California State Route 33

"CA 33" redirects here. For the congressional district, see California's 33rd congressional district.

"Ojai Freeway" redirects here. Not to be confused with Ojai Road.

State Route 33 marker State Route 33
SR 33 highlighted in red
Route information
Maintained by Caltrans
Length	289.699 mi (466.225 km) This route is broken into pieces, and the length does not reflect the overlaps that would be required to make the route continuous.
Existed	1934–present
Tourist routes	File:National Forest Scenic Byway.svgFile:California Scenic State.svg Jacinto Reyes Scenic Byway
Major junctions
South end	File:US 101 (1961 cutout).svg US 101 in Ventura
Major intersections	File:California 150.svg SR 150 from Mira Monte to Ojai File:California 166.svg SR 166 from Cuyama Valley to Maricopa File:California 119.svg SR 119 in Taft File:California 58.svg SR 58 in McKittrick File:California 269.svg SR 269 in Avenal File:I-5 (1961).svgFile:California 145.svg I-5 / SR 145 near Coalinga File:California 152.svg SR 152 from Dos Palos Y to near Los Banos File:I-5 (1961).svg I-5 in Santa Nella File:California 140.svg SR 140 in Gustine
North end	File:I-5 (1961).svg I-5 near Tracy
Location
Country	United States
State	California
Counties	Ventura, Santa Barbara, San Luis Obispo, Kern, Kings, Fresno, Merced, Stanislaus, San Joaquin
Highway system
State highways in California Interstate US State Scenic History Pre‑1964 Unconstructed Deleted Freeways
← SR 32 → SR 34

State Route 33 (SR 33) is a north–south state highway in the U.S. state of California. It runs north from U.S. Route 101 in Ventura through the Transverse Ranges and the western side of the San Joaquin Valley to Interstate 5 at a point east of Tracy. SR 33 replaced part of U.S. Route 399 in 1964 during the "great renumbering" of routes. In the unincorporated sections of Kern County it is known as the West Side Highway. In addition, the California Legislature designated the entire Kern County portion as the Petroleum Highway in 2004. The southernmost portion in Ventura is a freeway known as the Ojai Freeway, while it is known as the Maricopa Highway from Ojai to Maricopa.

Route description

File:SR33-Pinos.JPG

View northeast from near Pine Mountain Summit on SR 33, the highest elevation on the route. The Lockwood Valley and Mount Pinos are in the distance.

File:CA33 oil derricks.JPG

SR 33 heading south through Kern County

File:CA SR33 at Brown Material Road in Kern County.JPG

A foggy winter day looking northbound south of Brown Material Road near Blackwells Corner.

State Route 33 begins in Ventura as a short freeway ("Ojai Freeway"). SR 33 then continues north as Maricopa Highway, an undivided surface road, through Ojai, following Matilija Canyon past the easternmost extremity of the Santa Ynez Mountains in Los Padres National Forest, and passing over the Transverse Ranges at Pine Mountain Summit. As SR 33 comes down into the Cuyama Valley, it comes up to a junction with SR 166 east of Cuyama. Route 33 continues with Route 166 as they enter Kern County for about 20 miles (32 km) to Maricopa where the routes separate. In Maricopa, Route 33 turns northwest, following the western side of the San Joaquin Valley. Between Taft and Avenal it roughly parallels Interstate 5 and the eastern foothills of the Temblor and Diablo ranges; for the first 15 miles (24 km) of the portion following the axis of the Midway-Sunset Oil Field. Northwest of Avenal, it turns due west to enter Coalinga, then turns northeast and soon becomes concurrent with I-5 for 13 miles (21 km). Thereafter, it departs due north near Cantua Creek, turns northwest at Mendota, through Firebaugh and meets State Route 152 in Dos Palos, in which it runs concurrently due west for approximately ten miles. It departs again west of Los Banos, turning north to Santa Nella (where it has an interchange with I-5), and roughly parallels I-5 and the San Joaquin River until its northern terminus at I-5 and Bird Road southeast of Tracy. When passing through the Avenal/Coalinga area travelers pass near a series of prisons and government facilities. They include: Avenal State Prison, Pleasant Valley State Prison, and the Coalinga State Hospital. In the portions of the route in Kern and Fresno Counties, SR 33 passes through one of the United States' largest petroleum extraction fields, with hundreds of nodding oil pumps along the highway. Some of the fields visible from the highway include the Midway-Sunset, South and North Belridge, Cymric, McKittrick, Lost Hills, and Coalinga oil fields. Most of SR 33's route passes through sparsely populated, relatively desolate portions of the San Joaquin Valley. Travelers along it should use caution, since emergency services are typically dozens of miles away. Carrying extra water and coolant is especially advised, since summertime temperatures in the area routinely surpass 100 °F (38 °C). Several segments of this route are part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, but only two segments, one south of the northern city limits of Ojai, and one near SR 152 are 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. Several segments are eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System; however, only the portion from 6.4 miles north of the SR 150 junction to the Ventura–Santa Barbara county line is a scenic highway as designated by Caltrans, 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. This scenic segment is also designated as part of the Jacinto Reyes Scenic Byway, a National Forest Scenic Byway.

