State Route 17 (legal definition)
Length:	26.49[1] mi (42.63 km)
Formed:	1930s[2]
South end:	SR 1 in Santa Cruz
Major junctions:	SR 35 near Redwood Estates SR 85 in Los Gatos
North end:	I-280/I-880 in San Jose
California State Highway Routes < Route 16 Route 18 > Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 17, commonly known locally as Highway 17, is a freeway and expressway that runs between San Jose, California and Santa Cruz, California. Highway 17 carries substantial commuter and vacation traffic between San Jose and Santa Cruz. Image File history File links California_17. ... This image has been released into the public domain by the copyright holder, its copyright has expired, or it is ineligible for copyright. ... A mile is any of a number of units of distance, each in the magnitude of 1–10 km. ... A kilometre (American spelling: kilometer), symbol: km is a unit of length in the metric system equal to 1000 metres (from the Greek words χίλια (khilia) = thousand and μέτρο (metro) = count/measure). ... Image File history File links California_1. ... State Route 1, often called Highway 1, is a state highway that runs along a large length of the Pacific coast of California. ... Image File history File links California_85. ... Route 85 through much of Saratoga and Los Gatos is a sunken highway. ... Image File history File links Interstate_280_(California). ... Image File history File links Interstate_880_(California). ... JUNCTION MILE POST US-101 SCL 0. ... JUNCTION MILE POST SR-17 SCL 0. ... Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Official website: http://www. ... Example State Route signage. ... State Route 18 currently runs from State Route 210 in San Bernardino to State Route 138 near Adelanto, California. ... Below is a list and summary of the entirely unconstructed state highways in California as outlined by the legislature in and after 1964. ... Below is a list and summary of the deleted State Routes (i. ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: California Streets and Highways Code Section 250-257 The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. ... The following highways are designated, in whole or part, by the State of California as State Scenic Highways: // State Scenic Highways Entire route The following routes have their entire length designed as a scenic highway: California State Route 28 California State Route 35 California State Route 38 - In San Bernardino... High-capacity freeway interchange in Los Angeles, California. ... An expressway is a divided highway, usually 4 lanes or wider. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Santa Cruz is the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, United States. ...

Route description

From its northern terminus in San Jose near Interstate 280 to Los Gatos, Route 17 is a freeway with as many as eight lanes at some points. Flag Seal Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... JUNCTION POSTMILE US-101 SCL 0. ... Nickname: Motto: Official website: http://www. ...

Between Los Gatos and Scotts Valley, Route 17 is a four-lane expressway that twists and turns through 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 (545 m). The Santa Cruz Mountains, part of the Pacific Coast Ranges, are a mountain range in central California. ...

After exiting the mountains, most of the remaining southern portion from Scotts Valley southward is four-lane freeway. Route 17 terminates at a junction with State Route 1 in Santa Cruz. Scotts Valley is an elite suburb community of Santa Cruz located in central, Santa Cruz County, California. ...

Currently the section between SR 9 and SR 85 is in need of major repair after record rains in March of 2006 opened up a large number of cracks and potholes through this section. Caltrans has authorized emergency repaving to this section of the road. A view of Highway 9 State Route 9 is mainly a rural and mountainous route that travels 35 mi. ... Route 85 through much of Saratoga and Los Gatos is a sunken highway. ...

Safety

Highway 17's combination of narrow shoulders, dense and high-speed traffic (despite a posted lower speed limit of 50 mph (80 km/h) in most sections), sharp turns, blind curves, and sudden changes in traffic speeds have to led to driving conditions that result in a number of accidents and fatalities, leading to the reputation of Highway 17 as one of the most dangerous highways in the state. Some sections of 17 have become so notoriously dangerous that they have attained nicknames amongst the locals. (i.e. Northbound 17 after Summit Road with its sharp turns and steep slope has been deemed "Valley Surprise" for the fact that many unfamiliar drivers hit the median on their way to the Silicon Valley)

Efforts to improve safety have included adding electronic speed monitoring signs and warnings lights on curves, removing trees to improve visiblity around blind curves, and increased patrol and enforcement of traffic laws. The portion between Los Gatos and Scotts Valley has been designated the Highway 17 Safety Corridor by Caltrans and the California Highway Patrol. Caltrans logo The soaring ramps in the stack interchanges favored by Caltrans often provide stunning views. ... CHP Uniform insignia The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is the state police force of California, originally set up as a highway patrol agency created in 1929 to ensure road safety in California, it assumed greater responsibility as time went on. ...

Gillian Cichowski Memorial Overcrossing Bridge over Route 17 near Los Gatos at Lexington Reservoir, 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 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 a similar accident near the same location during overpass construction.

Gillian Cichowski Memorial Overcrossing.

