By 1905, Roseville was a small cluster of buildings around the railroad with a population of 250. When the Southern Pacific, successor to the Central Pacific Railroad, announced plans to move its terminal and repair facilities from Rocklin to Roseville, the town entered a new era that transformed it from an agricultural shipping station into the most important freight handling terminal on the Pacific Coast. Business and commercial growth followed the railroad expansion, and between 1911 and 1920 Lincoln Street and nearby blocks held most of Roseville's retail trade. As older buildings dating from 1906 and earlier became obsolete, long-established businesses on Lincoln Street faced growing competition from businesses on Vernon Street. In 1948, work began on the Washington Blvd. underpass to ease the railroad traffic delays at Lincoln Street, which connected north and south Roseville. Its completion on April 1, 1950 brought a major change to Old Town's role as a commercial center, because closing the Lincoln Street surface crossing left it isolated from the rest of the community. By 1961, Roseville's Old Town had become largely a ghost town, remaining so until 1977, when new merchants and business leaders began a revitalization movement to restore the historic district. Since then, merchants and property owners in the Historic District, aided by city and federal support, have worked to restore Roseville's Historic Old Town as a vibrant business, commercial and cultural center of Roseville.