Bite the bullet isn't the way I would put it but the fact is, and on this "advantichamp" is correct, the freeway needs to be fixed and fixed now. Short sighted politician screwed up and now some will feel mistreated, when we have to fix it. But make no mistake the way it is now is wrong is something that needs to be addressed. This is why things should get done right the first time, but just ignoreing the problem makes it worse 

Actually, that Wild West Mall was built quite few years after the freeway to Real Road was finished. It took several cars plowing into homes on the west side of Real Road to bite the bullet and pursue eminent domain to buy out the homes within that block. Now the cars plow into the shopping center. Brilliant!!!!

Anyone know how how many homes are in the path under the present plan for extending Highway 58 west beyond Highway 99 that will have to be purchased by the government under eminent domain and razed?

What is today's projected cost?

Are federal and/or other funds available and how much?

Successful completion of the fully extended Highway 58 sounds like a hugely expensive project which will be extremely hard to pull off given the present availability of funds for infrastructure construction.

This country's decaying infrastructure needs gajillions just for maintenance.

With the feds uncommitted to new highway and other infrastructure projects; states, counties and municipalities strapped for cash; an eternal war occupation going on, several potential new wars to wage looming on the horizon and the U.S. economy terminally tanking from years of mismanagement and a dearth of regulation, it is doubtful that we will see the Highway 58 project completed in our lifetimes, or most likely ever.

A letter to the editor said some 300 homes and "the tranquility and viability of 4 churches,2 elementary schools, one large retirement center and the Henrieta Wells Guidance Center"~ I feel for these folks,they will fight this for the third time now science 1994.

Actually Adampayne is quite correct. As I recall the chap who's house and garage sat right at the end of the freeway got his garage run into several times. Code enforcement in their wisdom thought citing this poor guy for the broken garage would fix the problem. The officials responsible should have been "dope slapped." I don't know how much luck he had in getting careless drivers to fix their damage but WWSC came along and solved his problem, one he had no hand in causing.

Here's my take, and I have mentioned it before, but it's one that is worth mentioning again.  The westpark connection is a must-needed connection, regardless if the centennial corridor is built.  We really need both, anyway.  The westpark connection at least gaurantees a freeway to freeway connection to hwy 99.  Caltrans has already said it won't allow for a new interchange at 99 and the future westside pkwy/centennial corridor.  Freeway-to-freeway connections are vital for a freeway system to work efficiently, and as our population encroaches upon 7 figures (1,000,000) in the next 30+ years, we will need a freeway system in which we can get from west to east, northwest to southwest, etc. all by freeway.  And not only that, we will need double lane exits at all major interchanges (existing and future ones).  I don't know much about history, but if Bakersfield's population hits 1,000,000 with the current freeway mess, we may have the displeasure of being one of the first (if not the first) cities with 7-figure populations that doesn't have a reliable network of freeways.  In order for a freeway system to work, we must have freeways that connect directly to other freeways.

>>Another point to think about is why didn't I40 continue past the town of Barstow?

I've been wondering that, too.  That would be really nice if it did run all the way to US 101, or at least I-5.  You probably wouldn't really want to terminate an interstate (especially one that runs as far as I-40) at a state hwy (even though I-10 does so at the PCH/hwy 1), even though hwy 99 is probably one of the most major state hwys in California, if not the nation.  And I'm also wondering what happened with the plans to change hwy 99 into I-7?  (I heard about that one on the news a while back).

>>Considering the high population of California we seem to have a dearth of federal and interstate highways particularly in the San Joaquin Valley. Bakersfield, Fresno and Modesto seem to be the largest cities in the US to not have any federal highway connections.

You're right, avantichamp.  The whole central valley, including both the San Joaquin AND Sacramento Valley has only 3 federal hwys (2 interstates and 1 US hwy) and 2 of those, I-80 and US 50, run neck-and-neck parallel to each other through Sacramento.  The only one that runs through the whole valley is I-5, which also runs through Sacramento along its way from San Diego to the Canadian border north of Seattle, WA.  And I-80 and US 50 both run through the valley for maybe 150 miles combined, and that is being conservative.  I know US 50 begins in Sacramento.

Bakersfield's road planners should drive over to Las Vegas to see their freeway system.  Even though it isn't finished yet, their freeway system is pretty nice compared to what our current plans call for.