Misplaced Pages

#134865

81-675: The Cypress Street Viaduct , often referred to as the Cypress Structure or the Cypress Freeway , was a 1.6-mile-long (2.5 km), raised two-deck, multi-lane (four lanes per tier) freeway constructed of reinforced concrete that was originally part of the Nimitz Freeway ( State Route 17 , and later, Interstate 880 ) in Oakland, California , United States. It replaced an earlier single-deck viaduct constructed in

162-599: A cost of $ 1.7 million. Construction on the second phase of the project, the double-decked viaduct portion (which started from Adeline Street in the south to the MacArthur Maze in the north), began in February 1956 by contractors Grove, Wilson, Shepard and Kruge at a cost of $ 8.3 million, bringing the total cost of the viaduct project to $ 10 million. It was California's first double-decked freeway when it officially opened to traffic on June 11, 1957. On October 17, 1989,

243-620: A high precipitation area in the Santa Cruz Mountains, the roadway can become slippery from rain, snow or ice, especially at the summit, and heavy rain results in mudslides. Despite having fewer curves than in Santa Cruz County , certain sections of SR 17 in Santa Clara County are so dangerous that they have been nicknamed. The first long downhill turn North of Summit Road is named "Valley Surprise" for

324-644: A new earthquake-resisting technique that would not collapse in an earthquake similar to the Loma Prieta earthquake. The new eastern span opened on September 2, 2013, at an estimated cost of $ 6.4 billion (equivalent to $ 8.26 billion in 2023 ). In May 2022, Caltrans began construction on 18-mile (29 km) high-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along I-80 between Red Top Road in Fairfield and Leisure Town Road in Vacaville . The project includes converting

405-491: A new freeway through San Francisco . According to the article, the suggested 19th Avenue tunnel would run five miles (8.0 km), from Junipero Serra Boulevard through Golden Gate Park and up to Lake Street, with exits at Brotherhood Avenue, Ocean Avenue, Quintara Street, Lincoln Way , and Geary Boulevard . The Van Ness tunnel would run almost two miles (3.2 km), from about Fell Street to Lombard Street , with exits at Broadway and Geary Boulevard. Along Oak and Fell,

486-534: A similar accident near the same location during overpass construction. SR 17 in Santa Cruz County is named after California Highway Patrol Lieutenant Michael Walker. Walker was setting flares to direct traffic around an auto accident on New Year's Eve 2005 when he was struck and killed. Partly in response to this accident near the Glenwood Road intersection, Caltrans began work in 2008 to widen

567-614: Is SR 51 ). SR 244 heads east as a short freeway spur from that interchange. Crossing the Sierra Nevada , I-80 regularly gets snow at higher elevations from fall to spring. The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) sometimes requires vehicles to use snow tires , snow chains , or other traction devices in the mountains during and after snowstorms . Checkpoints are often set up to enforce chain restrictions on vehicles bound for icy or snowy areas. When chain restrictions are in effect, vehicles must have chains on

648-543: Is a wrong-way concurrency where the northbound direction is signed as I-80 east and I-580 west, while the southbound direction is signed as westbound I-80 and eastbound I-580. This segment suffers from severe traffic congestion during rush hour due to the merger of three freeways (I-80, I-580, and I-880 ) at the MacArthur Maze. The Eastshore Freeway was created in the mid-1950s (construction commenced in 1954, last segment completed May 10, 1960 ) by reengineering

729-703: Is a segment of I-80 and I-580 along the northeast shoreline of San Francisco Bay . It runs from the MacArthur Maze interchange just east of the eastern end of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge to the Carquinez Bridge . I-580 splits from the Eastshore Freeway at an interchange known locally as the "Hoffman Split" in Albany . The section of the Eastshore Freeway between the MacArthur Maze and I-580 (Hoffman) split between Albany

