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107-654: The highway is officially known as the West Valley Freeway along its entire length. A significant portion of the route is also signed as the Norman Y. Mineta Highway , after former San Jose Mayor, U.S. Congressman, Secretary of Commerce, and Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta . Its northernmost segment between I-280 and US 101, paralleling the Stevens Creek , also is known as the Stevens Creek Freeway . SR 85

214-848: A 60 Minutes interview just after 9/11. He later recalled his decision "was the right thing [and] constitutional" based on his own experience as a member of those who had "lost the most basic human rights" as a result of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. The San Jose International Airport in San Jose was named after Mineta in November 2001 while he was serving as Secretary of Transportation. The Mineta Transportation Institute , located at San Jose State University , and portions of California State Highway 85 are named after him. White House Press Secretary Tony Snow announced on June 23, 2006, that Mineta would resign effective July 7, 2006, because "he wanted to." A spokesman said Mineta

321-524: A military intelligence officer in Japan and Korea . He then joined his father in the Mineta Insurance Agency. In 1967, Mineta was appointed to a vacant San Jose City Council seat by mayor Ron James . He was elected to office for the first time after completing a term in the city council. He was elected vice mayor by fellow councilors during that term. Mineta ran against 14 other candidates in

428-434: A 65 MPH speed limit in 1996. The freeway was constructed with a 46-to-50-foot (14–15 m) wide center median. Initially, no barrier of any kind was installed in the median because, at the time, Caltrans regulations stated that any median wider than 45 feet (14 m) did not require a median barrier unless there was a history of head-on collisions . Public outcry convinced Caltrans to install the standard post-and-metal-beam barrier

535-532: A Democrat, and George W. Bush , a Republican . Mineta served as the mayor of San Jose from 1971 until 1975. He served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1975 until 1995. Mineta served as the United States Secretary of Commerce during the final months of Bill Clinton 's presidency. He was the first person of East Asian descent to serve as a US Cabinet secretary and

642-660: A freeway connecting the South San Jose area with Mountain View , was also designated the Norman Y. Mineta Highway in remembrance of Mineta. In 2022, Congress renamed the Department of Transportation headquarters building as the William T. Coleman, Jr. and Norman Y. Mineta Federal Building, in honor of Mineta and another former Secretary, William Thaddeus Coleman Jr. Mineta's first marriage

749-583: A future U.S. senator from Wyoming , who often visited the Boy Scouts in the internment camp with his troop. The two became close friends and remained political allies throughout their lives. Mineta graduated from the University of California, Berkeley 's School of Business Administration in 1953 with a degree in business administration . Upon graduation, Mineta joined the United States Army and served as

856-448: A half interchange at Winchester and completely did away with the Quito and Prospect interchanges. As a result, backups at entrances to the freeway near these cities are tremendous during morning rush hour , and Los Gatos and Campbell residents who want to take 85 southward must go two or three miles (3 to 5 km) out of their way to find a ramp onto the freeway. The project was the first in

963-476: A large tree nursery , a driving range, and among other things, overflow parking for De Anza College . State Route 9 originally extended from its current terminus to Mission San Jose along present-day SR 85, SR 237, I-680, SR 262, and SR 238. When the San Jose-Oakland US 101E designation was dropped in 1935, Route 5 between Mission San Jose (where the new SR 21 turned northeast) and Hayward did not retain

1070-506: A law that officially apologized for and redressed the injustices endured by Japanese Americans during World War II. Mineta resigned his seat mid-term to accept a position with Lockheed Martin in 1995. He chaired the National Civil Aviation Review Commission , which in 1997 issued recommendations on minimizing traffic congestion and reducing the aviation accident rate. The Clinton administration adopted many of

1177-580: A letter to all US airlines forbidding them from practicing racial profiling or subjecting Middle Eastern or Muslim passengers to a heightened degree of pre-flight scrutiny. He stated that it was illegal for the airlines to discriminate against passengers based on race, color, national or ethnic origin, or religion. Subsequently, administrative enforcement actions were brought against three airlines based on alleged infringements of these rules, resulting in multimillion-dollar settlements. Mineta voiced his intention to "absolutely not" implement racial screenings in

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1284-651: A loop Interstate with a directional suffix and was what is now I-580 from I-5 to Oakland. However, I-5W and most of the other Interstates around the country with directional suffixes were eventually renumbered or eliminated, except for I-35E and I-35W in Texas and Minnesota, and more recently in Texas, the designations of I-69W , I-69C , and I-69E , along with proposed suffixed segments for future extensions of I-14 and I-27 . The former route of I-5W now corresponds to I-580 from I-5 to Oakland, I-80 from Oakland to Vacaville , and I-505 from Vacaville to I-5 near Dunnigan. For

1391-526: A network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration . 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. The cities along the proposed route also pushed to prohibit trucks over 4.5 short tons (4.1 t; 4.0 long tons) from using SR 85 (similar to

