California State Route 16
state highway in California, United States
State Route 16 (SR 16) is a state highway in the northern region of the U.S. state of California that runs from SR 20 in Colusa County to I-5, and US-50 to SR 49 just outside Plymouth in
Amador County, primarily crossing the Sacramento Valley. There is a gap in the route in the Sacramento area, which can be transversed along the Interstate 5 (I-5) and U.S. Route 50 (US 50) freeways.
Route description
Route 16 is defined in section 316, subdivision (a), of the California Streets and Highways Code. The definition omits the gap in the route in the Sacramento area:
Route 16 is from:
(1) Route 20 to Route 5 near Woodland via Rumsey and Woodland.
(2) Route 50 near Perkins to Route 49 near Drytown.
In addition, section 316, subdivisions (b), (c), and (d) permit the state to relinquish control of portions of Route 16 in the City of Sacramento, unincorporated Sacramento County, and the City of Rancho Cordova, respectively, to local jurisdictions.
SR 16 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System, and the eastern segment 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. SR 16 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System, but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans). It is known as the Stanley L. Van Vleck Memorial Highway from Dillard Road in Sacramento County to the Amador County line, honoring a former prominent leader in the state's agricultural organizations.
Western segment
SR 16 begins in Colusa County near Wilbur Springs at the junction with SR 20.
Begin with the source’s own compact description: “California State Route 16” is state highway in California, United States. The dossier treats that line as a proposition to test through California, State and Route, not as a finished interpretation.
Why this record matters
The phrase “state highway in California, United States” supplies a clear boundary for inquiry. It also exposes the unanswered questions: who defined that boundary, when it became stable and which sources sit outside it.
The citation trail is more important than the brevity of the summary: it shows where individual claims can be examined in context. The source revision retrieved here is dated Sep 23, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q493022. Authority coordinates are 38.812, -122.182. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank.
The absence of detail may reflect summary conventions rather than a lack of surviving documentation. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.
How to read it
Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.
- Subject orientation
- Search vocabulary
- Locating named sources
The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “California State Route 16”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow California State Route 16 primary sources, California State Route 16 archive and California research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
- Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.
Questions for further research
- Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “California State Route 16”?
- What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
- Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “California State Route 16” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.