810-429: Is known as "Killer 17" and "Blood Alley". It has a combination of narrow lanes, dense traffic, slow trucks, sharp turns, blind curves, sudden changes in traffic speeds, and wandering fauna such as deer, wild turkeys, and mountain lions, which has led to a number of collisions and fatalities. Because of this, SR 17 is considered to be one of the most dangerous highways in the state. In the winter months, because SR 17 crosses

891-475: Is located in Nevada County, California . The pass is generally open year-round; it is plowed in winter but may temporarily close during the worst snowstorms. The older, original US 40/Lincoln Highway route over Donner Pass is about two miles (3.2 km) to the south. This highway was replaced as the official trans-Sierra route by I-80 in 1964. Although the current Donner Pass is lower, Euer Saddle

SECTION 10

#1732775762135

972-494: Is now used for three railroad stations. In 1980, the new I-80 alignment was deleted from the Interstate System. SR 244 was then truncated from its proposed alignment to the only freeway section of the abandoned project in 1994, which is about a mile (1.6 km) long. In 1982–1984, I-880 was reassigned to SR 17 running from Oakland to San Jose , after two to four years of inactivity. On October 17, 1989,

1053-844: Is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System , and is part of the National Highway System , a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration . SR 17 is eligible to be included in the State Scenic Highway System , but it is not officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation . The four lane section of SR 17

1134-403: Is today named "Eastshore Boulevard". Originally, the name "Eastshore Freeway" was also applied to what is today known as the " Nimitz Freeway " (I-880) from the beginning of its construction in 1947. This freeway was dedicated in 1958 to Chester W. Nimitz , and so, for a few years in the 1950s prior, the Eastshore Freeway stretched the entire length of the east shore of San Francisco Bay. Until

1215-574: The 1964 state highway renumbering . US 40 was one of the original California routes designed in 1926, although its west end was in Oakland with US 101E (then SR 17 , then I-5W , now I-580 / I-880 ) prior to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge opening in 1936. An auto ferry ran from Berkeley to San Francisco, signed at the ferry landings for US 40. After the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge's construction, US 40, along with US 50 , were extended along

1296-629: The American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO) rejected the numbering. The state law authorizing the renumbering was passed on September 20, 1963. Signage changes took place by July 1, 1964, and US 40 was decommissioned. US 40 was one of the first US Routes to be decommissioned completely in California. In the Sacramento area, I-80 has been realigned to many routes. In 1964, I-80 used

1377-536: The Beckwourth Pass , at an elevation of 5,221 feet (1,591 m). Driving across the Sierra Nevada became far easier with the construction of I-80 across Donner Summit since that pass is closed only for intense snowstorms. In 1964, Caltrans desired to reduce the number of designated routes in the California state highways system. The Interstate Highway System , designed and built starting in 1956,

1458-613: The Carquinez Bridge before turning back northeast through the Sacramento Valley . I-80 then traverses the Sierra Nevada , cresting at Donner Summit , before crossing into the state of Nevada within the Truckee River Canyon. The speed limit is at most 65 mph (105 km/h) along the entire route instead of the state's maximum of 70 mph (110 km/h) as most of the route is in either urban areas or mountainous terrain. I-80 has portions designated as

1539-645: The Lincoln Highway from Sacramento to Reno (with minor deviations near Donner Summit ). I-80 is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System and is part of the National Highway System , a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). I-80 is also known as the Dutch Flat and Donner Lake Wagon Road from Emigrant Gap to Donner Lake. The segment of I-80 from Emigrant Gap to Truckee also forms part of

1620-526: The Loma Prieta earthquake was responsible for 63 deaths and 3,757 injuries. The San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge , which is part of I-80, suffered severe damage, as a 76-by-50-foot (23 m × 15 m) section of the upper deck on the eastern cantilever side fell onto the deck below. The quake caused the Oakland side of the bridge to shift seven inches (18 cm) to the east and caused

1701-597: The Oakland Army Base ), as well as replacing BART support beams. The entire route was in Oakland , Alameda County . 37°49′00″N 122°17′22″W  /  37.8168°N 122.2895°W  / 37.8168; -122.2895 California State Route 17 From its southern terminus with SR 1 in Santa Cruz , Route 17 begins as a five-lane freeway (narrows to four lanes after Pasatiempo Drive). From there, it proceeds through Scotts Valley . At

