Sir Francis Drake Boulevard

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State Route 251

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard

State highways in California (list - pre-1964)
County routes in California (list)
History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard is an east-west arterial road in Marin County, California, running from just west of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge (where it intersects with Interstate 580) to the trailhead for Point Reyes Lighthouse at the end of the Point Reyes Peninsula. In the 1960s, the majority of the route of Sir Francis Drake Boulevard was to be expanded into State Route 251, however this plan was not implemented due to strong opposition by environmental groups.

[edit] State Route 251

Route 251 is an unconstructed state highway with two separate segments:

Route 580 near Point San Quentin to Route 101 near Greenbrae.
Unspecified area in San Rafael to Route 1 near Point Reyes Station.

Sir Francis Drake Boulevard roughly parallels the highway's length. This was probably going to be the Point Reyes Freeway, extra flyover ramps at the Sir Francis Drake Boulevard-U.S.-101 interchange suggests this.

The freeway was born due to an idea to devolop west Marin County, a tradionally rural area, into a sprawling area not usually found in Marin County. With all the new residents, local roads would have been overburdened. Chief among them was Sir Francis Drake Boulevard, a two lane road from Olema to Fairfax before widening to 4 lanes as it passes through the Ross Valley.

[edit] Environmental concerns

However, the development and freeway planning were stopped due to concerns about fragile ecosystems that urbanization would have damaged or destroyed. The animals, mostly egrets and the California red-legged frog ended up being the main reason the freeway and redevelopment was defeated. There was another problem though: the plan put the entire area on the San Andreas Fault. The decision to not redevelop West Marin made the freeway unnecessary, and it was therefore scrapped. The highway is probably still designated, but unconstructed and it is unlikely it will be built anytime soon.