Kramer Junction, California facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Kramer Junction
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The intersection at Kramer Junction in 2016 in its former mainline alignment.
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| Nickname(s):
Four Corners
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| Country | United States |
| State | California |
| County | San Bernardino |
| Population | |
| • Total | 2,231 |
| Time zone | PST |
| ZIP code |
93516
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| Area code(s) | 760 |
Kramer Junction is a small place in San Bernardino County, California. It's often called "Four Corners" because it sits right where two important roads meet. These roads are U.S. Route 395 and State Route 58.
Kramer Junction is located in the Mojave Desert. This is a large, dry area in California. Most of the people who live in this area are actually in a town called Boron, which is about 6 miles away.
Roads and Travel
For a long time, the intersection at Kramer Junction was a busy spot. It was known for having lots of traffic jams. To fix this, a big project was started to make travel easier and safer.
The New Expressway
The Caltrans worked on a huge project to improve State Route 58. They wanted to make a 13.3-mile section of the road much wider. It changed from a two-lane highway to a four-lane expressway. An expressway is a type of highway designed for faster travel.
They also built a special interchange at the meeting point of U.S. Route 395 and State Route 58. An interchange uses ramps and bridges to let cars switch roads without stopping. This replaced the old intersection where cars had to wait for each other.
Work on this new road, called the Kramer Junction Expressway, began on January 19, 2018. It was opened for cars on October 24, 2019. This new section helped complete the four-lane highway between Bakersfield and Barstow.
Solar Power in the Desert
Kramer Junction is also known for its connection to solar energy. Just a short distance away, you can find several large solar power plants. These are part of the Solar Energy Generating Systems (SEGS).
These plants use special mirrors called parabolic troughs to collect sunlight. The sunlight heats up a liquid, which then creates steam. This steam powers turbines to make electricity. It's a clean way to produce energy from the sun!
A Tall Antenna
Years ago, the United States Air Force had a communication station near Kramer Junction. It was called the Hawes Radio Relay Site. This site had a very tall antenna tower. It was more than 1,200 feet high! That's taller than many skyscrapers. This huge tower was used to send and receive important messages. However, the tower was taken down in the 1980s.
