Misplaced Pages

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56-420: The main entrance for vehicular, bike and pedestrian access is via Lost Lake Lane, which is reached via Dell Avenue, just north of East Hacienda Avenue. A parking lot is at the end of the access lane. The San Tomas Expressway exit from California State Route 17 that runs just to the east of the park provides easy access via Winchester Blvd south and East Hacienda Avenue. The Los Gatos Creek Trail runs through

112-488: A FasTrak Flex or CAV (Clean Air Vehicle) transponder, with its switch set to indicate the number of the vehicle's occupants (one, two, three, or more). Solo drivers may also use the FasTrak standard tag without the switch. Drivers without any FasTrak tag will be assessed a toll violation regardless of whether they qualified for free. The state legislature added the proposed San Jose – Richmond East Shore Highway to

168-408: A congestion pricing system based on the real-time levels of traffic. Two-person carpools and clean air vehicles with a solo driver are charged 50 percent of the posted toll. Carpools with three or more people and motorcycles are not charged. All tolls are collected using an open road tolling system, and therefore there are no toll booths to receive cash. Each vehicle is required to carry either

224-572: A state of emergency and all public transportation was free on the first commute day. Improvements to the I-280/I-880 and Stevens Creek Boulevard interchanges finished early 2015. Changes included breaking up the handful of ramps that both interchanges shared so they would be independent from one another. Construction began in late 2012 and the ramp from I-280 north to I-880 north opened in April 2015. The I-880 Corridor Improvement Project, one of

280-690: A five-lane freeway (narrows to four lanes after Pasatiempo Drive). From there, it proceeds through Scotts Valley . At 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

336-764: 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 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

392-487: A railyard, and an East Bay Municipal Utility District sewage treatment plant; it occupied an entirely new right-of-way , which required the acquisition of large amounts of valuable industrial real estate near the Port of Oakland; and it had to be earthquake resistant. The former path of the structure was then renamed Mandela Parkway, and the median where the freeway stood became a landscaped linear park . Several aspects of

448-524: A significant environmental impact to the nearby Guadalupe River . On April 29, 2007, a gasoline tanker overturned and caught fire on the connector between westbound I-80 and southbound I-880 on the MacArthur Maze interchange. The fire caused major damage to both this connector and one directly above (eastbound I-80 onto eastbound I-580). The overpass was replaced and reopened 27 days later. The governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger , declared it as

504-534: 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

560-618: Is a state highway in the U.S. state of California that runs from State Route 1 in Santa Cruz to I-280 and I-880 in San Jose . SR 17, a freeway and expressway , carries substantial commuter and vacation traffic through the Santa Cruz Mountains at Patchen Pass ("The Summit") between Santa Cruz and the San Francisco Bay Area . From its southern terminus with SR 1 in Santa Cruz , Route 17 begins as

616-462: Is an interchange with SR 35 . Just north of 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

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672-558: 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 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

728-745: Is named "Valley Surprise" for 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

784-759: Is officially known as the Nimitz Freeway , after World War II fleet admiral Chester W. Nimitz , who retired to the Bay Area. The northernmost five miles (8.0 km) is also commonly referred to as the Cypress Freeway , after the former alignment of the freeway and its subsequent replacement. The southern terminus of I-880 is at its interchange with I-280 and SR 17 in San Jose . From there, it heads roughly northeast past San Jose International Airport to US Route 101 (US 101). The Nimitz Freeway then turns northwest, running parallel to

840-649: The 1994 Northridge earthquake , Caltrans initiated Phase 2 of its seismic retrofit program, which included projects along the I-880 corridor. Other goals include reducing traffic congestion and improving road quality. The individual projects included in the I-880 Corridor Improvement Project were retrofitting or replacing the 5th Avenue, 23rd Avenue, 29th Avenue, Fruitvale Avenue, and High Street bridges in Oakland; improvements to both

896-682: The Eastshore Freeway ( I-80 ) through Richmond to the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge and San Rafael . In 1984, the segment of SR 17 from I-280 in San Jose to 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. In 1947, construction commenced on a freeway to replace the street routing of SR 17 through

952-746: 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 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