The cost of improving the treacherous expressway segment to modern freeway standards has been estimated to be at least $200 million. High-capacity freeway interchange in Los Angeles, California. ...

History

The earliest connection between Santa Cruz and San Jose was an old Native America foot trail. The first road that could be navigated by a wagon was a dirt toll road built by Charley McKeirnan, known as "Mountain Charley" by the locals, some time around 1853. Portions of his road still exists as Mountain Charlie Road, which still exists 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 the route of present day Soquel Road.

Looking downhill from the Summit Road overpass; brake lights can be seen as cars slow down in anticipation of the tight curves ahead.

Highway 17 was opened in 1940, replacing several other modes of transportation, including the old Glenwood Highway from 1919 (which still exists in the sleepy town of 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 soon after sealed. Nearly all the tunnel entrances still exist, but are unusable at the tunnels themselves are collapsed. The rise in the use of automobiles made the railroads unprofitable. Photo of curves on California Highway 17, taken March 2004 by User:Stan Shebs. ... Photo of curves on California Highway 17, taken March 2004 by User:Stan Shebs. ...

Parts of the original Highway 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.

Until the mid-1980s, Highway 17 extended from its current southern terminus at State Route 1 in Santa Cruz through Oakland and across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge to San Rafael. The roadway still exists (apart from the mile-long Cypress section in Oakland, destroyed in the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake) but parts have been redesignated. The section between Interstate 80 and US 101 in San Rafael was renumbered as an extension of Interstate 580. Prior to the redesignation, this part of 17 followed Richmond streets, including an expressway called Hoffman Boulevard, to the bridge; a freeway built to Interstate standards was completed in 1990 after the corridor became 580's northwestern leg. Additionally, Highway 17 between Interstate 280 in San Jose and the freeway's new northern terminus in Oakland was re-designated as Interstate 880 later that year. Before the Freeway was built in Milpitas, Fremont, Hayward and Oakland, 17 followed what is now Old Oakland Road (San Jose), Main Street (Milpitas) and Warm Springs Blvd (southern Fremont); from the Irvington section of Fremont, the route proceeded along what is now Fremont Blvd, which becomes Alvarado Blvd in Union City. From there, the route proceeded along Hesparian Blvd in Hayward and Washington Avenue in San Leandro, joining with E 14th Street as it proceeded into Oakland. From Oakland, 17 would follow U.S 40 (Now Interstate 80) San Pablo Avenue up to its split in Albany. Route 17 then followed what is now Interstate 580 over the San Rafael Bridge (Before the late 50's it was a ferry crossing) Terminating at U.S 101 in San Rafael. JUNCTION POSTMILE I-5 ORA 0. ... Oakland, founded in 1852, is a major American city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. ... The Richmond-San Rafael Bridge is the northernmost of the east-west crossings of the San Francisco Bay in California, USA, connecting Richmond on the east to San Rafael on the west end. ... Saint Raphael Church, one of the citys most recognizable landmarks San Rafael (pronounced san ruh-FELL in English; original Spanish pronunciation is sahn rah-fai-EL) is the county seat of Marin County, California, United States. ... The Loma Prieta earthquake occurred on October 17, 1989, in the greater San Francisco Bay Area in California at 5:04 p. ... Route across the United States Interstate 80 (abbreviated I-80) is the second-longest Interstate Highway in the United States. ... JUNCTION POSTMILE I-5 LA 0. ... Another Interstate 580 exists in Reno, Nevada, but is signed only as US 395. ... JUNCTION POSTMILE US-101 SCL 0. ... JUNCTION POSTMILE SR-17 SCL 0. ...

Exit list

Highway 17 has Cal-NExUS numbered exits on its freeway portion. The non-freeway portion has exits and turnoffs which are not numbered. As of 2005, only one exit (23) has numbered signs, which is only numbered in the northbound direction. Cal-NExUS, the California Numbered Exit Uniform System is the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)s program for numbering the exits of Californias freeways. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Postmile[1]	Municipality	#[3]	Destinations	Notes
SCR 0.00	Santa Cruz		Ocean Street	Southbound left exit and northbound entrance
		1A	State Route 1 North - Half Moon Bay; San Francisco	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
		1B	State Route 1 South - Watsonville; Monterey	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
SCR 0.74		1C	Pasatiempo	Exit 1 northbound
SCR 3.44	Scotts Valley	3	Mt. Hermon Road
SCR 5.45		5	Granite Creek Road
End freeway and begin expressway
SCL 0.11		–	( State Route 35 north - Summit Road	non-freeway exit. Currently unsigned as SR-35.
SCL 4.30		–	Bear Creek Road	non-freeway exit
End expressway and begin freeway
SCL 6.16	Los Gatos	19	Santa Cruz Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
SCL 7.07		20A	East Los Gatos	Cloverleaf interchange with Los Gatos Saratoga Road
		20B	State Route 9 west - Saratoga
SCR 8.89		21	Lark Avenue
SCR 9.32		22	State Route 85 - Mountain View; Gilroy
SCR 10.50	Campbell	23	Camden Avenue; San Tomas Expressway
SCR 12.34		25	Hamilton Avenue
SCR 13.93	San José	26A	Interstate 280 South - Downtown San José	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
		26B	Interstate 280 North - San Francisco	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
			Interstate 880 North - Oakland	Northbound exit and southbound entrance

