State Route 85 | ||||
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West Valley Freeway | ||||
SR 85 highlighted in red
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Route information | ||||
Defined by | ||||
Maintained by Caltrans | ||||
Length | 23.7 mi (38.1 km) | |||
Existed | 1934 - June 30, 1964 (as SR 9) July 1, 1964 – present |
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Restrictions | No trucks over 4.5 tons | |||
Major junctions | ||||
South end | US 101 in San Jose | |||
North end | US 101 in Mountain View | |||
Location | ||||
Counties | Santa Clara | |||
Highway system | ||||
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State Route 85 (SR 85) is a freeway which connects the cities of Mountain View and southern San Jose in the U.S. State of California. The route provides an alternate to U.S. Route 101 (US 101), bypassing downtown San Jose and instead passing through the foothill cities of Los Gatos, Saratoga, and Cupertino, roughly paralleling the Santa Cruz Mountains up to its interchange with I-280. The highway intersects with major highways such as I-280, SR 17, and SR 87.
SR 85 was built in two phases: the first, comprising the northern half, runs 5.7 miles from Stevens Creek Boulevard near Interstate 280 to its northern terminus at US 101 in Mountain View, was built in the 1960s. The second half, running 18.5 miles from US 101 in southern San Jose to Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino, remained unbuilt until the 1980s and was opened in 1994. Prior to the construction of the southern half, the route was signed along De Anza Road from the end of the freeway portion at I-280 southwards until its junction with SR 9 in Saratoga, which then served as its southern terminus.