SECTION 20

#1732775762135

1782-783: The Sacramento area. Currently, the freeway runs on a northern bypass of the city, the Beltline Freeway, that was originally designated I-880. The I-80 routing alignment was moved from a route through Sacramento, now US 50 and I-80 Business (I-80 Bus), after the proposed I-80 replacement of the North Sacramento Freeway was canceled. The Beltline Freeway runs northeast from the junction of I-80 and US 50 in West Sacramento across I-5 to its junction northeast of Sacramento with I-80 Bus (which

1863-656: The San Francisco Bay Area : In addition, I-238 may be considered associated with I-80 even though it does not follow established rules for numbering Interstates as there is no I-38. As it connects I-580 in Castro Valley with I-880 in San Leandro , it would normally also use a three-digit number ending in 80. But, of the nine possible numbers, two ( 180 and 480 ) were in use by State Routes (the latter an Interstate until 1968 though SR 480

1944-675: The Yuba–Donner Scenic Byway , a National Forest Scenic Byway . According to the California Streets and Highways Code, most maps, and local signs, I-80 begins at the interchange with US 101 in San Francisco. However, federal records place the western terminus of I-80 at the western approach to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge , at the location of the Fremont Street offramp (previously known as

2025-555: The 1930s as one of the approaches to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge . It was located along Cypress Street between 7th Street and Interstate 80 in the West Oakland neighborhood. It officially opened to traffic on June 11, 1957, and was in use until October 17, 1989. At approximately 5:04 p.m. that day, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake struck the Bay Area , resulting in a large portion of the freeway's upper deck collapsing onto

2106-492: The Bay Bridge Distribution Structure ( "The Maze" ). SR 17 terminated here at its junction with US 40 (Eastshore Highway) and US 50 (38th Street). In 1947, work began on a new freeway through Oakland to replace the street routing of SR 17. It was finished in segments, finishing in 1958 with the completion of the double-decked Cypress Structure leading into the MacArthur Maze. The new freeway

2187-515: The Eastshore Freeway and Alan S. Hart Freeway. Throughout California, I-80 was built along the corridor of US Route 40 (US 40), eventually replacing this designation entirely. The prior US 40 corridor itself was built along several historic corridors in California, notably the California Trail and Lincoln Highway . The route has changed from the original plans in San Francisco due to freeway revolts canceling segments of

2268-600: The Eastshore Highway, a thoroughfare constructed in the 1930s (1934–1937) as one of the approaches to the Bay Bridge and designated as part of US 40 . The Eastshore Highway began in El Cerrito at an intersection with San Pablo Avenue at Hill Street between Potrero Avenue and Cutting Boulevard, adjacent to the location today of the El Cerrito del Norte station of Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). It

2349-606: The Highway 17 Safety Corridor by Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol . In addition, barbed wired fencing and retaining walls were added after the route suffered landslides in the Loma Prieta Earthquake . The route has seen recent repaving work in 2010, 2014, 2019–2020, and 2022-2023. Gillian Cichowski Memorial Overcrossing Bridge, over SR 17 near Los Gatos at Lexington Reservoir ,

2430-750: The Panhandle Freeway project. A January 1968 amendment moved I-280 to its present alignment, degraded I-480 to a state highway, and truncated the origin point of I-80 to the Embarcadero Freeway (then I-280, formerly I-480). Prior to that truncation, I-80 had been defined as from "Route 280 in San Francisco to the Nevada state line near Verdi, Nevada, passing near Division Street in San Francisco, passing near Oakland, via Albany, via Sacramento, passing near North Sacramento, passing near Roseville, via Auburn, via Emigrant Gap, via Truckee and via