A milemarker on the National Road giving distances from many places Milestones redirects here. ... Exit numbers on Interstate 4 in Volusia County, Florida. ... Santa Cruz County is a county located on the Pacific coast of California, just south of the San Francisco Bay Area, it forms the northern coast of the Monterey Bay. ... Santa Cruz is the county seat of Santa Cruz County, California, United States. ... Image File history File links California_1. ... JUNCTION POSTMILE I-5 ORA 0. ... Half Moon Bay is a city located in San Mateo county, California, USA. It had a total population of 11,842 as of the 2000 census. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The City by the Bay; The City That Knows How; Golden Mountain (historic Chinese name) Location Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates , Government City-County San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Geographical characteristics Area     City 600. ... Image File history File links California_1. ... JUNCTION POSTMILE I-5 ORA 0. ... Watsonville is a city located in Santa Cruz County, California. ... Looking north from Cannery Row toward Fishermans Wharf The City of Monterey is located on Monterey Bay along the Pacific coast in northern California. ... Scotts Valley is an elite suburb community of Santa Cruz located in central, Santa Cruz County, California. ... An expressway is a divided highway, usually 4 lanes or wider. ... Location of Santa Clara County within California. ... Nickname: Motto: Official website: http://www. ... A cloverleaf interchange is a two-level interchange in which right turns (in countries that drive on the left) are handled by loop ramps. ... Image File history File links California_9. ... A view of Highway 9 State Route 9 is mainly a rural and mountainous route that travels 35 mi. ... Saratoga (IPA: ) is a city located in Santa Clara County, California, USA. It is located on the west side of the Santa Clara Valley, in the San Francisco Bay Area. ... Image File history File links California_85. ... Route 85 through much of Saratoga and Los Gatos is a sunken highway. ... For other places in California called “Mountain View”, see Mountain View, California (disambiguation). ... Gilroy is a city located in Santa Clara County, California, USA. As of the United States 2000 Census, the city had a total population of 41,464. ... Campbell is a city located in Santa Clara County, California, part of Silicon Valley. ... The Santa Clara County expressway system is a system of expressways in Santa Clara County, California. ... Flag Seal Nickname: Capital of Silicon Valley Location Location of San Jose within Santa Clara County, California. ... Image File history File links Interstate_280_(California). ... JUNCTION POSTMILE US-101 SCL 0. ... Image File history File links Interstate_280_(California). ... JUNCTION POSTMILE US-101 SCL 0. ... Flag Seal Nickname: The City by the Bay; The City That Knows How; Golden Mountain (historic Chinese name) Location Location of the City and County of San Francisco, California Coordinates , Government City-County San Francisco Mayor Gavin Newsom Geographical characteristics Area     City 600. ... Image File history File links Interstate_880_(California). ... Interstate 880 is a regional bypass interstate highway in the Bay Area metropolitan area of Northern California. ... Oakland, founded in 1852, is a major American city on the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. ...

State law

Legal Definition of Route 17: California Streets and Highways Code, Chapter 2, Article 3, Section 317

Route 17 is part of the Freeway and Expressway System, as stated by section 253.2 of the California State Highway Code.

Route 17 is part of the Scenic Highway System, as stated by section 263.3 of the California State Highway Code.

Image File history File links CA_blank_wide. ... Image File history File links California_Scenic. ...

References

1. ^ ^a b January 1, 2006 California Log of Bridges on State Highways
2. ^ California Highways: State Route 17
3. ^ Cal-NExUS Interchange Exit Numbering

• CalNEXUS report for 17N and 17S
• Richard Beal: Highway 17: The Road to Santa Cruz. Aptos, California: Pacific Group, 1990. ISBN 0-962-99740-4

Cal-NExUS, the California Numbered Exit Uniform System is the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans)s program for numbering the exits of Californias freeways. ...

External links

• hiway17.com
• WestCoastRoads - California 17
• California Highways: CA-17
• The Big Highways Page: California Route 17
• Western Exit Guide - California 17
• Cal-NExUS: Route 17 North
• Cal-NExUS: Route 17 South