History

Before the US 399 designation was deleted in 1964, SR 33 followed SR 166 east from US 99 at Wheeler Ridge to Maricopa in lieu of the segment from Ventura to Maricopa, and followed the old US highway from Taft to Maricopa. Today, SR 166 remains on the segment between Wheeler Ridge and Maricopa. SR 33 used to extend north to Interstate 205 in Tracy, but this segment was relinquished after the segment of Interstate 5 from SR 33 to I-205 was completed. When Caltrans implemented its exit numbering program in 2002, SR 33's section of the Ojai Freeway was not included and is one of the very few stretches of freeway in California to not feature exit numbers.

Major intersections

Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964, based on the alignment that existed at the time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary (for a full list of prefixes, see California postmile § Official postmile definitions). Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines; the start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column. All exits are unnumbered.

County	Location	Postmile	Destinations	Notes
Ventura VEN 0.00-57.51	Ventura	0.00	File:US 101 (1961 cutout).svg US 101 (Ventura Freeway, SR 1) – Los Angeles, San Francisco	Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance; south end of SR 33; US 101 exit 70B
		0.17	Main Street – Ventura	Interchange; southbound exit and northbound entrance
		1.57	Stanley Avenue	Interchange; southbound exit and entrance are on the left
	​	2.65	Shell Road	Interchange
	​	R4.49	Cañada Larga Road	Interchange
	​	R5.64	Casitas Vista Road	Interchange
	Casitas Springs		North end of freeway
	Mira Monte	11.21 R14.41	File:West plate California.svg File:California 150.svg SR 150 west (Baldwin Road) – Meiners Oaks, Lake Casitas, Carpinteria, Santa Barbara	South end of SR 150 overlap
	Ojai	16.58 11.21	File:East plate California.svg File:California 150.svg SR 150 east (Ojai Avenue) – Ojai, Santa Paula	North end of SR 150 overlap
	​	48.50	File:To plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg Lockwood Valley Road to I-5 – Lockwood Valley
Santa Barbara SB 0.00-8.18	No major junctions
San Luis Obispo SLO 0.00-4.95	​	2.80	File:West plate California.svg File:California 166.svg SR 166 west – Cuyama, New Cuyama, Santa Maria	South end of SR 166 overlap
Kern KER 0.00-73.74	Maricopa	R11.56	File:East plate California.svg File:California 166.svgFile:To plate blue 1961.svg File:South plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg SR 166 east (Poso Street) to I-5 south – Los Angeles	North end of SR 166 overlap
	Taft	17.89	File:California 119.svg SR 119 (Taft Highway)	Former US 399 north; western terminus of SR 119
	McKittrick	33.45	File:West plate California.svg File:California 58.svg SR 58 west – California Valley, Santa Margarita	South end of SR 58 overlap
		34.29	File:East plate California.svg File:California 58.svgFile:To plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg SR 58 east to I-5 – Buttonwillow, Bakersfield	North end of SR 58 overlap; no left turn from SR 33 south to SR 58 east, access is via a left turn at Lokern Road
	​	40.74	Lokern Road to SR 58 east – Buttonwillow
	Blackwells Corner	60.09	File:California 46.svg SR 46 – Lost Hills, Wasco, Bakersfield, Paso Robles	Former US 466
Kings KIN 0.00-18.99	​	7.80	File:California 41.svg SR 41 – Kettleman City, Fresno, Paso Robles
	Avenal	17.14	File:California 269.svgFile:To plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg SR 269 (Skyline Boulevard) to I-5 – Huron, Lemoore NAS	Southern terminus of SR 269
Fresno FRE 0.00-R83.05	​	10.50	File:To plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg Jayne Avenue to I-5 – Stratford
	Coalinga	15.37	File:To plate California.svg File:West plate California.svg File:California 198.svg Polk Street to SR 198 west – King City
		15.71	File:West plate California.svg File:California 198.svg SR 198 west (Elm Avenue) / Coalinga Plaza (Fifth Street) – King City	South end of SR 198 overlap