2511-652: The SR ;241 designation has since been reassigned to an unrelated stretch of highway in Orange County .) The San Francisco Skyway, which had already been signed as part of I-80, has remained a de facto section of I-80 to the present day and remains listed as part of the Interstate in California. In 2000, the San Francisco Chronicle published an article about the proposed construction of

Cypress Street Viaduct - Misplaced Pages Continue

2592-703: The Sierra Nevada north of historic US 40. When I-80 was first approved, it was to begin at planned I-280 ( SR 1 ) in Golden Gate Park , head east on the never-built Panhandle Freeway , then run south and southeast on the Central Freeway (US 101) to the San Francisco Skyway. The Panhandle Freeway was to be routed through Hayes Valley , passing through Golden Gate Park and terminating at proposed I-280, now SR 1. In 1964, community oppositions forced Caltrans to abandon

2673-635: The Terminal Separator Structure that once connected it to the Embarcadero Freeway ). The federal and state governments disagree as to whether this westernmost segment of the signed Interstate, known as the San Francisco Skyway or Bayshore Viaduct, is actually part of the Interstate Highway System , although it is consistently shown as I-80 on most maps of San Francisco. The Eastshore Freeway

2754-482: The Truckee River Canyon", and certain maps had been shown of I-80 running concurrently with US 101 to Fell Street. These changes were made on the state level later that year, but Route 80 was only truncated to US 101. (The Central Freeway remained part of US 101, and the Panhandle Freeway became SR 241. The Panhandle Freeway was later canceled in the wake of freeway revolts , and

2835-417: The approximate route of present-day Soquel San Jose Road. After realignment to increase the road width; many sections of the original stage route were cut off. These sections became side streets named with variations containing Old Turnpike. Some of these now dead end streets have retained the look of narrow stage coach roads. SR 17 was opened in 1940, replacing several other modes of transportation, including

2916-427: The bolts of one section to shear off, sending the 250-short-ton (230 t; 220-long-ton) section of roadbed crashing down like a trapdoor. Caltrans removed and replaced the collapsed section and reopened the bridge on November 18. In 2002, due to the risk of a future large earthquake, Caltrans started building a new eastern span. The department advertised that the new span of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge used

2997-685: The bridge to connect with US 101 . The auto ferry service was then discontinued. US 40 and US 50 both followed the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge and the routes split on what is the present day MacArthur Maze in Oakland. US 50 continued southeast on present-day I-580 to Stockton and US 40 closely followed the route of present-day I-80. When reaching Sacramento , US 40 and US 50 rejoined, US 50 running concurrently with former US 99 from Stockton to Sacramento. US 40 then again split with US 50 in Downtown Sacramento and closely followed

3078-664: The creation of an artificial lagoon which was developed by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in the late 1930s as Aquatic Park . The frontage road along the east side of today's Eastshore Freeway between Buchanan Street in Albany and Hearst Avenue in Berkeley retains the name "Eastshore Highway". The terminal segment of the old Eastshore Highway in El Cerrito between Potrero and San Pablo avenues

3159-421: The driving wheels, except 4WD vehicles with snow tires. Additionally, during the winter season, trucks are required to carry chains whether or not controls are in force. I-80 crosses the Sierra Nevada crest at Donner Summit (also known as Euer Saddle) at an elevation of 7,239 feet (2,206 m) westbound and 7,227 feet (2,203 m) eastbound. The Donner Summit Rest Area is located at this point. The summit

3240-677: The existing 8-mile (13 km) carpool lanes between Red Top Road and Air Base Parkway. Scheduled to open in 2025, the HOT lanes will use an open road tolling system, and therefore no toll booths to receive cash, with each vehicle required to carry a FasTrak transponder. In May 2024, the California Transportation Commission approved $ 105 million for a project that would add HOT lanes between Davis and West Sacramento . The following auxiliary Interstate Highways are associated with I-80 in California, all in