1008-413: The MacArthur Maze and following a newly constructed alignment (signed as US 40 ) to El Cerrito . The first short piece of the new Eastshore Freeway opened to traffic on July 22, 1949, connecting Oak Street downtown with 23rd Avenue. It was extended to 98th Avenue on June 1, 1950, Lewelling Boulevard on June 13, 1952, and Jackson Street ( SR 92 ) on June 5, 1953. At the San Jose end,

1064-450: The Nimitz Freeway in honor of WWII Admiral Nimitz, while the portion to the north retained the name Eastshore Freeway . The formal dedication, with the participation of Admiral Nimitz, took place on August 12, 1958. The northern portion of I-880 was designated US 50 Business (US 50 Bus.) for a time between the I-80 interchange and Downtown Oakland. From 1971 to 1983, I-880 was

1120-492: 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

1176-616: The East Bay. The new freeway was named the "Eastshore Freeway", and, with the subsequent addition of a freeway to replace the Eastshore Highway north of the MacArthur Maze in the mid 1950s, it ran, appropriately, almost the entire length of the east shore of San Francisco Bay. In 1958, following a joint resolution of the California State Legislature , the portion south of the MacArthur Maze was renamed

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1232-606: 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 ,

1288-451: The I-880 facility have been constructed in designated floodplains such as the 1990 and 2004 interchange improvements at Dixon Landing Road. In that case, the FHWA was required to make a finding that there was no feasible alternative to the new ramp system as designed. In that same study, the FHWA produced an analysis to support the fact that adequate wetlands mitigation had been designed into

1344-417: 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

1400-541: The bay had left early or stayed late to watch Game 3 of the San Francisco – Oakland World Series , the freeway was far less crowded than normal at the time of the quake. Due to environmental impact concerns, and the desire by the West Oakland community to reconnect the neighborhood with the rest of the city, among other reasons, a new route was selected along an industrial area and railroad yard around

1456-571: The country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). Officially, the Nimitz Freeway designation is Route 880 from Route 101 to Route 80, as named by Senate Concurrent Resolution 23, Chapter 84 in 1958. Since the late 1990s, an infamous misconception for certain commuters and businesses in San Jose is that I-880 extends from I-280 to SR 85 in Los Gatos (which would extend

1512-558: The eastern approach of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge . I-880 between I-238 in San Leandro and the MacArthur Maze is used as the main truck route; trucks over 4.5 short tons (4.1 t; 4.0 long tons) are prohibited through Oakland on I-580. I-880 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

1568-491: The improvement project. Due to high sound levels generated from this highway and the relatively dense urban development in the highway corridor, the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) has conducted numerous studies to retrofit the right-of-way with noise barriers . This activity has occurred in Oakland, San Leandro , Hayward , Newark , and Fremont . During the 1989 widening of I-880 in parts of Newark and Fremont, scientific studies were conducted to determine

1624-469: The last seismic retrofit projects of a major transportation corridor in California, consisted of eight separate projects located in a 15-mile (24 km) segment of the freeway between Oakland and Hayward. The overall goal of the project was to improve the seismic safety of the corridor. After the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , Caltrans initiated Phase 1 of its seismic retrofit program. After

1680-740: The length to 50 miles [80 km]). High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along I-880 between the Milpitas – Fremont line at Dixon Landing Road and Lewelling Boulevard in San Lorenzo opened in October 2020. The southbound express lanes extend north to Hegenberger Road in Oakland and south to SR 237 in Milpitas. As of August 2022 , the HOT lanes' hours of operation is weekdays between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm. Solo drivers are tolled using

1736-711: 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

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1792-536: The need for sound walls and to design optimum heights to achieve Federal noise standards . Between Coleman Avenue and 1st Street in San Jose, SR 87 (Guadalupe Freeway) crosses above I-880 without an interchange, making it the only point in California where two freeways cross without a connection. Because of its proximity to the runways at San Jose International Airport , Caltrans cannot construct elevated ramps without them interfering with flight paths. Tunneling underneath to build underground ramps would also make

1848-461: 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

1904-485: 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

1960-721: The original route designation for the Beltline Freeway , the northern bypass freeway for the Sacramento area. This freeway begins 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

2016-467: The outskirts of the neighborhood. Although only about three miles (4.8 km) in length, the replacement freeway cost over $ 1.2 billion (equivalent to $ 1.97 billion in 2023 ), and did not open until 1997 for several reasons: it crossed over and under the elevated Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) line to San Francisco; it squeezed between a postoffice, the West Oakland station , the Port of Oakland ,