1498-606: A panel of the National Academy of Public Administration overseeing a study of modernization efforts at the United States Coast Guard . Other notable members of the panel include former Office of Personnel Management director Janice Lachance and former NASA administrator Sean O'Keefe . In June 2010, Mineta was named co-chair of the Joint Ocean Commission Initiative . On August 10, 2010, he

1605-577: A post that he was offered eight years earlier by Bill Clinton. He was the only Democrat to have served in Bush's cabinet and the first Secretary of Transportation to have previously served in a cabinet position. He became the first Asian American to hold the position, and only the fourth person to be a member of the cabinet under two presidents from different political parties (after Edwin Stanton , Henry L. Stimson and James R. Schlesinger ). In 2004, Mineta received

1712-444: A prime factor in reducing the level of noise that the freeway would otherwise produce as most large trucks are unable to use the freeway. HOV or carpool lanes run along the entire length of SR 85. They require 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. Caltrans is converting these existing HOV lanes to high-occupancy toll (HOT) or Express lanes. Construction of

1819-442: A signed designation. Later SR 9 was extended north along SR 17 (which had replaced SR 13) from Milpitas to Warm Springs, SR 21 to Mission San Jose, and the independent section of former US 101E - all part of Route 5 - to US 50 (also Route 5, which included a branch to Oakland) near Hayward. Except for a short realignment in the mid-1950s onto Route 69 (now I-880 and SR 262) between Milpitas and Warm Springs, this alignment remained until

1926-520: A steadily annoying whisper of sound day and night to a dull roar that muted backyard conversations. Property values, however, did not diminish; it is possible that the improved commute and access to the vast California freeway network improved the desirability of these neighborhoods. The noise level, however, has continued to be an issue with some residents, particularly in Saratoga. Caltrans has floated several options from repaving with asphalt, to grinding down

2033-456: A total cost of about $ 237 million. When the SR 17/85 interchange was built in the early 1990s, Caltrans built a tunnel that was to carry traffic from north 17 to north 85, similar to the tunnel that carries traffic from south 17 to south 85. But due to insufficient funds, the second tunnel was sealed at both ends by the dirt embankment, with a loop ramp provided instead. Unfortunately, large sections of

2140-405: A weapon. Many years later, after Mineta was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, a man sent Mineta a $ 1,500 bat that was once owned by Hank Aaron , which Mineta was forced to return as it violated the congressional ban on gifts valued over $ 250. Mineta said: "The damn government's taken my bat again." While detained in the camp, Mineta, a Boy Scout , met fellow scout Alan Simpson ,

2247-413: Is 30 miles out." And when it got down to, "The plane is 10 miles out," the young man also said to the vice president, "Do the orders still stand?" And the vice president turned and whipped his neck around and said, "Of course the orders still stand. Have you heard anything to the contrary?" Well, at the time I didn't know what all that meant. Commissioner Lee Hamilton queried if the order was to shoot down

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2354-641: Is an approximately 76-mile-long (122 km) east–west auxiliary Interstate Highway in Northern California . The heavily traveled spur route of I-80 runs from US Route 101 (US 101) in San Rafael in the San Francisco Bay Area to I-5 at a point outside the southern city limits of Tracy in the Central Valley . I-580 forms a concurrency with I-80 between Albany and Oakland ,

2461-628: Is in Santa Clara County . In the 2021 Netflix film The Mitchells vs. the Machines , the route is revealed to be heavily patrolled by PAL Max robots. Norman Mineta Norman Yoshio Mineta ( Japanese : 峯田 良雄 , November 12, 1931 – May 3, 2022) was an American politician from California . A member of the Democratic Party , Mineta served in the Cabinet for US Presidents Bill Clinton ,

2568-484: Is required to carry either a FasTrak Flex or CAV (Clean Air Vehicle) transponder, with its switch set to indicate the number of the vehicle's occupants (1, 2, or 3 or more). Solo drivers may also use the FasTrak standard tag without the switch. Drivers without any FasTrak tag will be assessed a toll violation regardless of whether they qualified for free. Interstate 5W ( I-5W ) was originally conceived as part of

2675-604: Is that SR 85 (instead of I-280) 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 ,

2782-466: Is weekdays between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm. Solo drivers are tolled using a congestion pricing system based on the real-time levels of traffic. Two-person carpools and clean air vehicles with a solo driver are charged 50 percent of the posted toll. Carpools with three or more people and motorcycles are not charged. All tolls are collected using an open road tolling system, and therefore there are no toll booths to receive cash. Each vehicle using

2889-461: The Ames Research Center . SR 85 has 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

2996-605: The Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). The route is eligible for the State Scenic Highway System and is officially designated as a scenic highway by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) from the San Leandro city limits to SR 24 and from I-5 to I-205, meaning that these are substantial sections of highway passing through a "memorable landscape" with no "visual intrusions", where