3321-714: The fact that so many "Valleys" are caught driving too fast into the sharpening curve, and end up striking the median. The most infamous is called "Big Moody Curve". This curve is named after Big Moody Creek below, slightly greater than a 180 degree turn, and bracketed by additional 90 degree turns. The inside surfaces of the median barriers in both of these turns are normally chipped up and black with tire rubber. Efforts to improve safety have included adding electronic speed monitoring signs and warnings lights on curves, removing trees to improve visibility around blind curves, and increased patrol and enforcement of traffic laws. The portion between Los Gatos and Scotts Valley has been designated

Cypress Street Viaduct - Misplaced Pages Continue

3402-542: The five-mile freeway replacement the most expensive project in the state's history at the time. (It would be subsequently overshadowed by the northbound addition of the Benicia–Martinez Bridge and the Eastern span replacement of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge .) The cost overruns were mainly due to the opposition to replacing the highway on the site of the one partially destroyed in 1989, therefore requiring

3483-491: The goal of rescuing those left alive. Many were saved, some only by amputation of trapped limbs. The collapse of the upper tier onto the lower tier resulted in 42 fatalities—while this represented two-thirds of the total quake death toll of 63, it was a magnitude lower than initially feared; with San Francisco and Oakland in the World Series , many would-be commuters in both cities had left work early or stayed late to watch

3564-482: The late 1960s, the Eastshore Freeway was also designated as part of State Route 17 (SR 17) together with the Nimitz Freeway. This section of I-80 has a top speed of 65 mph (105 km/h), unlike California's top speed limit of 70 mph (110 km/h), common in rural freeways. I-80 is a six- to eight-lane freeway with carpool lanes in Fairfield between exit 39A (Red Top Road) and exit 47 (Air Base Parkway). I-80 has changed routing in

3645-469: The lower deck. The collapse killed 42 people and resulted in the subsequent demolition of the structure. The Cypress Freeway Memorial Park is located in Oakland, at 14th Street and Mandela Parkway. The double-decked viaduct was initially designed in 1949 by the City of Oakland as a way to ease traffic on local streets leading to the Bay Bridge, such as Cypress Street (which was California State Route 17 at

3726-508: The many traffic signals , yield signs , and stop signs that seemed to appear out of nowhere. Caltrans listed five intersections with high accident rates and claimed construction of I-80 would reduce such accidents. According to a study done on I-80 in Vallejo from 1955 and 1956, prior to the freeway construction, and 1957 and 1958, after the freeway was constructed, the accident rate dropped 73 percent and there were 245 fewer accidents on

3807-711: The mid-1930s. The original route between San Jose and Oakland ran along the Old Oakland Road, Main Street (Milpitas) and Warm Springs Boulevard (southern Fremont) proceeding along what is now Fremont Boulevard, which becomes Alvarado Boulevard in Northern Fremont, before entering Union City. From there, the route proceeded along Hesperian Boulevard in Hayward, then into San Leandro via East 14th Street to Davis. It then went west on Davis to Maitland Drive along

3888-614: The north end of Scotts Valley, it becomes a four-lane divided highway, with access at various points without interchanges, and begins a winding ascent of the Santa Cruz Mountains . The road crosses the Santa Clara/Santa Cruz county line through the Patchen Pass , commonly referred to as "The Summit", at an elevation of 1,800 feet (549 m), where there is an interchange with SR 35 . Just north of

3969-461: The old Glenwood Highway from 1919 (which still exists in Glenwood ), and the railroad which went all the way from Santa Cruz to San Francisco and Oakland. The railroad stopped operating in 1940 and the tunnels that it passed through were sealed soon after. Nearly all the tunnel entrances still exist, but are unusable as the tunnels themselves have collapsed. The rise in the use of automobiles made

4050-535: The old US 40/ US 99E freeway, the current I-80 Bus , while, a year later, I-80 was proposed to be realigned along a new freeway that would run south of the former I-80/I-880 northeast of Sacramento, run to south of the American River , and rejoin I-80. This was necessary because the 1964 I-80 failed to meet Interstate standards . In 1972, I-880 was completed, while a part of the new alignment of I-80