2072-427: The overlap with Route 5 between Bayshore Highway ( US 101 ) and Warm Springs was bypassed on July 2, 1954. Within Oakland, the double-decker Cypress Street Viaduct opened on June 11, 1957, connecting the freeway with the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge . The Oakland segment was extended south to Fremont Boulevard at Beard Road on November 14, 1957, and the gap was filled on November 24, 1958, soon after

2128-467: The park is a reshaped version of a natural lake. That lake was on the eastern boundary of the historic Rancho Rinconada de Los Gatos . 37°16′12″N 121°57′00″W  /  37.27000°N 121.95000°W  / 37.27000; -121.95000 This Santa Clara County, California -related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . California State Route 17 State Route 17 ( SR 17 , locally known as Highway 17 )

2184-533: The park, north and south. There is a nearby trail access point from the south at Knowles Drive through a parking lot. There are nearby trail access points from the north at the south side of the trail underpass of San Tomas Expressway and at the south end of Camden Avenue through a parking lot. Along the trail, downtown Campbell and the Pruneyard Shopping Center are further to the north and Vasona Park and downtown Los Gatos are further to

2240-422: The portion from San Leandro into Oakland was also kept as part of Route 105 (now SR 185 ). Prior to 1984, the route known as I-880 used to be part of SR 17 , which was US 48 from current I-238 to US 101 from 1926 to 1931, then US 101E from 1929 to the mid-1930s. SR 17 used to run from Santa Cruz all the way through San Jose , Oakland , and then continued north via

2296-420: 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

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2352-478: 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

2408-600: 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

2464-417: The south. A bike and pedestrian bridge across highway 17 provides access from the east. The bridge terminates onto Mozart Avenue, which continues onto Bascom Avenue just north of Highway 85. A pavilion and picnic tables are present. The Los Gatos Creek County Dog Park and two casting ponds are located at the northern end of the park. The dog park has separated small dog and large dog sections. The lake in

2520-425: The southeastern shore of San Francisco Bay , connecting the cities of Milpitas , Fremont , Newark , Union City , Hayward , and San Leandro before reaching Oakland . In Oakland, I-880 passes by Oakland International Airport , Oakland Coliseum , the Port of Oakland , and Downtown Oakland . The northern terminus of I-880 is in Oakland at the junction with I-80 and I-580 (known as the MacArthur Maze ), near

2576-815: 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

2632-514: The start and end postmiles in each county are given in the county column. Interstate 880 (California) Interstate 880 ( I-880 ) is a north–south auxiliary Interstate Highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California . It runs from I-280 and State Route 17 (SR 17) in San Jose to I-80 and I-580 in Oakland , running parallel to the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay . For most of its route, I-880

2688-757: The state highway system in 1933, and it became an extension of the previously short ( San Rafael to the bay) Legislative Route (LRN) 69 , and part of Sign Route 13 (soon changed to 17) in 1934. From San Jose, this route temporarily followed existing LRN 5 (present Oakland Road, Main Street, Milpitas Boulevard, and Warm Springs Boulevard) to SR 21 at Warm Springs and then continued along existing county roads and city streets, now known as Fremont Boulevard, Alvarado Boulevard, Hesperian Boulevard, Lewelling Boulevard, Washington Avenue, 14th Street, 44th Avenue, 12th Street, 14th Avenue, 8th Street, and 7th Street, into Downtown Oakland . It then turned north at Cypress Street (now Mandela Parkway), passing through

2744-403: The state legislature named the highway after Fleet Admiral Chester W. Nimitz . (The short spur to Route 5 at Warm Springs (now SR 262 ) remained in the state highway system as a branch of Route 69. ) As these sections opened, Sign Route 17 (and LRN 69) was moved from its old surface routing, which mostly became local streets. Other than Route 5 south of Warm Springs,

2800-485: 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;

2856-605: 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

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2912-480: 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

2968-540: 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

3024-511: 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

3080-539: 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

3136-664: 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. A large double-decker section in Oakland, known as the Cypress Street Viaduct , collapsed during the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake , causing 42 deaths; initial estimates were significantly higher, but, because many commuters on both sides of

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