3103-548: The Hayward exit ramps was also reengineered at this time. Significant expansion to the segment between I-680 and I-205 began in 2006. Among the projects along this segment were the high-occupancy vehicle lanes in each direction, a westbound auxiliary lane between Fallon and Tassajara roads, a new interchange at Isabel Avenue in Livermore, the reconstruction of several interchanges, the construction of additional truck climbing lanes for

3210-588: The I-580 truck ban in Oakland and SR 2 truck ban in Angeles National Forest ). Thus, SR 85 became one of the handfuls of California freeways that do not allow such tractor semis. The restriction is legally in effect from SR 85's southern terminus at U.S. Route 101 to Interstate 280 (exit 19B), although current signage permits southbound trucks to travel further to Stevens Creek Boulevard (exit 18). This ban has been

3317-567: The Immigration Act of 1924 . During World War II , the Mineta family was interned for several years at Area 24, 7th Barrack, Unit B, in the Heart Mountain internment camp near Cody, Wyoming , along with thousands of other Japanese immigrants and Japanese Americans . Upon arrival to the camp, Mineta, a baseball fan, had his baseball bat confiscated by authorities because it could be used as

California State Route 85 - Misplaced Pages Continue

3424-716: The John T. Knox Freeway (after a former speaker pro tempore of the California State Assembly ), the Eastshore Freeway (after its location on San Francisco Bay ), the Arthur H. Breed Jr. Freeway (after a former California State assemblyperson and senator—the stretch itself lying between the cities of Castro Valley and Dublin ), the William Elton "Brownie" Brown Freeway (after a Tracy resident instrumental in determining

3531-716: The MacArthur Maze to San Rafael is the most recent to be signed as I-580, beginning in 1984. Before 1984, this segment was part of SR 17 . From the Maze to the interchange locally known as the "Hoffman Split" in Albany , just north of the Gilman Street interchange (Hoffman Boulevard was the predecessor of I-580 in this section), I-580 follows the Eastshore Freeway , a wrong-way concurrency with I-80 for its entirety: northward on

3638-717: The MacArthur Maze . The segment between the Hoffman Split and the MacArthur Maze is a wrong-way concurrency , meaning I-580 east is signed as I-80 west, and vice versa. From the MacArthur Maze, I-580 is known as the MacArthur Freeway, which runs through Oakland and San Leandro to Castro Valley . About halfway to Castro Valley from the Maze, is an interchange with the Warren Freeway ( State Route 13 ). Between this interchange and Castro Valley, I-580 runs near or along

3745-608: The Presidential Emergency Operations Center with Vice President Cheney as American Airlines Flight 77 approached the Pentagon was not included in the 9/11 Commission Report . In one colloquy testified by Mineta, the vice president refers to orders concerning the plane approaching the Pentagon: There was a young man who had come in and said to the vice president, "The plane is 50 miles out. The plane

3852-611: The San Joaquin Valley near the city of Patterson . In the 1990s, the freeway segment from Castro Valley through Pleasanton was enlarged and otherwise reengineered in conjunction with the construction of the Blue Line of the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART). The BART tracks were placed in a new median between the westbound and eastbound lanes of I-580 as was the new Dublin/Pleasanton station . The interchange with I-238 and

3959-524: The Sierra Club as well as the cities of Saratoga , Los Gatos , and Mountain View for a lack in efficient public transit and higher dependence on automobiles (similar to Los Angeles in the 1960s-1970s) and also criticized VTA at attempting to breach the original 1989 contract which reserved the median divider for mass transportation (presumably light rail). As of August 2022, the HOT lanes' hours of operation

4066-810: The Stanislaus County line. I-580 through Altamont Pass is a major crossing of the Diablo Range , linking the Central Valley to the Bay Area, and also a major route to Southern California. I-580 is the only freeway that crosses the Diablo Range, making it the safest route through the mountains. Prior to the construction of this route, traffic was detoured to Pacheco ( SR 152 ) and Polonio ( SR 46 ) passes. I-580 provides Interstate Highway access between San Francisco and Los Angeles since I-5 runs east of

4173-529: The Tony Jannus Award for his distinguished contributions to commercial air transportation. Following Bush's reelection , Mineta was invited to continue in the position, and he did so until resigning in June 2006. When he stepped down on July 7, 2006, he was the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation since the position's inception in 1967. Mineta's testimony to the 9/11 Commission about his experience in

4280-554: The United States . It is part of San Jose State University's Lucas Graduate School of Business in San Jose, California , and is currently directed by Karen Philbrick. In 2001, the San Jose International Airport adopted his name to honor him while he was serving as the United States Secretary of Transportation . In 2024, he had a statue erected in his honor. On September 15, 2008, California State Route 85 ,

4387-468: The United States House of Representatives in what was then California's 13th congressional district . The district was previously the 10th District, represented by retiring 11-term Republican Charles Gubser . Mineta won the Democratic nomination and defeated State Assemblyman George W. Milias with 52 percent of the vote. He was reelected ten more times from this Silicon Valley –based district, which