4131-485: The original SR 17 lie underwater in Lexington Reservoir . When the reservoir was built, the highway was rerouted to higher ground, and the two towns along its path (Alma and Lexington) were abandoned. When the reservoir levels are extremely low, the old highway pavement is visible as well as some stone and concrete foundations of buildings. SR 17 first appeared along the east shore of San Francisco Bay in

SECTION 50

#1732775762135

4212-547: The originally planned alignment. Similarly in Sacramento , the freeway was rerouted around the city after plans to upgrade the original grandfathered route through the city to Interstate Highway standards were canceled. I-80 is recognized as the Dwight D. Eisenhower Highway in the Western United States and a Blue Star Memorial Highway for its entire length. In California, it follows the original corridor of

4293-462: The planners suggested an underground road running more than 0.5 miles (0.80 km) from Laguna to Divisadero streets. However, the roads would violate the long-standing general plan for San Francisco, which calls for no new highway capacity. In March 2015, this proposed route was adopted by the California Transportation Commission (CTC). Prior to the construction of I-80, the US 40 corridor suffered from frequent car accidents. Reasons included

4374-436: The portion of the structure from 16th Street north to the MacArthur Maze collapsed during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , due to ground movement and structural flaws. The upper deck was used by southbound traffic; the lower deck, by northbound traffic. Some sections of the Cypress Street Viaduct were largely supported by two columns on either side, but some sections were only supported by a single supporting column. The design

4455-417: The purchase of land and property from Southern Pacific Railroad and Amtrak (moving part of the rail yard, which in turn caused the earthquake-damaged 16th Street Amtrak Station to be closed and replaced with two Amtrak stations in Jack London Square and Emeryville ), the United States Postal Service (having to replace a parking lot with a parking garage), and the U.S. Army (the new route went through

4536-420: The railroads unprofitable. The city of Glenwood, founded by Charles C. Martin in 1851, gained notoriety for hot springs in the area. The Glenwood Highway, which passed through town, was deserted when the "New 17" was built, and the town became a ghost of its former self. The town's final resident, Mrs. Ed C. Koch, the great-granddaughter of the founder, died in 1992, and Glenwood is a ghost town . Parts of

4617-444: The ramp from I-80 west to I-580 east/I-880 south which fully completed the Cypress Freeway Realignment in 2001. During construction of the new section of the Nimitz Freeway, a team of archaeologists made many discoveries about the people who lived in West Oakland in the 19th century. Due to cost overruns, the costs of the replacement freeway doubled from initial estimates of $ 650 million to $ 1.2 billion ($ 250 million per mile) making

4698-488: The route of present-day I-80 Bus , which was I-80 from 1957 to 1981, when I-80 was realigned along former I-880, routing along what was then the outskirts of Sacramento. US 40 then closely followed I-80 through the Sierra Nevada into Nevada. A portion of old US 40 near Donner Lake is still intact and is an alternate route of I-80. It begins near Soda Springs and ends at Truckee . At one point, it travels right by Donner Lake, unlike I-80, which ascends higher in

4779-427: The segment of SR 17 from Interstate 280 in San Jose to the Maze (by then known as the "MacArthur Maze") in Oakland was renumbered as I-880 , and the portion of SR 17 from the MacArthur Maze to San Rafael was renumbered as part of I-580 . SR 17 was thereby reduced to its current length. Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured on the road as it was in 1964 , based on the alignment that existed at

4860-548: The shoulder to eight feet. In 1934, the State of California began signing its routes. The route which in subsequent years corresponded with State Route 17 was signed as State Route 13, and described as "Santa Cruz to Jct. US 101 at San Rafael, via San Jose, Mt. Eden, and Oakland." The route taken between Oakland and San Rafael is not described. Beginning in 1929, the segment from San Jose northward had been signed as US 101-E ("east"), branching off from US 101-W in San Jose. The earliest connection between Santa Cruz and San Jose

