California State Route 87

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State Route 87

Guadalupe Parkway
Defined by S&HC § 387, maintained by Caltrans

Length:

9 mi^[1] (14 km)

Formed:

1964 renumbering^[2]

South end:

SR 85 in San Jose

North end:

US 101 in San Jose

State highways in California (list - pre-1964)
County routes in California (list)
< SR 86S		SR 88 >
History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 87, locally called Highway 87 or the Guadalupe Freeway, is a north-south state highway entirely within San Jose, California, United States. Its name was changed from Guadalupe Parkway in 2004 after its entire length was upgraded to a freeway. Its southern terminus is at State Route 85 (West Valley Freeway); its northern terminus is at U.S. Route 101 (Bayshore Freeway), just north of San José International Airport. The highway intersects with Interstate 280 (Junipero Serra Freeway) in downtown San José. Unusually, it crosses above Interstate 880 without an interchange. For most of its length, especially in downtown, the highway follows the course of the Guadalupe River.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System^[3].

1 Overview
2 Exit list
3 Highway 87 Bikeway
4 References
5 External links

[edit] Overview

A Guadalupe Parkway connection between Downtown San Jose and the present day US 101 had existed since the early 1960s; the road channeled traffic between the Bayshore Freeway and ramps that connected directly to Market Street. However, construction on a freeway over the same path and southward beyond Downtown began a decade later and stretched across 30 years.

The first stage of the Highway 87 freeway, its 4-level interchange with I-280, replaced an old downtown neighborhood in the early 1970s. A ramp to Julian Street, north of the interchange with I-280, was completed in the mid-1970s. The freeway extension north to Taylor Street was completed in the 1980s. The southern part, from I-280 to Highway 85, was opened to Almaden Expressway in 1992 and to Highway 85 in 1993, as four lanes. At Highway 87's northern terminus, its 3-level interchange with Highway 101 and North First Street was completed in 1992. Finally, with all grade-level intersections replaced by grade separations, construction of the six-lane freeway between Taylor Street and the Highway 101/North First interchange was completed in 2004, with the final ramps at the Skyport interchange opening in 2005. The widening of the southern segment, from Taylor Street to Highway 85, to six lanes was completed in 2007.

Highway 87 looking north towards downtown San Jose from Communications Hill. The light rail (lower left) runs between the northbound and southbound lanes; the freeway was under construction to add an additional lane in both directions.

The right-of-way for Highway 87 south of Interstate 280 includes two tracks for the Guadalupe line of Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority's light rail system. Stations are accessible from the streets via staircases and elevators. Beyond 87's terminus, the line continues southeastward in the median of Route 85.

[edit] Exit list

Note: Except where prefixed with a letter, postmiles were measured in 1964, based on the alignment as it existed at that time, and do not necessarily reflect current mileage. The entire route is in San Jose, Santa Clara County.

Postmile ^[4]^[5]^[6]	#^[7]	Destinations	Notes
0.00	1	SR 85 (West Valley Freeway) – Gilroy, Mountain View	Southbound exit and northbound entrance; signed as exits 1A (south) and 1B (north)
0.00	1C	Santa Teresa Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
1.34	1D	Capitol Expressway Auto Mall (CR G21)	Signed as exit 1 northbound
2.83	3A	Curtner Avenue	Signed as exit 3 northbound
3.56	3B	Almaden Expressway (CR G8)	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
4.35	4	Alma Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance
5.16	5	I-280 to I-680 / US 101 – San Francisco
5.45	6A	SR 82 (San Carlos Street) / Auzerais Avenue, Park Avenue	Signed as exit 6 northbound
5.9	6	Santa Clara Street	Northbound exit only
6.10	6B	Julian Street, St. James Street	Signed as exit 6 northbound
6.86	7	Taylor Street
8.25	8	Skyport Drive – Mineta San Jose International Airport
9.08	9A	North First Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance
9.22	9B	US 101 north (Bayshore Freeway) – San Francisco	Northbound exit and southbound entrance

[edit] Highway 87 Bikeway

The Highway 87 Bikeway is a 4.1 mile long pedestrian and bicycle path that runs alongside portions of Highway 87. The path was constructed by Caltrans as part of the final phase of the State Route 87 project. It opened to the public on September 1, 1993. ^[8] The north end of this path is at Willow Street (north of the Alma Street exit). The south end is at the 87-85 interchange. Along this route, the path runs along the east side of the freeway. The path diverges from the freeway for 0.7 miles near Curtner Avenue and again for 1.1 miles near Capitol Expressway, running along city streets near the highway. This path provides connections for other trails in the area, including the Guadalupe River Trail and Los Gatos Creek Trail.^[9]