page_title: California State Route 85
section_title: Route description
hierarchical_section_title: California State Route 85 / Route description
caption_attribution_description: English: State Route 85| through San Jose. State Route 85 through San Jose.
context_page_description: State Route 85, known as the West Valley Freeway along its entire length, is a state highway 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, 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 segments between 1991 and 1994.
context_section_description: SR 85 begins at an interchange with US 101 and heads due west through San Jose. Near the Westfield Oakridge Mall in San Jose, SR 85 has an interchange with the southern terminus of the SR 87 freeway, which provides easy access to the San Jose International Airport. SR 85 continues west into Los Gatos, where it intersects the SR 17 freeway. SR 85 briefly enters Campbell and reenters San Jose before crossing into Saratoga. It turns northwest and briefly reenters San Jose before entering Cupertino and passing right next to De Anza College. SR 85 then interchanges with I-280 before briefly entering Sunnyvale and Los Altos and then entering Mountain View, where it first intersects SR 237 before terminating at US 101 near the Ames Research Center. HOV lanes run along the entire length of SR 85, requiring at least two people in a car on weekdays from 5-9 AM and 3-7 PM, or a car with an "Access OK" sticker.
  Despite mainly passing through suburban Silicon Valley cities, SR 85 does have several points of interest. The northern terminus is located near Moffett Field, with its huge Hangar 1. Google's main campus and Microsoft's Silicon Valley Campus are located near the northern end of the freeway. Near the interchange with Interstate 280, SR 85 runs close to the headquarters of Apple Inc. and next to De Anza College as well as the same-named West Valley College, both community colleges in the area. Near interchange with SR 17, SR 85 runs next to the headquarters of Netflix in Los Gatos. VTA light rail runs in the median of SR 85 between the 85-87 interchange and its southern terminus.
  An infamous misconception for some commuters and businesses in San Jose, Campbell, and Los Gatos is that SR 85 serves as the northern terminus of SR 17 and the southern terminus of I-880. Although not planned, it is possible to truncate SR 17 further to SR 85 due to the segment meeting interstate standards as well as I-880 still terminating at its parent interstate, I-80, in Oakland.
  This route 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 the Federal Highway Administration. The freeway, along its entire length, is named the West Valley Freeway. A significant portion of the route is also signed as the Norman Y. Mineta Highway, after the former Mayor of San Jose, Secretary of Commerce and Secretary of Transportation. In 2014, SR 85 had an annual average daily traffic (AADT) of 58,000 at Bernal Road, and 129,500 at SR 87, the latter of which was the highest AADT for the highway. SR 85 has carpool lanes for its entire length.
caption: SR 85 through much of Saratoga and Los Gatos is a sunken highway.
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