4941-457: The southern edge of the Oakland Municipal Airport and across Bay Farm Island to the Bay Farm Island Bridge into Alameda. In Alameda it went via Clay, High, Santa Clara, and Webster to the Posey Tube . SR 17 went through the Posey Tube into Oakland along Harrison Street to 14th, and west on 14th to Broadway where it terminated at a junction with US 40 and SR 24. Following the completion of the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge in late 1936, SR 17

SECTION 60

#1732775762135

5022-461: The start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column. Interstate 80 in California#Eastshore Freeway Interstate 80 ( I-80 ) is a transcontinental Interstate Highway in the United States, stretching from San Francisco, California , to Teaneck, New Jersey . The segment of I-80 in California runs east from San Francisco across the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge to Oakland , where it turns north and crosses

5103-563: The summit, a winding descent of the mountains begins, again with access at various points, mostly without grade separations, as far as Los Gatos . At Los Gatos, SR 17 becomes a freeway again. It expands to six lanes after an interchange with SR 85 . This interchange has three levels; in a similar fashion to SR 99 at U.S. 50 in Sacramento , SR 17 is at-grade, with the other levels below-grade. The number of lanes later expands to eight shortly before reaching its northern terminus at Interstate 280 , where it continues as Interstate 880 . SR 17

5184-432: The then-new I-80 freeway. The new route also made traveling across the Sierra Nevada far easier. Before construction, US 40 was a two-lane undivided highway with winding turns. This route was often closed in the winter because of the high elevation of the Donner Pass (7,239 feet (2,206 m)), and drivers had to use a much longer route to the north, US 40 Alternate (US 40 Alt), now SR 70 , using

5265-417: The time). The route was partially chosen to displace perceived slums in West Oakland . The southernmost portion of the Cypress Street viaduct, which was designed as a central off ramp structure exiting at Market Street between Fifth and Sixth Streets to the Eighth Street/Seventh Street on/off ramps, was the first phase of the overall project completed in October 1955, by contractors Frederickson and Watson at

5346-485: The time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. R reflects a realignment in the route since then, M indicates a second realignment, L refers to an overlap due to a correction or change, and T indicates postmiles classified as temporary ( for a full list of prefixes, see California postmile § Official postmile definitions ). Segments that remain unconstructed or have been relinquished to local control may be omitted. The numbers reset at county lines;

5427-415: The two roadways going over 7th Street, while the southbound exit off the MacArthur Maze onto Cypress Street at 32nd Street remained open to local traffic on the northern end. In 1997, the Nimitz Freeway was rerouted to loop around the area using a largely ground-level design with more conventional single-level viaduct. The space was mainly taken from a railroad yard which was relocated. The exit at 8th Street

5508-414: The upcoming Game 3, and as a result traffic on the viaduct was far lighter at the time of the quake than it normally would have been. After the viaduct was torn down, Cypress Street was renamed Mandela Parkway, in honor of Nelson Mandela , and a landscaped median strip was planted where the viaduct once stood. Before reconstruction occurred, the viaduct ended at the 7th Street exit on the southern end, with

5589-411: Was adding on to the already increased number of US Routes and state highways . In result, the 1964 renumbering truncated US 50 to West Sacramento . The entire route of US 40 was deleted in the Western United States due to the completion of I-80. Also, the number "40" was duplicated along I-40 , at that time, a newly built route in Southern California . I-40 was to be numbered I-30 , but

5670-421: Was an old Native American foot trail. The first road that could be navigated by a wagon was a dirt toll road built by Charlie McKiernan , known as "Mountain Charlie" by locals, some time around 1853. Portions of this road still exist as Mountain Charlie Road, to the west of Highway 17 and south of Summit Road. Several other stage lines were built as competitors, such as the San Jose Turnpike (1863), which follows

5751-407: Was built on filled land on top of bay clay; filled land is highly susceptible to soil settlement during an earthquake , and bay clay exhibits larger ground motion . A small degree of earthquake reinforcement was added to the Cypress Street Viaduct in 1977. After the earthquake stopped (with no aftershock), local residents and workers began crawling into and climbing upon the shattered structure with