California State Route 85 - Misplaced Pages Continue

4494-694: The Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy . In December 2006, he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom . In 2007, the Japanese government conferred upon him the Grand Cordon, Order of the Rising Sun . On February 4, 2008, the day before the closely contested California Democratic primary, Mineta endorsed Barack Obama . Beginning in the summer of 2008, Mineta began service as chairman of

4601-457: The 1964 renumbering when SR 9 would eventually be truncated to its existing terminus in Los Gatos. From 1963 to 1965, SR 85 was a 10-mile highway that entirely on surface streets from US 101 near SR 237 to I-280 along Mathilda Ave and Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road (a portion of which was later renamed De Anza Blvd) while the current freeway was being planned. The northern segment was rerouted in 1965 once

4708-516: The 1971 election to replace outgoing mayor Ron James. Mineta won every precinct in the election with over 60% of the total vote and became the 59th mayor of San Jose , the first Japanese-American mayor of a major American city. As mayor, Mineta ended the city's 20-year-old policy of rapid growth by annexation, creating development-free areas in East and South San Jose. His vice mayor Janet Gray Hayes succeeded him as mayor in 1975. In 1974, Mineta ran for

4815-420: The 1990s had a total cost of about $ 785 million. The remaining ramps at the SR 85/87 interchange (from 85 south to 87 north and 87 south to 85 north) were completed in 2003. Before these ramps were constructed, travelers had to use Santa Teresa Boulevard (which 87 turned into at its southern terminus) to join 85 north; similarly, travelers on 85 south had to exit at Santa Teresa Boulevard in order to access 87. At

4922-422: The Bay Area. However, the primary control city listed on freeway signs along eastbound I-580 between I-80 and I-205 is instead Stockton , a vestige of when this segment used to be part of US 50 . I-580 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

5029-627: The Eastshore is signed I-80 east and I-580 west; headed southward, one finds signs indicating I-80 west and I-580 east. At the Hoffman Split, I-580 leaves the Eastshore Freeway in a northwesterly direction through the cities of Albany and Richmond . It then crosses San Francisco Bay over the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge . The freeway in this section, officially named the John T. Knox Freeway,

5136-522: The FAA: "Monte, bring all the planes down." It was an unprecedented order—there were 4,546 airplanes in the air at the time. Belger, the FAA's acting deputy administrator, amended Mineta's directive to take into account the authority vested in airline pilots. "We're bringing them down per pilot discretion," Belger told the secretary. "Fuck pilot discretion," Mineta yelled back. "Get those goddamn planes down." Sitting at

5243-629: The General as "MacArthur Boulevard" which, for the most part, still parallels the MacArthur Freeway. The renaming occurred on March 26, 1942, by a resolution of the Oakland City Council . The freeway was opened to traffic in eight segments until its completion in May 1966 (last segment, connecting with SR 238 (now I-238 ), in Castro Valley, opened May 20, 1966). The segment of I-580 running from

5350-403: The HOT lanes is required to carry either a FasTrak Flex or CAV (Clean Air Vehicle) transponder, with its switch set to indicate the number of the vehicle's occupants (1, 2, or 3 or more). Solo drivers may also use the FasTrak standard tag without the switch. Drivers without any FasTrak tag will be assessed a toll violation regardless of whether they qualified for free. Land was set aside for

5457-400: The HOT lanes' hours of operation is weekdays between 5:00 am and 8:00 pm. Solo drivers are tolled using a congestion pricing system based on the real-time levels of traffic. Carpools, motorcycles, and clean air vehicles are not charged. All tolls are collected using an open road tolling system, and therefore there are no toll booths to receive cash. Each vehicle using the HOT lanes

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5564-412: The White House to the bunker, was on an open line to the Federal Aviation Administration operations center, monitoring Flight 77 as it hurtled toward Washington, with radar tracks coming every seven seconds. Reports came that the plane was 50 miles out, 30 miles out, 10 miles out—until word reached the bunker that there had been an explosion at the Pentagon. Mineta shouted into the phone to Monte Belger at

5671-406: The ban for short periods to reduce traffic congestion when major accidents occur on I-880 or I-238. The truck prohibition has been in effect since before the freeway was built in 1963 as part of US 50. Both the FHWA and Caltrans imposed the restriction, partly because the city of Oakland already had a truck ban through the area prior to the freeway's construction. Since then, the restriction

5778-455: The ban. He did however concede that the California State Legislature would have to eventually repeal the aforementioned rule in the California Vehicle Code for any change to occur. Tolls are collected only for westbound traffic on the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge . An open road tolling system is used on the bridge, and they can be paid by either a FasTrak transponder or license plate tolling . The high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane leading to

