Hwy 58 Bypass through Tehachapi

The stretch of Hwy 58 that is bypassed by this route is freeway standard and bikes are prohibited. Use this route, 58 Business, as an alternative.

Along the way, you'll pass through the town of Tehachapi which dates back to 1876. It has long been an important stop on trade routes due to its location near a pass at the southern end of the Sierra Nevada. It is the site of the first pass crossed by railroad in nearly 300 miles of rugged mountains and is famous to railfans for the nearby Tehachapi loop where loaded freight trains complete a circle and cross over themselves on the long climb to the pass.

A bit east of Tehachapi, one will pass by the Lehigh Cement Plant which has been active for over 100 years. The plant got its first big boom in the 1920's as LADWP needed massive quantities of cement for the construction of the Owens Valley aqueduct. At its peak around World War II, over 450 men were employed from Tehachapi at the plant. With modern machinery and automation, the plant now employs closer to 150 people, but is still an important part of Tehachapi history. It is estimated that there are another 75 years of limestone to be quarried out of the hill behind the plant.