SR 65 is part of the
California Freeway and Expressway System; the southern segment as well as the northern segment in Roseville and near Yuba City 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.
South segment The southern segment of State Route 65 begins at a partial interchange with
State Route 99 north of
Bakersfield. From here to
Porterville is a mostly rural two-lane highway through hills and grasslands while passing through the communities of
Ducor and
Terra Bella. This stretch of roadway is often considered very dangerous given the heavy amount of semi-trucks that drive this corridor. SR 65 expands to a four-lane freeway through Porterville, downgrading into a four-lane expressway upon leaving the city. The highway remains an expressway, passing
Strathmore and up to
Lindsay. The highway is then reduced to a rural two-lane highway through agricultural areas while passing through
Exeter. SR 65's southern segment ends at the junction of
State Route 198. This section has been designated the All America City Highway.
North segment The northern segment of State Route 65 begins at the interchange with
Interstate 80 in
Roseville as a freeway heading northwest to Blue Oaks Boulevard where the freeway turns north towards
Lincoln. It turns northwest briefly onto a bypass of Lincoln at Industrial Avenue/Lincoln Boulevard (the state route's former alignment) where it then turns west as the freeway ends at Nelson Lane. The highway is then downgraded to a four-lane expressway, turning north again, downgraded further to a two-lane highway, until it meets up with its original alignment just north of the community of
Sheridan. After passing through
Wheatland, it assumes its freeway designation a few miles north of the town, ending at
State Route 70 in
Olivehurst. In 2000,
Caltrans issued a Project Study Report (PSR) that analyzed six alternative alignments for the proposed Wheatland Bypass. After extensive public meetings, Caltrans identified Alternative E as the preferred alternative. Alternative E would start at the northern end of the Lincoln Bypass, and proceed due north, crossing the Bear River on a new bridge to the east of the existing SR 65 alignment. It would bypass Wheatland to the east, and then turn west and pass along the southern edge of
Beale Air Force Base before connecting to south end of the freeway segment at South Beale Road. If completed, the Wheatland Bypass would enable continuous freeway travel from I-80 to Marysville (via SR 70). Although Caltrans completed the PSR in 2000 that identified the preferred alignment, the Wheatland Bypass remains unfunded. State and local officials cannot present a timetable for completing the bypass until $300 million is secured to complete the required environmental studies and construction. North of its present northern terminus at SR 70 in Olivehurst, the legislative designation of SR 65 continues west/northwest to
SR 99 in (or south of) Yuba City. Caltrans has planned since 1986 to extend SR 65 as a freeway west or northwest from SR 70 to SR 99 via a third bridge across the
Feather River south of Yuba City to alleviate traffic on the two existing bridges between Yuba City and Marysville. Funding issues and environmental concerns have stalled the extension of SR 65 to Yuba City and the third Feather River Bridge. ==History==