![]() ![]() SR 4 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System however, it is only a scenic highway as designated by Caltrans from a point east of Arnold to SR 89, meaning that it is a substantial section of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where the potential designation has gained popular favor with the community. SR 4 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, and from just west of Stockton to SR 49 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. Ebbetts Pass is not plowed for snow, and thus closes during the winter months, often from November through as late as May, blocking through traffic between the Mount Reba Turnoff and Markleeville. Through the mountains, SR 4 is not suitable for large trucks, buses, or RVs, as it becomes very steep and eventually single-track, with no center dividing line shortly after the Mount Reba Turnoff to Bear Valley Ski area, with tight switchbacks. The portion from Arnold to its terminus is designated the Ebbetts Pass Scenic Byway, which is eventually one lane. However, "To SR 4" signage continues along southbound SR 89 north to near its intersection with SR 88 in Woodfords, including reassurance shields for both SR 89 and SR 4 on top of the mileage sign just south of town. ![]() The route runs through the 8,050 ft (2,450 m) Pacific Grade Summit on its way up to the 8,730 ft (2,660 m) Ebbetts Pass and ends at State Route 89 ten miles (16 km) west of Topaz Lake, on the California– Nevada border. The route then runs concurrent with State Route 99 before running eastward into the Sierra through Angels Camp, one of the richest quartz mining sections of the Mother Lode and home of " The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County", and Calaveras Big Trees State Park. ![]() Route 4 east continues to Stockton, where it briefly joins I-5 and then enters a separate freeway (known locally as the Crosstown Freeway) routing almost directly through downtown Stockton. This section is also known as the John Marsh Heritage Highway. After Antioch, the freeway turns southward at its intersection with State Route 160, turning into a suburban and rural road bypassing the Bay Area's rapidly growing and outermost eastern suburbs ( Oakley, Brentwood and Discovery Bay, California) and continues east across Victoria Island. Two gauges of BART tracks run in the median of the freeway from the Port Chicago Highway interchange in Concord to just east of the Hillcrest Avenue interchange in Antioch, where the light rail line currently ends at the Antioch station. ![]() Alhambra Avenue at SR 4 is also the site of the Franklin Canyon Adobe. The John Muir National Historic Site is located directly north of Route 4 on Alhambra Avenue in Martinez. (The actual parkway extends a bit past the western terminus.) The road is an expressway from its starting point until it approaches Martinez, at which point it becomes a full freeway (the California Delta Highway) passing Concord, Pittsburg, and Antioch. SR 4, an east–west highway, begins in Hercules at San Pablo Avenue next to the Interstate 80 junction as part of John Muir Parkway. Interstate 680 crossing State Route 4, with Mount Diablo rising in background. ![]()
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