5832-598: Was called the "Eastshore Freeway", continuous with a planned new freeway north of the Maze to replace the old Eastshore Highway. In 1958, the freeway south of the Maze was renamed the "Nimitz Freeway", in honor of WWII Admiral Chester W. Nimitz . With the completion of the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge in 1956, as well as the first segment of the Eastshore Freeway north of the Maze, SR 17

5913-475: Was chosen for the Interstate because of more gradual approaches that aided construction to Interstate Highway standards , which do not allow the sharp curves used by the Donner Pass Road. The grade is three to six percent for 30 miles (48 km). In California I-80 was built along the line of, and eventually replaced, US 40 . The US 40 designation was eliminated in the state as part of

5994-568: Was completed but not open to traffic, where there was a long bridge to nowhere. From 1972 to 1980, I-880 began in West Sacramento as a fork from the original I-80, continues northeast over the Sacramento River to its interchange with I-5 , continues east through the communities of North Sacramento and Del Paso Heights , and ends at an interchange with the Roseville Freeway (I-80). The now-designated Capital City Freeway

6075-540: Was eliminated, a southbound exit near 7th and Union Street and a single northbound and southbound exit at 7th Street, near the Port of Oakland was constructed also providing access via Frontage Road to West Grand Avenue and the Oakland Army Base on Maritime Street, before a viaduct-type interchange splitting traffic to the Bay Bridge via Grand Avenue and also northbound to the Eastshore Freeway . This also realigned

6156-540: Was extended northward along the new freeway in a concurrency with US 40. SR 17 left the freeway at the Hoffman Boulevard exit (thereafter popularly called the "Hoffman Split") and proceeded along city streets through Richmond to the San Rafael bridge. It went via Hoffman, Cutting, and Standard Avenue up to the bridge. It crossed the bridge into San Rafael, terminating at a junction with US 101. In 1984

6237-511: Was named by California Senate Concurrent Resolution 32, Chapt. 70 in 1994. Gillian Cichowski was killed in an accident at this location in 1992. This is one of the few highway constructions in California named for a woman. The overpass was in response to a campaign by friends of Gillian Cichowski to make the intersection (with Bear Creek Road) safer. The overpass was open to northbound traffic July 18, 1996 and opened to southbound traffic August 29, 1996. Margaret Green of Sunnyvale, California died in

6318-490: Was not a freeway in that access was at intersections with adjoining streets rather than by ramps. The Eastshore Highway ran from El Cerrito to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge along the same routing as today's freeway, although it was much narrower. A causeway was constructed for this purpose by filling in part of the mudflats along the bayshore. In the stretch from University to Ashby avenues in Berkeley , this resulted in

6399-599: Was re-routed. Instead of turning west at Davis Street in San Leandro, it was continued along East 14th Street into Oakland. At 44th Avenue it turned west, leading to a new diagonal connection to East 12th Street. SR 17 then followed East 12th northward to 14th Avenue, then one block on 14th to East 8th Street, becoming 8th Street into downtown Oakland. It continued west on 8th, picking up a concurrency with Business Route US 50 at Broadway. Both routes continued on 8th to Cypress Street which became an elevated viaduct entering

6480-594: Was then the original I-80 routing, continuing southwest directly into downtown Sacramento. I-80 was then rerouted along the Beltline Freeway in 1983, while the Capital City Freeway became I-80 Bus, also I-305 and SR 51. I-880 would have intersected SR 244 and then US 50 , but, in 1979, the Sacramento City Council voted to delete the proposed I-80 alignment for rail transit. The constructed I-80/SR 51/SR 244 split

6561-512: Was unable to survive the earthquake because the upper portions of the exterior columns were not tied by reinforcing to the lower columns, and the columns were not sufficiently ringed to prevent bursting (similar to Hanshin Expressway in Kobe, Japan). At the time of its design, such structures were not analyzed as a whole, and it appears that large structure motion contributed to the collapse. It

#134865