5885-413: The bridge requires a car with three or more people. High-occupancy toll (HOT) lanes along I-580 between Pleasanton and Livermore opened in February 2016. The eastbound express lanes stretch 12 miles (19 km) between Hacienda Drive and North Greenville Road. The westbound express lanes extend an additional two miles (3.2 km) west to San Ramon Road/Foothill Road. As of August 2022 ,

5992-498: The city of San Rafael ( Marin County ), at the junction with US 101 . The interchange with US 101 is incomplete, only allowing continuous travel from southbound US 101 to eastbound I-580 (via exit 451B) and from westbound I-580 to northbound US 101. Traffic headed the other two directions is encouraged to use Sir Francis Drake Blvd . Heading eastward through the light industrial portion of eastern San Rafael, I-580 provides access to San Quentin State Prison at

6099-534: The city streets which were part of US 50 between Castro Valley and the large interchange along the eastern approach to the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge in Oakland now called the MacArthur Maze . The freeway was named in honor of World War II General Douglas MacArthur . Prior to the construction of this freeway, the various city streets of Oakland that were designated for US 50 (principally 38th Street, Hopkins Street, Moss Avenue, Excelsior Avenue, and part of Foothill Boulevard) had been renamed for

6206-400: The commission's recommendations, including reform of the Federal Aviation Administration to enable it to perform more like a business. In 1999, Mineta received the L. Welch Pogue Award for Lifetime Achievement in Aviation . Mineta was appointed to the board of directors of Horizon Lines effective January 1, 2007. He had formerly served on the board of AECOM Technology Corporation and

6313-442: The construction of the freeway, the route was signed along Mathilda Avenue and De Anza Boulevard from US 101 near SR 237 southwards until its junction with SR 9 in Saratoga, which then served as its southern terminus until it was decommissioned the same day the freeway opened. 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

6420-400: The current concrete surface of the highway. An experimental length of the freeway from Cox Avenue to De Anza Boulevard was ground down in 2003. This smoothed out much of the top layer of the freeway removing most of the rain grooves that had been cut in the concrete when the highway was first built. The result did lower the ambient sound levels along that stretch of the freeway, and subsequently,

6527-461: The day suddenly became—and remained—usable. For example, eastern Blossom Hill Road had a typical load of 23,000 cars a day before 85 opened; as of 2004, a typical day's load was a mere 11,000 cars. (Conversely, Saratoga Avenue, which previously had been a fairly quiet road, now sees about 18,000 cars a day because it is the only interchange in or near the city of Saratoga.) As with any freeway, ambient noise in surrounding neighborhoods increased, from

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6634-426: The eastern tip of land before joining the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge to cross San Francisco Bay . I-580 enters the city of Richmond in Contra Costa County midspan, then continues through Richmond to join I-80 in Albany at the "Hoffman Split". After joining I-80, I-580 runs directly south for several miles along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay in the segment known as the Eastshore Freeway , then enters

6741-403: The eastward ascent to the Altamont Pass, and plans to preserve the right-of-way to accommodate a future BART extension in the median of the freeway. In 2017, citing lack of interest from the Bay Area Rapid Transit District in bringing BART service east to Livermore, the Livermore City Council proposed a newly established local entity to undertake planning and construction of the extension, which

6848-425: The entire concrete surfaced section of the freeway from Almaden Expressway to Stevens Creek Boulevard was microgrooved in a follow-up project in 2005. Besides the funding breakthrough, SR 85 set new standards in two additional areas: metering lights and median safety barriers. SR 85 was the first freeway in California to open with metering lights at every onramp, including interchanges with SR 17 and US 101. When

6955-415: The entire freeway in the 1950s, with maps first showing the proposed freeway in 1957. At the time, Santa Clara County still largely a rural area, consisting of orchards , and so the right-of-way touched very few existing structures. During Governor Jerry Brown 's tenure in the 1970s, the building of highways was de-emphasized in favor of mass transit , and some building was allowed on the right-of-way with

7062-401: The entire length of the freeway and also to change their regulations so that median barriers are now required on all high-volume freeways with medians of less than 75 feet (23 m). Accidents and injuries dropped by roughly one-third in the first year after the barrier was installed. In 1998, California Highway Patrol officer Scott Greenly was struck by a car and killed while issuing a ticket on

7169-469: The expectation that the freeway would never be built. Local government officials, however, fought to preserve the right-of-way and succeeded in doing so. As a result, when congestion on other freeways— I-280 , US 101 , and SR 17 —intersecting this path became overwhelming, it was still possible for this freeway to be built with little demolition required. In the interim, parts of the unused open space were leased for use without permanent structures, including

7276-405: The express lanes started in fall 2020, with the first phase between the Central Expressway and SR 85's northern terminus at US 101 opening on February 11, 2022. An extension south to SR 87 is scheduled for 2026. The city of Cupertino filed suit against Caltrans in May 2015 for failure to do a full Environmental Impact Report , and the project attracted overwhelmingly negative reception from

