Part 10 – The Final Chapter for Highway 77

Last update left off with properties just to the north of Rohrer Dr., top panel green arrow, that were being developed despite the Division of Highways' request that these areas be reserved for the new highway. This update continues with the map in the bottom panel to conclude the saga of Highway 77.

L258-05-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6553, (Image 1 of 38)

Appreciate that by 1953, at a time prior to any public announcement of a Highway 77, the housing two developments along St. Mary’s Rd. in the Burton Valley were well established, west view. However, note in 1953 there was plenty of empty land to the east of these developments to place a large road.

L258-10-R. L. Copeland Photo, from the collection of the Moraga Historical Society, A-2895, (Image 2 of 38)

This Thomas Bros. map from ca. 1956 shows the path of the proposed highway north of Rohrer Dr. Read on …

L258-15-Courtesy Contra Costa Library, CR 917.9463, (Image 3 of 38)

Through 1962, Burton Dr., green arrow, and Michael Ln., red arrow, remained as the only roads in the way of the proposed highway. The Division of Highways' appraisal files for the properties in this section have not been found, requiring a different approach to evaluate the key events that followed in the 1960s.

L258-20-Courtesy Earth Sciences and Map Library, University of California Berkeley, Air Photo IV-CC-, (Image 4 of 38)

Heading further north, the next obstacle until Aug. 1958 was the Sacramento Northern, SN, right-of-way, seen on this Thomas Bros. map from ca. 1956. Appreciate that at this time, the railway occupied the space that would soon become Olympic Blvd.

L258-25-Courtesy Contra Costa Library, CR 917.9463 , (Image 5 of 38)

Dudley Thickens stood on the south shoulder of the cut that is today east of Pleasant Hill Rd. on Jan. 13, 1957 and took this west view of the this excursion train with SN 1005 and Salt Lake and Utah 751 crossing what was then Andraesen Dr. The electrical transmission line tower, brown arrow, confirms this precise location.

L258-30-Dudley Thickens Photo, Courtesy BAERA, Western Railway Museum Archives, 81400sn, (Image 6 of 38)

A discontinuous Board of Equalization Map from 1941 shows the property owners who deeded land or allowed for an easement through their property to the Oakland and Antioch Railway circa 1911-1913. The orange arrows allow the two maps to be connected. The water districts, green box, become the next subject.

L258-35-Courtesy California State Railroad Museum, (Image 7 of 38)

By Oct. 1953, the water districts were now East Bay Municipal Utility District, but it has not been determined whether the Utah Construction and Mining Co., as owners of the Moraga Rancho’s original land grant extending to Reliez Creek, offered the utility district an easement or sold the rights to it.

L258-40-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6117d Oct. 1953, (Image 8 of 38)

After the railway abandoned this section on Aug. 10, 1958, they would deed the right-of-way to the county. The railway right-of-way would be transformed into Olympic Blvd. in the 1960s. See the next image.

L258-45-Courtesy Contra Costa County Department of Public Works, (Image 9 of 38)

The west view on the left was taken by John Harder at the Tice Valley Blvd.-Boulevard Way crossing before abandonment, and the image on the right before construction of the new road began. Thus, both Olympic Blvd. and Pleasant Hill Rd. were completed by the mid-1960s with no mention of the position or impact of an added highway.

L258-50-John Harder Photo, Courtesy John Harder, Planning and Engineering Divs., City of Walnut Cree, (Image 10 of 38)

A far greater issue was the revision of Highway 24 to increase the number of lanes and to accommodate BART. Recall that Highway 24 was built east of the Caldecott Tunnel in the mid-1950s before a final route selection was finalized for the railway. The west view from Mar. 3, 1969 on the left shows the new sections of concrete added to the north of the road through Lafayette, while the turquoise arrow in both panels marks the Pleasant Hill Rd. interchange. The image on the right is from Jan. 22, 1969.

L258-55-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 15606-6, l, 15492-1, r, (Image 11 of 38)

This map from Nov. 1965 shows the properties impacted by the road construction for which information has been found. The first property to be discussed after the summary that follows is 37545, presented in the insert.

L258-60-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 12 of 38)

A description of the project is shown here. The third panel from the left provides important history regarding the ownership and conditional existence of the sloped easements along Mt. Diablo Blvd., and notes that Norton Dr. was a private road.

L258-65-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 13 of 38)

A northeast view of the house on property 37545 or no. 3516 Linda Vista Ln. is shown as taken from the south corner of the lot on Feb. 11, 1966.

L258-70-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 14 of 38)

Details about no. 3516 Linda Vista Ln. are shown here, as well as a north view toward the hill ridge line and Highway 24 on Feb. 11, 1966.

L258-75-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 15 of 38)

These two west views confirm that the property was cleared after Feb. 11, 1966. In 2021, other homes have been built over time around the site, as it does not appear to have been needed for the widening of Highway 24.

L258-80-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 5208-15, l, 15606-6, r, (Image 16 of 38)

Next to focus on the properties along Norton Dr.-Mt. Diablo Blvd. as shown on this map from 1965. The lettering has been added to allow matching with images and the descriptions that follow. These lots appeared to have been taken by eminent domain twice by the State, the evidence to follow.

L258-85-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 17 of 38)

These south views show the near completion of Highway 24 on Nov. 14, 1956, left, and after removing properties for the expansion-BART construction on Mar. 3, 1969, right. The structures in the orange box were presented in Part 6, buildings being used by the State, and what follows will address the area in the yellow box. Information about the property marked by the turquoise arrow has not as yet been found.

