5 ▁Fre ew ay ▁in ▁ 1 9 7 0 . ▁ ▁A ▁section ▁of ▁the ▁highway ▁known ▁as ▁" D ead ▁Man ' s ▁Cur ve ," ▁was ▁the ▁" scene ▁of ▁many ▁acc idents ▁on ▁the ▁narrow ▁old ▁road ," ▁and ▁in ▁July ▁ 1 9 3 2 ▁it ▁took ▁the ▁life ▁of ▁Jack ▁K lie by , ▁ 3 3 , ▁ ▁who ▁deliber ately ▁drove ▁his ▁tr uck , ▁transport ing ▁gas oline , ▁off ▁the ▁road way ▁to ▁avoid ▁hitting ▁on coming ▁autom ob iles . ▁He ▁died ▁when ▁the ▁tr uck ▁burst ▁into ▁fl ames . ▁ ▁The ▁curve ▁( in ▁ad jo ining ▁photo ) ▁was ▁elimin ated ▁in ▁ 1 9 3 5 ▁with ▁improvements ▁completed ▁from ▁Fort ▁Te jon ▁to ▁Gra pe v ine ▁station . ▁That ▁work ▁" sup ers edes ▁the ▁worst ▁port ions ▁of ▁the ▁old ▁twenty - foot ▁Gra pe v ine ▁C any on ▁Highway , ▁short ens ▁the ▁length ▁of ▁the ▁road ▁by ▁approximately ▁eight - t enth s ▁of ▁a ▁mile ▁and ▁elimin ates ▁ 2 , 9 3 7 ▁degrees ▁of ▁curv ature ▁or ▁the ▁equivalent ▁of ▁eight ▁complete ▁circles ," ▁according ▁to ▁R . M . ▁Gill is ▁of ▁F res no , ▁District ▁ 6 ▁high ways ▁engineer . ▁ ▁We ather ▁concerns ▁The ▁pass ▁is ▁sun ny ▁in ▁summer , ▁spring , ▁and ▁aut umn , ▁but ▁is ▁subject ▁to ▁severe ▁weather ▁and ▁closure ▁to ▁traffic ▁in ▁winter . ▁The ▁ 4 0