7383-502: The first Asian American mayor of a major US city. As the United States Secretary of Transportation for President Bush, Mineta was the only Democratic cabinet secretary in the Bush administration . He oversaw the creation of the Transportation Security Administration in response to the September 11 attacks that had occurred early in his tenure. On June 23, 2006, Mineta announced his resignation after more than five years as Secretary of Transportation, effective July 7, 2006, making him

7490-805: The former generally gets more traffic than the latter. For decades, the trucking industry lobbied to have the ban removed but was unsuccessful due to local opposition. In 2000, the California State Legislature passed Assembly Bill 500, adding the I-580 truck restriction into the California Vehicle Code. A collaborative study by the Environmental Defense Fund , Google , and the University of Texas at Austin used Google Street View cars equipped with air quality monitors to measure pollution data through Oakland. It found that along I-880, concentrations of black carbon were 80 percent higher, concentrations of nitrogen dioxide were 60 percent higher, and concentrations of nitric oxide were at least double than those along I-580. This has led community leaders to revisit

7597-514: The freeway bed; this caused a traffic jam as motorists slowed to read the message. The flowers were removed after the first day. The route has had a speed limit of 65 MPH since 1996. The overall commute for people from south San Jose through Campbell into Mountain View and other business areas of Silicon Valley improved by roughly half an hour over previous longer routes on already crowded freeways or over miles of surface streets. Major surface streets that had once been unnavigable during many hours of

7704-543: The freeway had to be repainted prior to opening, due to graffiti. The segment from Santa Teresa Boulevard to US 101 in South San Jose was further repaved in 2011 (Northbound) and 2018 (Southbound). Like most California urban freeways at the time it was built, SR 85 originally used a mix of nonreflective and reflective raised pavement markers (i.e., Botts dots and Stimsonite reflectors) to mark lanes. After California phased out Botts' dots (leaving Stimsonite reflectors as

7811-477: The freeway opened on October 19, 1994, the lights caused tremendous backups at the onramps during commute hours, raising an outcry from commuters furious at having to wait as much as 20 to 30 minutes in the worst cases before entering the freeway. The county required Caltrans to turn off the metering lights, which they did on November 17, 1994. This almost immediately slowed the commute over the full 24 mile (39 km) stretch by 33 minutes; Caltrans eventually turned

7918-870: The future 85/87 interchange) and Cottle Road in 1991 with only 2 lanes in each direction, along with the light rail line in the median of SR 85. The extensions to Almaden Expressway and Great Oaks Boulevard were completed in 1992. With the completion of the southern leg (from I-280 to 85) of SR 87 in 1993, the 85/87 interchange opened to traffic that year (with only two connector ramps, from 85 north to 87 north and 87 south to 85 south, due to funding limitations). The HOV lanes were painted on this segment in April 1994. The remaining segments, from US 101 (in South San Jose) to Great Oaks and from Almaden Expressway to I-280, opened in August 1994 and October 1994 respectively. The projects completed in

8025-502: The interchanges at Blossom Hill Road and SR 87 was placed in 1986. Construction of the first structures (at the SR 85/87 and SR 85/Stevens Creek interchanges) broke ground on April 20, 1988. During the Loma Prieta Earthquake in 1989, these segments, along with the other segments under construction, were spared major damage despite being approximately 10 miles north of the epicenter. SR 85 opened between Santa Teresa Boulevard (at

8132-589: The latter of which is the location of the MacArthur Maze interchange immediately east of the San Francisco–Oakland Bay Bridge . I-580 provides a connection from the Bay Area to the southern San Joaquin Valley and Southern California via I-5, as I-5 bypasses the Bay Area to the east. A portion of I-580 is called the MacArthur Freeway , after General Douglas MacArthur . Other portions are named

8239-418: The leftmost lane being a HOV lane , and two lanes carrying standard traffic. In addition, to prevent what they felt would be excessive additional traffic on their surface streets, they lobbied heavily to prevent having any freeway entrances or exits in their cities. Full interchanges were originally planned at Winchester Boulevard , Quito Road, Saratoga Avenue, and Prospect Road; the final compromise placed only

8346-521: The lights back on in 1995, which sped up the overall commute considerably. In January 2009, several metering lights in the southern portion of SR 85 were reactivated. These included the SR 87-to-SR 85 interchange, the Almaden Expressway on-ramps, and the Blossom Hill Road on-ramps. From 1994 to 1996, the speed limit on the freeway was 55 MPH. It was one of the first urban freeways to receive

8453-645: The longest-serving Secretary of Transportation in the department's history. A month later, the public relations firm Hill & Knowlton announced that Mineta would join it as a partner. In 2010, it was announced that Mineta would join L&;L Energy as vice chairman. Mineta died on May 3, 2022, from a heart ailment in Edgewater, Maryland , at the age of 90. Mineta was born in San Jose, California , to Japanese immigrant parents Kunisaku Mineta and Kane Watanabe, who were barred from becoming American citizens at that time by

