California State Route 7

State Route 7 (SR 7) is a state highway in the U.S. state of California, running from the Calexico East Port of Entry on the U.S.-Mexico border east of Calexico north to its terminus at Interstate 8 (I-8), where Orchard Road continues the route north towards Holtville. The route provides convenient access to the country of Mexico from I-8. The southern portion of the route opened in 1996, and the rest of the route connecting to I-8 opened in 2005.

For highways formerly signed as California State Route 7, see California State Route 7 (pre-1964) and Interstate 710.

State Route 7 marker

State Route 7

State Route 7 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Caltrans
Length6.718 mi[1] (10.812 km)
Existed1990[2]–present
Major junctions
South endMexican border near Mexicali
Major intersections SR 98 near Calexico
North end I-8 / CR S32 near Holtville
Location
CountryUnited States
StateCalifornia
CountiesImperial
Highway system
← US 6→ I-8

Route description

SR 7 begins at the Calexico East Border Station, which is open from 6 am to 10 pm, seven days a week.[3] Just north of the border, the highway splits into two roads to pass through the customs checkpoints: the fork to the west is for cars, and the fork to the east is for commercial vehicles. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) considers the western fork for cars as the SR 7 spur route, while the eastern fork is part of SR 7 proper. At their junction, the western fork passes over the other fork at the northern end and merges into that highway.

From the border to I-8, SR 7 is an expressway known as Orchard Road. Before reaching I-8, SR 7 travels north and has an at-grade intersection with SR 98 and a few other roads. At its northern end, SR 7 turns into County Route S32 (still Orchard Road) as it intersects with I-8. The entire route runs through the Sonoran Desert and is built to expressway standards.[4]

The route was constructed to allow commercial traffic to travel between Mexico and the United States.[5] SR 7 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System,[6] and is part of the National Highway System,[7] a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.[8] In 2013, SR 7 had an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 2,450 at the Calexico inspection station, and 15,900 at Menvielle Road along the spur, the latter of which was the highest AADT for the highway.[9]

SR 7 sign

History

SR 7 was added to the state highway system in 1990,[2] and to the Freeway and Expressway System in 1998.[10] The segment from the Mexican border to SR 98 was completed by March 1996 to expressway standards;[11] this cost $9.1 million (about $14.7 million in 2021 dollars)[12] to complete. However, the border crossing was not opened until December 2, 1996, due to delays in constructing the Mexican portion of the border crossing.[13] Because of the 1994 economic crisis in Mexico, there were insufficient funds to complete the road leading to the border facility on the Mexican side, as well as the Mexican border facility itself.[14] The segment from SR 98 to I-8 began construction in March 2004 at a cost of $64.5 million (about $90 million in 2021 dollars);[12] and, it was completed in mid-2005.[15]

California State Route 7 was used from 1964 to 1983 for the Long Beach Freeway in the Los Angeles metropolitan area, which is now Interstate 710.

Major intersections

Postmiles were measured based on the road's original alignment and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The "S" prefix refers to the spur route that splits off at the Calexico East Port of Entry to pass through the western customs checkpoints for cars.[9][16] The entire route is in Imperial County.

LocationPostmile
[17][9][1]		DestinationsNotes
​0.00Calexico East Port of Entry (commercial trucks)South end of SR 7 proper; traffic exits and enters the port of entry on the Mexican side at Boulevard Abelardo L. Rodríguez
​S0.00Calexico East Port of Entry (cars)South end of the SR 7 spur route;[16] traffic exits and enters the port of entry on the Mexican side at Boulevard Abelardo L. Rodríguez
​S0.54
0.26		International border (cars)Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; north end of the SR 7 spur route;[16] continues east as Nina Lee Road
​1.19 SR 98 – Calexico, Yuma
​6.72 I-8 – San Diego, YumaInterchange; north end of SR 7; I-8 exit 125
​6.72 CR S32 (Orchard Road) – HoltvilleContinuation beyond I-8
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

References
  1. California Department of Transportation. "State Truck Route List". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original (XLS file) on June 30, 2015. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
  2. California State Assembly. "An act to amend Sections 253.2, 253.6, 263.2, 302, 324, 335, 336, 414, 423, 428, 448, 452, 521, 522, 535, 536, 544, 554, and 618 of, and to add Section 307 to, the Streets and Highways Code, relating to highways". 1989–1990 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 1187 p. 4964.
  3. "Service Port - Calexico East - Class A". U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Retrieved March 14, 2015.
  4. Google. "SR 7 Map" (Map). Google Maps. Google.
  5. "State-Route 7 Transportation Concept Summary" (PDF). Caltrans. September 2011. p. 2. Retrieved June 21, 2014.
  6. "Article 2 of Chapter 2 of Division 1". California Streets and Highways Code. Sacramento: California Office of Legislative Counsel. Retrieved February 6, 2019.
  7. Federal Highway Administration (March 25, 2015). National Highway System: California (South) (PDF) (Map). Scale not given. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved May 25, 2015.
  8. Natzke, Stefan; Neathery, Mike & Adderly, Kevin (June 20, 2012). "What is the National Highway System?". National Highway System. Washington, DC: Federal Highway Administration. Retrieved July 1, 2012.
  9. California Department of Transportation (2013). "All Traffic Volumes on CSHS". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
  10. California State Assembly. "An act to amend Sections 21644.5, 21670.4, 21681, 99155.1, 99238.5, and 99401.5 of the Public Utilities Code, to amend Section 8352.3 of the Revenue and Taxation Code, to amend Sections 73, 163, 164.11, 164.16, 164.17, 164.18, 253.1, 253.3, 302, 319..." 1997–1998 Session of the Legislature. Statutes of California. State of California. Ch. 877.
  11. "SR-7.ai" (PDF). California Department of Transportation. December 2004. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  12. Johnston, Louis; Williamson, Samuel H. (2023). "What Was the U.S. GDP Then?". MeasuringWorth. Retrieved January 1, 2023. United States Gross Domestic Product deflator figures follow the Measuring Worth series.
  13. "State Route 7". California Department of Transportation. Archived from the original on 26 June 2007. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  14. Lindquist, Diane (3 March 1996). "Border Opportunity: Economic boom predicted when Calexico crossing opens this summer". The San Diego Union-Tribune.
  15. Salorio, Michael (17 April 2005). "Ceremony marks completion of State Route 7". Imperial Valley Press. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 23 March 2011.
  16. California Department of Transportation. "Postmile Services". Retrieved September 27, 2020.
  17. California Department of Transportation (October 2018). "Log of Bridges on State Highways". Sacramento: California Department of Transportation.
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