L258-90-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 5208-14, l, 15606-4, r, (Image 18 of 38)

Part 6 of this presentation has already reviewed this area when it was evaluated in 1954. At that point in time, the individual vacant lots and single structure were owned by separate individuals.

L258-95-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6117, (Image 19 of 38)

These two views from Nov. 14, 1956 confirm that the land was not cleared for the initial construction of the Pleasant Hill Rd. interchange, and, in fact, the building seen in 1954 was now rotated ninety degrees, and an additional structure, yellow arrows, had been added to the east.

L258-100-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 5208-14, l, 5208-16, r, (Image 20 of 38)

The vacant lot seen in Jan. 2, 1966 in a south view from Kilborne Rd., labeled A, has not been discussed before, but the lot labeled B, was shown in L258-95 to be under a different ownership. This southeast view from Old Tunnel Rd. and Mt. Diablo Blvd. documents a new building adjacent to the lot with Blodgett’s Linoleum and Barber shop signs of note.

L258-105-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 21 of 38)

The aforementioned building is shown in a north view from Jan. 10, 1966 across Norton Dr., the address no. 3248 Norton Dr.

L258-110-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 22 of 38)

Consistent with what has been presented, the building was built in 1961 as described in the document on the right, in the interval between the 1956 and 1969 images shown previously.

L258-115-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 23 of 38)

Next, to the building that had endured the Highway 24 construction, now with an address, no. 3236 Norton Dr., or no. 3235 Mt. Diablo Blvd. on the opposite front, the former face shown in a north view from Jan. 2, 1966.

L258-120-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 24 of 38)

From these documents, it is revealed the building fronting Norton Dr. was constructed in 1950, but it had been moved in 1958. The images from 1956 would argue the building was moved earlier. The Mt. Diablo side was not added until 1965, the latter shown in a south view across Mt. Diablo Blvd. In addition, it was now owned by an investment company.

L258-125-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 25 of 38)

The next building also fronted both roads, the left image a northeast view from Norton Dr., the right image a south view across Mt. Diablo Blvd., the images taken on Jan. 2, 1966.

L258-130-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 26 of 38)

As expected from these documents, the structure was built in 1962. The pattern that has emerged going lot by lot on Norton Dr. is that new ownership, new construction, where applicable, and land assessment occurred in the early 1960s, suggesting the State did take ownership of the lots and the one building there before 1956, but then sold them after not needing the land for Highway 24.

L258-135-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 27 of 38)

The same pattern just noted in the previous panel continued with this lot at no. 3232 Norton Dr., seen in this north view toward Mt. Diablo Blvd. taken on Jan. 11, 1966.

L258-140-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 28 of 38)

Moving to the next lot to the east on Norton Dr., no. 3230, this north view from Jan. 10, 1966 continues the pattern of turnover in the early 1960s.

L258-145-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 29 of 38)

Moving east were two lots, the addresses obviously switched for the two in error as shown. The one pictured should be no. 3228 seen in a north view …

L258-150-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 30 of 38)

… and this one no. 3224 Norton Dr.

L258-155-Copyright California Department of Transportation, Folder 6506, (Image 31 of 38)

This article from 1969 that focuses primarily on developer Russell Bruzzone is interesting as it states, as indicated within the red boxed-in text, that the Gateway Freeway would be completed in four years, and the Shepherd Canyon Freeway was not to be built before 1980. Deliberate is not exactly the right adjective to be applied for the latter project that was unveiled in 1954.

L258-160-Courtesy Lafayette Historical Society, (Image 32 of 38)

Despite all of the delays, this south view from Mar. 3, 1969 down Pleasant Hill Rd. still shows a clear path to the left or east of the water tank on the flanking hill. Note the Rossmoor Development in the upper left corner, or southeast.

L258-165-Copyright California Department of Transportation, 15606-4, (Image 33 of 38)

The proposed highway continued to be shown on maps, this one from 1970 showing the proposed route with a broken red line. The penciled-in line was added to show the right-of-way of the Sacramento Northern Railway by the map’s owner.

L258-170-ARCO Map of Contra Costa County, Courtesy Tom Gray, (Image 34 of 38)

But the opposition to the project was intensifying, particularly on the Oakland side as revealed in this Apr. 21, 1972 article. Oakland Assemblyman Ken Meade and Councilman John Sutter would soon take this action one step further.

L258-175-Courtesy Lafayette Historical Society, (Image 35 of 38)

By May of 1972, the project was nearly put to rest, although the Division of Highways was still intent on keeping the project on the books and not relinquishing the land acquired. When the State eventually let go of the land a few years later, this led, in part, to the creation of the Montclair Railroad Trail in Oakland, and the Lafayette-Moraga Trail north of the Moraga Rd.-St. Mary’s Rd. intersection through to the Burton Valley.

L258-180-Courtesy Lafayette Historical Society, (Image 36 of 38)

This completes the road map presented at the onset of the ten-part presentation on “How Eminent Domain Saved Lamorinda.”

L258-185-Compiled by Stuart Swiedler, (Image 37 of 38)

To pick one image that could best summarize this effort may generate many different suggestions, but this north view up Telegraph Ave. at West MacArthur Blvd. in Oakland in Jan. 1939 rings true.

L258-190-Key Claims Photo, Sappers Coll., Courtesy BAERA, W. Railway Museum Arch., 111479ks, (Image 38 of 38)