8560-462: The most part, the I-580 freeway in this segment was constructed over or alongside the right-of-way of US 50 , previously part of the old Lincoln Highway , during the course of the late 1960s and early 1970s. The segment which begins at the split with I-205 was constructed during the same period of time over a new right-of-way to a junction with I-5, running through some low hills on the west side of

8667-437: The northern segment of the freeway opened. The southern segment was deleted in 1994 on the same day the remainder of the current freeway opened. The town of Los Gatos and city of Saratoga added to the complexity and cost of the planning and implementation; to avoid excessive noise, they insisted that the freeway be built below grade (at an eventual additional cost of US$ 60 million), that it have only three lanes in each direction:

8774-536: The only kind of raised pavement marker) and transitioned to wider lane stripes, the freeway was repainted to the new standard in late 2019 (similar to I-15 in Cajon Pass). In October 1994, the completed freeway between Almaden Expressway and I-280 opened with the "Party on the Freeway", a single day on which only pedestrians and bicyclists were allowed to travel its length. The evening before opening day several cities along

8881-614: The other end of the table, Cheney snapped his head up, looked squarely at Mineta and nodded in agreement. This same article reports that the conversation between Cheney and the aide occurred at 9:55 a.m., about 30 minutes later than the time that Mineta had cited (9:26 a.m.) during his testimony to the 9/11 Commission. After hearing of Mineta's orders, Canadian transport minister David Collenette issued orders to ground all civilian aircraft traffic across Canada, resulting in Operation Yellow Ribbon . On September 21, 2001, Mineta sent

8988-727: The plane, to which Mineta replied that he did not know that specifically. Mineta's testimony to the commission on Flight 77 differs somewhat significantly from the account provided in the January 22, 2002, edition of The Washington Post , as reported by Bob Woodward and Dan Balz in their series "10 Days in September". 9:32 a.m. The Vice President in Washington: Underground, in Touch With Bush Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta, summoned by

9095-642: The potential designation has gained popular favor with the community. Trucks over 4.5 short tons (4.1 t; 4.0 long tons) are prohibited through Oakland between Grand Avenue and the San Leandro border. Specifically, eastbound trucks cannot travel beyond Grand Avenue/Lakeshore Avenue (exit 21B), and those going westbound must get off at MacArthur Boulevard/Foothill Boulevard (exit 30). They are instead instructed to take I-238 in Castro Valley and then I-880 through Oakland as an alternative route. The California Highway Patrol may however temporarily lift

9202-581: The quality of life. The total US$ 785 million cost of the freeway was mostly funded by the special tax on county residents, along with matching state and federal funds. The project proved successful enough that, since then, many other locales have used local taxes to build state projects. It was also so effective as a solution to traffic problems that, several years after it was built, a poll by the Silicon Valley Manufacturing Group revealed that nearly 80% of voters claimed that they had voted for

9309-550: The route of I-5 through the San Joaquin Valley ), the Sgt. Daniel Sakai Memorial Highway (after the Castro Valley resident and Oakland SWAT officer killed in the 2009 shootings of Oakland police officers ), and the John P. Miller Memorial Highway (after the Lodi resident and California Highway Patrol officer killed while chasing down a DUI driver). The western terminus of I-580 is roughly 10 miles (16 km) north of San Francisco in

9416-403: The route, including Saratoga and Campbell, held street fair events on the freeway featuring fine food, wine, and games. Limo service was offered linking the different cities' fairs, giving locals their first glimpse of the new freeway. The next morning 85 was officially opened to traffic. The city of Campbell had planted a large display of pansies spelling out the city's name on the sloped side of

9523-517: 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 as well as below it in Mountain View. An infamous misconception for some commuters and businesses in San Jose, Campbell, and Los Gatos

9630-528: The shoulder of Route 85; thereafter the portion between Quito Road and Prospect Road in the City of Saratoga was named the CHP Officer Scott M. Greenly Memorial Freeway . On September 15, 2008, the remainder of the freeway, north of Prospect Road as well as south of Quito Road, was named in honor of former San Jose mayor, congressman, and United States Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta . The entire route

9737-400: The southern SR 85/101 interchange in South San Jose, carpool-to-carpool ramps and the south 101 to north 85 connector ramp were opened in 2004. The $ 125 million reconstruction of the northern Highway 85/101 interchange in Mountain View, with the original ramps (opened in 1965) replaced and new carpool-to-carpool and other ramps added, was completed in 2006. The projects completed in the 2000s had

9844-710: 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

9951-438: The state for which county residents voted to tax themselves to build a state highway. Because state funds were scarce and congestion on other freeways and on surrounding surface streets was tremendous, a slight majority of voters (56%) voted for the tax in 1984. At the time, there was considerable controversy over whether funds would be better spent on mass transit and whether a freeway through so many residential areas would destroy

