SR-99 at SR-219 Kiernan Ave Live Traffic Cam, Modesto

Here is a real-time look at SR-99 just south of SR-219 (Kiernan Avenue), on the Modesto stretch of the highway. SR-219, Kiernan Avenue, links SR-99 with SR-108 and the towns of Riverbank and Oakdale to the east.

Through Modesto, Ceres and Turlock, SR-99 is a true city freeway, lined with shopping centers, packing houses and new subdivisions. Modesto is the county seat, and from here SR-132 and SR-108 head east into the foothills toward Yosemite and the Sonora Pass country.

State Route 99 is the spine of the Central Valley. It runs for more than 400 miles from its junction with I-5 at the foot of the Grapevine south of Bakersfield to Red Bluff in the north, and unlike I-5, which keeps to the valley's empty west side, it goes straight through the region's big cities: Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton and Sacramento.

Traffic on SR-99 never really stops. Big rigs run day and night, and morning and evening commutes slow things around the larger cities. In winter, dense tule fog can settle over the valley floor and cut visibility sharply, while in summer the heat can be intense. A quick look before you leave can tell you whether the lanes are moving freely or backed up.

The camera is operated by Caltrans (the California Department of Transportation), and the picture updates continuously.