State Route 98 (SR 98) is a state highway in the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its so ...

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

. It is a loop of

Interstate 8 Interstate 8 (I-8) is an Interstate Highway in the southwestern United States. It runs from the southern edge of Mission Bay at Sunset Cliffs Boulevard in San Diego, California, almost at the Pacific Ocean, to the junction with I-10, ...

(I-8) running west to east south of the Interstate through the border city of

Calexico Calexico () is a city in southern Imperial County, California. Situated on the Mexican border, it is linked economically with the much larger city of Mexicali, the capital of the Mexican state of Baja California. It is about east of San Dieg ...

. It passes through the city of Calexico and ends east of Holtville. The highway was added to the state highway system in 1933, and signed as Route 98 by 1938. The highway was paved and rerouted to its current path during the 1950s.

Route description

SR 98 begins at an interchange with I-8 southwest of the community of

Ocotillo ''Fouquieria splendens'', commonly known as ocotillo, is a plant indigenous to the Mojave, Sonoran, Chihuahuan and Colorado deserts in the Southwestern United States (southern California, southern Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Texas), and nor ...

. The highway intersects CR S2 and passes south of Coyote Wells before turning due east through the

Yuha Desert The Yuha Desert is a section of the Sonoran Desert located in the Imperial Valley of California, south of Interstate 8, west of El Centro, and north of the international border. Unique aspects of the Yuha Desert include the Oyster Shell Beds, ...

. After over forty miles of desert, SR 98 intersects with CR S29 and then CR S30, the latter in the community of Mount Signal. The road passes over the New River and intersects CR S31 before entering the border city of

, just opposite from

Mexicali Mexicali (; ) is the capital city of the States of Mexico, Mexican state of Baja California. The city, which is the seat of the Mexicali Municipality, has a population of 689,775, according to the 2010 census, while the Calexico–Mexicali, Cale ...

, the capital of the Mexican state of

Baja California Baja California, officially the Free and Sovereign State of Baja California, is a state in Mexico. It is the northwesternmost of the 32 federal entities of Mexico. Before becoming a state in 1952, the area was known as the North Territory of B ...

. SR 98 intersects SR 111, the north-south highway connecting Mexicali and

El Centro El Centro ( Spanish for "The Center") is a city and county seat of Imperial County, California, United States. El Centro is the most populous city in the Imperial Valley, the east anchor of the Southern California Border Region, and the co ...

, before leaving the city and continuing east through rural

Imperial County Imperial County is a county located on the southeast border of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 census, the population was 179,702, ranking as the least populous county in Southern California. The county seat and largest city is ...

. After meeting SR 7, SR 98 goes through the community of Bonds Corner before intersecting CR S33. SR 98 then parallels the

All American Canal The All-American Canal is an aqueduct, located in southeastern California. It conveys water from the Colorado River into the Yuma Project, the Imperial Valley (California), Imperial Valley, and to nine cities. It is the Imperial Valley's only w ...

before terminating at I-8 at Midway Well. The portion of SR 98 from SR 111 east to I-8 is designated as part of the

Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail The Juan Bautista de Anza National Historic Trail is a trail extending from Nogales on the U.S.-Mexico border in Arizona, through the California desert and coastal areas in Southern California and the Central Coast region to San Francisco.

auto tour route, promoted by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

. SR 98 in Calexico is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the

Federal Highway Administration The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...

. In 2013, SR 98 had an

annual average daily traffic Annual average daily traffic (AADT) is a measure used primarily in transportation planning, transportation engineering and retail location selection. Traditionally, it is the total volume of vehicle traffic of a highway or road for a year divided ...

(AADT) of 1,400 at the western terminus with I-8, and 26,500 between Rockwood Avenue and Heber Avenue in Calexico, the latter of which was the highest AADT for the highway.

History

The highway was originally designated as Route 202 in 1933. By 1934, a road headed due south from Seeley, before turning east through Calexico and curving slightly to the north and then east again through Bonds Corners. The easternmost portion of the highway was unpaved. In 1935, a contract was awarded for "grading and surfacing" the portion from East Highline Canal to Midway Wells. By 1938, the road from Coyote Wells east to the then-current routing had been constructed, but was a county road; the entirety of Route 98, which was signed, was either gravel or asphalt. Between 1952 and 1954, the western portion of SR 98 was rerouted onto the county road, moving the western terminus to southwest of Coyote Wells; however, the new portion was not paved. By 1956, the entire highway was paved. In the 1964 state highway renumbering, the highway was officially renumbered as Route 98. I-8 was extended to the western terminus of SR 98 by 1965, and to the eastern terminus of SR 98 by 1970.

Major intersections

References

External links

California @ AARoads.com - State Route 98
{{good article 098 State Route 098 Calexico, California El Centro metropolitan area

Route description

History

Major intersections

See also

References

External links