California State Route 188
state highway in San Diego County, California, United States
State Route 188 (SR 188), also known as Tecate Road, is an about two-mile (3 km) state highway in the U.S. state of California that connects State Route 94 in San Diego County with the Mexico – United States border. Its southern terminus is at the border near Tecate, Baja California and its northern terminus with SR 94 is near Tecate, California. The route was assigned in the area in 1972, and has remained intact since.
Route description
Route 188 is defined in section 488 of the California Streets and Highways Code, and that the highway is "from the international boundary near Tecate to Route 94".
SR 188, also known as Tecate Road, begins at the U.S.–Mexico border in the community of Tecate, Baja California; this border crossing handled roughly four percent of all traffic in between Baja California and California during 2008. The route progresses northward, passing through a large commercial district in Tecate, California. The highway heads to an intersection with Thing Road, where it turns to the northeast and out of the commercial district. The route continues to the northeast, intersecting with Humphries Road, where the surroundings become highly undeveloped. SR 188 continues to an intersection with SR 94 a short distance out of Potrero, where the designation ends and right-of-way merges into SR 94.
The entire route is in 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.
This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “California State Route 188” as state highway in San Diego County, California, United States. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.
Why this record matters
The subject matters to the places & architecture register because the source frames it as state highway in San Diego County, California, United States. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.
Place names and jurisdictional language are key evidence: both can reveal earlier catalogue descriptions and overlooked record series. The source revision retrieved here is dated Jul 26, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q493338. 1 of 1 selected statements include explicit references; 0 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1972 and 2008.
Modern boundaries and familiar names can conceal earlier jurisdictions or structures that do not align with the present site. 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
Treat names, boundaries and functions as historically changeable. Maps, plans, inventories and administrative records can clarify what the place meant at different dates.
- Historic place names
- Jurisdictional context
- Routes into maps and plans
Contemporary maps, plans, listed-building records, estate papers and the responsible local or national archive.
Three-step research path
- Establish the record: confirm the title “California State Route 188”, its source revision and the description used here.
- Expand the search: follow California State Route 188 primary sources, California State Route 188 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 188”?
- Which earlier names or jurisdictions may reveal additional records?
- Which authority defined the place, boundary or structure at the relevant date?
Search terms from this dossier
This entry incorporates text from “California State Route 188” 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.