed Limits

In the photo on the left side on westbound side 65 is the current speed limit, but on the eastbound side heading towards the Tower Bridge the speed limit is 35 this is the slowest speed limit posted on a freeway I have seen.

West Sacramento Freeway

1968-Present

In the photo to the left you can see the signbridge at the present day beginning of the West Sacramento Freeway. On the sign on the left you can a US 50 shield along with a Business 80 shield in 1981 US 50 was extended from the Downtown interchange to the I-80 juc. in West Sacramento.

West Sacramento/ Capitol City Freeway

In the photo's above are the first signs you past after entering the Capitol City Freeway (Formerly the West Sacramento Freeway) for the approching Harbor Blvd exit.

In the photo's above of the Harbor Blvd offramps, on the left heading westbound notice I-80 Reno as the next exit. right heading eastbound with West Sacramento Freeway offramp as the exit

In the photo's above of the I-80 interchange with the Capitol City Freeway, on the left heading westbound until a year ago the old sign which had the orginal old I-880 shield on it was still up in the early morning light you could see the the outline of the larger 880 shield. On the right the sign bridge for the eastbound side this is one of two signs at this interchange to have a US 50 Shield and Capitol City Freeway on it.

In the photo's above for the approaching West Capitol Ave exit in the photo on the left you can see the flyover ramp for I-80 to eastbound Capitol City freeway. On the right the median stripe sign for the West Capitol Ave offramp

In the photo's above of the West Capitol exit the end of the former West Sacramento Freeway. On the left you can see the sign bridge at the east end of the Yolo Causeway this is the first sign to sign the Capitol City Freeway and posting of a US 50 shield, the center sign for I-80 Reno is the second east bound  offramp. On the right you can see the old style sign for the West Capitol Exit on the left at the top of the rise is the start of the Yolo Causeway

In the photo on the left of the onramp from West Capitol Ave to eastbound Capitol City Freeway notice that in the upper left hand corner the word "TO" on it. On the right you can see the milage sign for US 50 to Ocean City,MD  the end of US 50 3073 miles away if you start now you can be there in four days?

Yolo Causeway

"Great Concrete Trestile over the Yolo Bypass"