State Route 17 (SR 17, locally known as Highway 17) is a
state highway
A state highway, state road, or state route (and the equivalent provincial highway, provincial road, or provincial route) is usually a road that is either ''numbered'' or ''maintained'' by a sub-national state or province. A road numbered by a ...
in the
U.S. state
In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sove ...
of
California
California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...
that runs from
State Route 1 in
Santa Cruz to
I-280 Interstate 280 may refer to multiple highways, all of which are or were related to Interstate 80:
* Interstate 280 (California), a north–south freeway running from San Jose to San Francisco
* Interstate 280 (Iowa–Illinois), part of the beltway ...
and
I-880 in
San Jose. SR 17, a
freeway
A controlled-access highway is a type of highway that has been designed for high-speed vehicular traffic, with all traffic flow—ingress and egress—regulated. Common English terms are freeway, motorway and expressway. Other similar terms ...
and
expressway
Expressway may refer to:
* Controlled-access highway, the highest-grade type of highway with access ramps, lane markings, etc., for high-speed traffic.
* Limited-access road, a lower grade of highway or arterial road.
*Expressway, the fictional s ...
, carries substantial commuter and vacation traffic through the
Santa Cruz Mountains at
Patchen Pass Patchen may refer to:
People
* Patchen Markell (born 1969), academic in political science
* Kenneth Patchen (1911–1972), American poet and novelist
* Miriam Patchen (1914–2000), wife and muse of Kenneth Patchen
* David Patchen (fl. 2001–2016) ...
("The Summit") between Santa Cruz and the
San Francisco Bay Area
The San Francisco Bay Area, often referred to as simply the Bay Area, is a populous region surrounding the San Francisco, San Pablo, and Suisun Bay estuaries in Northern California. The Bay Area is defined by the Association of Bay Area Go ...
.
Route description
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
Scotts Valley is a small city in Santa Cruz County, California, United States, about thirty miles (48 km) south of downtown San Jose and six miles (10 km) north of the city of Santa Cruz, in the upland slope of the Santa Cruz Mount ...
. 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 Patchen may refer to:
People
* Patchen Markell (born 1969), academic in political science
* Kenneth Patchen (1911–1972), American poet and novelist
* Miriam Patchen (1914–2000), wife and muse of Kenneth Patchen
* David Patchen (fl. 2001–2016) ...
, 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 the summit, a winding descent of the mountains begins, again with access at various points, mostly without grade separations, as far as
Los Gatos
Los Gatos (, ; ) is an incorporated town in Santa Clara County, California, United States. The population is 33,529 according to the 2020 census. It is located in the San Francisco Bay Area just southwest of San Jose in the foothills of th ...
. 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
U.S. Route 50 or U.S. Highway 50 (US 50) is a major east–west route of the U.S. Highway system, stretching from Interstate 80 (I-80) in West Sacramento, California, to Maryland Route 528 (MD 528) in Ocean City, Maryland, on the Atlantic ...
in
Sacramento
)
, image_map = Sacramento County California Incorporated and Unincorporated areas Sacramento Highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 250x200px
, map_caption = Location within 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 is part of the
California Freeway and Expressway System
The California Freeway and Expressway System is a system of existing or planned freeways and expressways in the U.S. state of California. It encompasses both State highways and federal highways in California. It is defined by Article 2 (commenci ...
,
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
The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) is a division of the United States Department of Transportation that specializes in highway transportation. The agency's major activities are grouped into two programs, the Federal-aid Highway Program a ...
.
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 California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the cabinet-level California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA). Caltrans is headquartered in Sacrame ...
.
Safety
SR 17's combination of narrow shoulders, dense traffic, slow trucks, sharp turns, blind curves, wandering fauna such as deer and mountain lions, and sudden changes in traffic speeds have led to a number of collisions and fatalities, leading to the reputation of SR 17 as 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.
Despite having fewer curves than in
Santa Cruz County, certain sections of SR 17 in
Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, officially the County of Santa Clara, is the sixth-most populous county in the U.S. state of California, with a population of 1,936,259, as of the 2020 census. Santa Clara County and neighboring San Benito County together f ...
are so dangerous that they have been nicknamed. The first long sweeping turn North of Summit Road with its sharp angle, off-camber banking, and steep entering downhill slope is called "Valley Surprise" for the fact that so many strike the median shortly after having entered the Santa Clara Valley. 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 the Highway 17 Safety Corridor by
Caltrans
The California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) is an Executive (government), executive department of the U.S. state of California. The department is part of the Government of California#State agencies, cabinet-level California State Tran ...
and the
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is a state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and roads and streets outside city limits, and can exercise law enforcem ...
. 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
Lexington Reservoir is an artificial lake on the Los Gatos Creek near Los Gatos, California. The James J. Lenihan Dam, a high, thick earthen dam, forms the third-largest reservoir in Santa Clara County.
Background
The reservoir i ...
, 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 a similar accident near the same location during overpass construction.
SR 17 in Santa Cruz County is named after
California Highway Patrol
The California Highway Patrol (CHP) is a state law enforcement agency of the U.S. state of California. The CHP has primary patrol jurisdiction over all California highways and roads and streets outside city limits, and can exercise law enforcem ...
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.
[Lt. Michael Walker Killed New Year’s Eve While Aiding Motorist ]
accessed August 26, 2008 Partly in response to this accident near the Glenwood Road intersection, Caltrans began work in 2008 to widen the shoulder to eight feet.
[Caltrans Public Notice]
(PDF), access August 26, 2008
History
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.
In the 1920s, the segment from San Jose northward had been signed as US 101-E ("east"), branching off from US 101-W in San Jose.
Santa Cruz Mountains
The earliest connection between Santa Cruz and San Jose 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 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 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 are collapsed. The rise in the use of automobiles made 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
Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to:
* Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned
Film and television
* Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser
* Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...
.
Parts of the original SR 17 lie underwater in
Lexington Reservoir
Lexington Reservoir is an artificial lake on the Los Gatos Creek near Los Gatos, California. The James J. Lenihan Dam, a high, thick earthen dam, forms the third-largest reservoir in Santa Clara County.
Background
The reservoir i ...
. 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.
East Bay
SR 17 first appeared along the east shore of San Francisco Bay in 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 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 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 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
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 pa ...
leading into the MacArthur Maze. The new freeway 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
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 Franciscoâ ...
north of the Maze, SR 17 was extended northward along the new freeway in a concurrency with US 40. SR 17 left the freeway at the Hoffman Blvd. 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.
''San Francisco and Vicinity'', Shell road map, 1956
Shows transitional situation with bridge completed, but route number not yet depicted beyond the Maze.
In 1984 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.
Major intersections
Notes
See also
*
References
*
External links
{{commons category, California State Route 17, position=right
AARoads – State Route 17
Caltrans: Route 17 highway conditions
Cal-NExUS info
017
017
017
State Route 017
State Route 017
Santa Cruz, California
Los Gatos, California
Campbell, California
Transportation in San Jose, California