	​	24.32	File:East plate California.svg File:California 198.svg SR 198 east (Dorris Avenue) / Shell Road – Lemoore, Hanford	North end of SR 198 overlap
	​	R29.02 17.96	File:South plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svgFile:North plate California.svg File:California 145.svg I-5 south (West Side Freeway) / SR 145 north (Fresno-Coalinga Road) – Los Angeles, Kerman	Interchange; south end of I-5 overlap; I-5 exit 337; southern terminus of SR 145
			South end of freeway on I-5
	​	29.96 R39.82	North end of freeway on I-5
			File:North plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg I-5 north (West Side Freeway) / Derrick Avenue – San Francisco, Sacramento	Interchange; north end of I-5 overlap; I-5 exit 349
	Mendota	59.43	File:To plate California.svg File:East plate California.svg File:California 180.svg California Avenue, Panoche Road to SR 180 east – Fresno
		61.45	File:CR J1 jct.svg CR J1 (Belmont Avenue)
		62.25	File:East plate California.svg File:California 180.svg SR 180 east (Oller Street) – Fresno	Western terminus of SR 180
	Firebaugh	70.19	File:To plate blue 1961.svg File:North plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg 12th Street to I-5 north
Merced MER R0.00-30.00	Dos Palos Y	R5.64 R32.37	File:East plate California.svg File:California 152.svg SR 152 east / Elgin Avenue – Merced	Interchange; south end of SR 152 overlap
	Los Banos	21.27	File:California 165.svgFile:To plate blue 1961.svg File:South plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg SR 165 (Mercey Springs Road) to I-5 south – Turlock
	​	13.85	File:I-5 (1961).svg I-5 (West Side Freeway) – San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles	Interchange; I-5 exits 403A-B
	​	11.27 R13.24	File:West plate California.svg File:California 152.svg SR 152 west / San Luis Drive (to Gonzaga Road) – Gilroy	Interchange; north end of SR 152 overlap; SR 152 exit 60
	Santa Nella	R16.64	File:I-5 (1961).svg I-5 (West Side Freeway) – San Francisco, Sacramento, Los Angeles	Interchange; I-5 exit 407
	Gustine	26.46 4.35	File:West plate California.svg File:California 140.svgFile:To plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg SR 140 west (Sullivan Road) to I-5	South end of SR 140 overlap
		6.06 27.11	File:East plate California.svg File:California 140.svg SR 140 east / First Avenue – Merced	North end of SR 140 overlap
Stanislaus STA 0.00-27.09	Newman	2.06	File:CR J18 jct.svgFile:To plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg CR J18 (Stuhr Road) to I-5 – Livingston, Turlock
	Crows Landing	6.84	File:To plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg Crows Landing Road, Fink Road to I-5
	Patterson	12.57	File:West plate county.svg File:CR J17 jct.svgFile:To plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg CR J17 west (Sperry Avenue) to I-5	South end of CR J17 overlap
		13.18	File:East plate county.svg File:CR J17 jct.svg CR J17 east (Las Palmas Avenue) – Turlock	North end of CR J17 overlap
	Westley	19.55	File:CR J16 jct.svgFile:To plate blue 1961.svg File:I-5 (1961).svg CR J16 (Grayson Road, Howard Road) to I-5
San Joaquin SJ 0.00-5.00	Vernalis	0.82	File:California 132.svg SR 132 / Vernalis Road – Modesto, San Francisco	Interchange
	​	4.83	File:I-5 (1961).svg I-5 (West Side Freeway) – Stockton, Sacramento, Los Angeles	Interchange; north end of SR 33; I-5 exit 452
	​	5.00	Ahern Road – Tracy	Continuation beyond I-5; former SR 33 north
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi       Concurrency terminus       Incomplete access

Further reading

• King, Peter H. (July 7, 2008). "A workaday road that cuts through the state's back story: Two-lane Highway 33 isn't a fabled route, but it's rugged and real". Los Angeles Times: A1, A8..

External links

• Caltrans: State Route 33 highway conditions
• Caltrans Traffic Conditions Map
• California Highway Patrol Traffic Incidents
• California @ AARoads.com - State Route 33
• California Highways: SR 33

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