Skip to main content

California State Route 85

Last week I had the opportunity to try out several Bay Area roadways.  The first route on my list was California State Route 85 from CA 17 west to US Route 101.






CA 85 is an approximately 24 mile freeway starting at US 101 in San Jose which loops back to US 101 in Mountain View.  I drove the entire route back in 2016 but my recent trip had me starting CA 85 at about the mid-way point in Los Gatos from CA 17 northbound.





CA 85 west of CA 17 briefly skirts the City limits of San Jose before entering Saratoga.





CA 85 dips back into the westernmost limits of San Jose at De Anza Boulevard.  De Anza Boulevard was part of the original surface alignment of CA 9.





CA 85 in Cupertino is the location with the junction with I-280.  The section of CA 85 north of I-280 is the original part of the freeway which means there is plenty of button-copy shields still posted.











CA 85 briefly dips into Sunnyvale before entering Mountain View.   CA 85 encounters CA 82 which runs on the El Camino Real which obviously is the old surface alignment of US 101.





Immediately north of CA 82/El Camino Real CA 85 encounters a junction with CA 237 which directs traffic to US 101 southbound towards San Jose.






San Francisco traffic is directed towards the western terminus of CA 85.  CA 85 has a junction with Moffett Boulevard which connects to Moffett Field which is the location of the NASA Ames Research Center.






CA 85 is a fairly modern state highway with the first segment from I-280 north to US 101 in Mountain View opening in 1965 according to CAhighways.org.  This can be seen by comparing the Bay Area insert of the 1965 State Highway Map to the 1966 Map.

1965 State Highway Map

1966 State Highway Map

According to CAhighways it seems CA 85 was partially intended to the alignment of I-280  Legislation was passed in 1959 which created Legislative Route 239 which eventually became I-280.  LRN 239 has proposed alignment west of San Jose to CA 17 in Los Gatos on the 1960 State Highway Map in the Bay Area Insert.  It would seem that I-280 may have originally been envisioned to swing north roughly along CA 9 near De Anza Boulevard.

1960 State Highway Map 

By 1962 it seems that LRN 239 was realigned completely to the modern I-280 and LRN 114 took over the proposed route between US 101 in San Jose west to CA 9 in Saratoga.  LRN 114 incidentally was the surface designation of CA 9 from Saratoga to Sunnyvale.  It would seem that CA 85 in spirit is a successor route to CA 9 in the Bay Area much like CA 237.

1962 State Highway Map

By 1963 the full proposed route of what became CA 85 is shown as LRN 114 on the Bay Area insert.

1963 State Highway Map 

By 1964 LRN 114 was changed to LRN 85 during the California Highway renumbering.  CA 9 on De Anza Boulevard was renumbered to CA 85 but doesn't appear to have been immediately signed.  Apparently when the first segment of CA 85 opened in 1965 the route continued south from I-280 on De Anza Boulevard south to CA 9 in Saratoga.  The alignment of CA 9 can be shifted eastward from Saratoga to CA 17 in Los Gatos.

1964 State Highway Map

In the 1990s CA 85 was finally completed from San Jose to Mountain View with the last segment apparently opening in 1994.  CAhighways.org has a more detailed description of the time frame for the last segments of CA 85 so this seemed like an appropriate place to link the article over:

CAhighways.org on CA 85

The change from the incomplete CA 85 to the final product now in use today can be seen by comparing the city insert of the 1990 State Highway Map to the 2005 State Highway Map.

1990 State Highway Map 

2005 State Highway Map

Comments

Unknown said…
Great blog! I run “Saving Hotel Fresno” on Facebook. The hotel was approved for listing on the National Register of Historic Places. This will give the new owners a 20% historic tax credit towards the $30 million renovation they have planned.
Anonymous said…
Nice blog! I moved to the area in 1994 and remember Hwy 85 from Mountain View to Cupertino, but then it exited out onto Stevens Creek. Then 85 became a surface route, which is now De Anza / Saratoga-Sunnyvale. I never knew until reading your blog post that it used to be hwy 9! Later that year I saw on the news that Hwy 85 was opened south of there. Loved the new roadway — very smooth! Over the years it became bumpier, but then they resurfaced it in the early 2010s I think.

Popular posts from this blog

The rogue G28-2 California State Highway Spades

In this short blog we look at the somewhat rare but not unheard-of rogue G28-2 California State Highway Spades affixed to guide signs. Part 1; what is the G28-2 California State Highway Spade?  The  Caltrans Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices Sign Chart from 2014  ("Caltrans MUTCD") dictates the types of signs and highway shields permitted for traffic control use in California.  California is known for it's more ornate cut-out shields which are used for, US Routes, Interstate Highways, and State Routes.  These shields are intended to be applied as standalone reassurance signs but aren't explicitly limited to said function and occasionally appear in error on guide signs.  The common shields which are typically found through California are: US Route:  G26-2 Interstate:  G27-2 State Highway:  G28-2 The Caltrans MUTCD provides alternative shields for, US Routes, Interstate Highways, and State Routes.  These alternative shields are intended for guide sign usage.  Th

Former Greater Pittsburgh International Airport Terminal

For just over four decades, the former main terminal of Greater Pittsburgh International Airport was the city's gateway to the world.  Located nearly 20 miles west of Downtown Pittsburgh, the Joseph Hoover-designed terminal would see millions of travelers pass through its doors.  Known best for the terrazzo compass in the main lobby, the terminal had many other distinguishing features.  The well-landscaped entrance led up to the curved stepped design of the terminal. Each level of the terminal would extend out further than the other allowing for numerous observation decks.  The most popular observation deck, the "Horizon Room", was located on the fourth floor. The former Greater Pittsburgh Airport Terminal - October 1998 From when it opened in the Summer of 1952 until its closing on September 30, 1992, the terminal would grow from a small regional airport to the main hub for USAir.  The terminal would see numerous expansions and renovations over its 40 years of

Highways in and around Old Sacramento; US 40, US 99W, CA 16, CA 24, CA 70, CA 99, CA 275, and more

This past weekend I was visiting the City of Sacramento for a wedding.  That being the case I decided to head out on a morning run through Old Sacramento, Jibboom Street Bridge, I Street Bridge, Tower Bridge, and path of US Route 40/US Route 99W towards the California State Capitol.  My goal was to retrace the paths of the various highways that once traversed the Old Sacramento area. This blog is part of the larger Gribblenation US Route 99 Page.  For more information pertaining to the other various segments of US Route 99 and it's three-digit child routes check out the link the below. Gribblenation US Route 99 Page The old highway alignments of Sacramento The City of Sacramento lies at the confluence of the Sacramento River and American River in Sacramento Valley.  Sacramento Valley was discovered by Spanish Explorer Gabriel Moraga in 1808.  Moraga referred to the fertile Sacramento Valley akin to a "Blessed Sacrament."  By 1839 John Sutter Sr. settled in Mexican held