10058-478: The tax. The northern section, from Stevens Creek Boulevard in Cupertino to US 101 at Mountain View, was completed and opened on 8 December 1965 as four lanes (I-280 was not complete north of SR 85 up to SR 92 until a few years later so certain ramps remained closed until the 1970s). The northern section's carpool lanes were completed in 1990 (south half) and 1998 (north half). In the southern section, partial fill for

10165-682: The trace of the Hayward Fault , a major branch of the San Andreas Fault . In Castro Valley, I-580 turns eastward toward Dublin Canyon before descending into Dublin and Pleasanton . After passing through Livermore , the freeway enters the Altamont Pass . The road emerges in the Central Valley west of Tracy , where, after I-205 splits near Altamont Raceway Park , it turns southeastward and terminates by merging with I-5 south of Tracy just shy of

10272-502: The truck ban, particularly because I-880 runs along minority communities while I-580 runs through middle and upper middle class neighborhoods. Once a proponent of the ban when he served on the Oakland City Council in the 1990s, Alameda County Supervisor Nate Miley held a December 2021 virtual town hall on the issue, and asked both Caltrans and the Bay Area Air Quality Management District to conduct studies on

10379-626: Was grandfathered in when the freeway was both renumbered and added to the Interstate Highway System . As a result, it is the only segment of Interstate Highway in California that is not part of the National Truck Network (several other California state highways have similar truck bans such as SR 2 and SR 85 , but not any other Interstates). With trucks normally rerouted onto I-880 instead of I-580 through Oakland,

10486-561: Was "moving on to pursue other challenges." He left office as the longest-serving Secretary of Transportation in history. Hill & Knowlton announced on July 10, 2006, that Mineta would join the firm as vice chairman, effective July 24, 2006. In 2005, Mineta received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement presented by Awards Council member and Google co-founder Larry Page . In October 2006, Mineta won

10593-663: Was a key author of the landmark Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 . He pressed for more funding for the Federal Aviation Administration . Mineta was a driving force in the House of Representatives behind the passage of H.R. 442, while Senator Spark Matsunaga (Hawaii) "almost single-handedly" got the legislation passed in the Senate of the 100th Congress which became the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 ,

10700-576: Was a temporary designation used in 1978 for the Richmond–San Rafael Bridge , now part of I-580. At the time, the bridge had been identified as part of SR 17 but was marked for inclusion in the Interstate Highway System. Briefly the bridge used the number 180, despite the Fresno -area SR 180 's use of the number. The California Streets and Highways Code has a policy against using one route number for multiple noncontiguous highways. Unless

10807-665: Was also recommended by the California State Assembly Transportation Committee. Assembly Bill 758 was signed by then- Governor of California Jerry Brown on October 13, 2017, formally establishing the Tri-Valley–San Joaquin Valley Regional Rail Authority to construct and maintain the alternative Valley Link commuter rail. The I-580 freeway in this segment was constructed starting in February 1960, adjacent to

10914-409: 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. Prior to

11021-475: Was constructed from 1987 to 1991. It replaced a number of city streets which comprised the earlier highway leading to the San Rafael Bridge, principally, Hoffman and Cutting boulevards. After crossing the bridge, I-580 runs west to San Rafael , ending at an interchange with US 101 . This freeway segment supplanted an earlier boulevard constructed as part of SR 17. Interstate 180 ( I-180 )

11128-604: Was named vice chair of L&L Energy, Inc. , which was headquartered in Seattle and operated coal mines and other facilities related to coal production in China. Mineta was a recipient of the Chubb Fellowship at Yale University from 2015 to 2016. The Mineta Transportation Institute was named after him. It was established by Congress in 1991 as a research institute focusing on issues related to intermodal surface transport in

11235-556: Was on the board of SJW Corp . In 2000, President Bill Clinton nominated Mineta to serve as the US Secretary of Commerce , making him the first Asian American to hold a presidential cabinet post. Clinton had wanted to nominate Mineta as US Secretary of Transportation in 1992, but Mineta wanted to remain in Congress at that time. Mineta was appointed United States Secretary of Transportation by President George W. Bush in 2001,

11342-626: Was renumbered as the 15th District in 1993, never dropping below 57 percent of the vote. Mineta co-founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served as its first chair. He served as chairman of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure between 1992 and 1994. He chaired the committee's aviation subcommittee between 1981 and 1988, and chaired its Surface Transportation subcommittee from 1989 to 1991. During his career in Congress, Mineta

11449-426: Was to May Hinoki, which lasted from 1961 to 1986. In 1991, Mineta married United Airlines flight attendant Danealia "Deni" Brantner. Mineta had two children from his first marriage and two stepchildren from his second marriage. He had 11 grandchildren. Mineta died on May 3, 2022, from a heart ailment in Edgewater, Maryland , at the age of 90. Interstate 580 (California) Interstate 580 ( I-580 )

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