California State Route 237

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State Route 237
Defined by S&HC § 537, maintained by Caltrans
Length: 11 mi[1] (17.70 km)
West end: SR 82 in Mountain View
East end: I-680 in Milpitas
State highways in California (list - pre-1964)
County routes in California (list)
< SR 236 I-238 >
History - Unconstructed - Deleted - Freeway - Scenic

State Route 237 runs from El Camino Real (SR 82) in Mountain View to Interstate 680 in Milpitas. It runs south of the San Francisco Bay, connecting the East Bay to the Peninsula.

This route is part of the California Freeway and Expressway System[2].

Contents

[edit] Route description

It intersects with Highway 101 at the southern corner of Moffett Field. It also has a major intersection with Interstate 880. Westbound traffic can connect to Highway 85 southbound, but the eastbound traffic connection to 85 northbound is labeled as an exit for U.S. 101.

Half a mile from the highway's western terminus, to the I-880 intersection, Route 237 is constructed to Interstate standards, and is known as the Southbay Freeway. East of I-880 in Milpitas, it becomes a surface street, Calaveras Boulevard, and the highway designation terminates at the intersection with I-680. West of El Camino Real in Mountain View, it becomes a surface street, Grant Road.

Route 237 is known for the many Silicon Valley companies that line its route.

Before Route 237 was upgraded to freeway status in the mid-1990s, it was a 4-6 lane street, known as Alviso-Milpitas Road or Milpitas-Alviso Road depending on different maps showing the description.

The Route 237 corridor has long been sought as a location for a freeway connector between Interstates 680 and 880. Many possibile sites have been suggested, from Montague Expressway in North San Jose to Mission Boulevard in Fremont. One map printed before 237's construction to freeway standards between Alviso and 880 showed a new freeway across bay wetlands between Alviso and the Scott Creek Road interchange in South Fremont. Grading and underpasses for a freeway interchange are presently visible along 680 near Scott Creek Road. [1]

[edit] Major intersections and 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 Santa Clara County.

Location Postmile
[3][4][5]
#[6] Destinations Notes
Mountain View R0.00 1A SR 82 (El Camino Real)
West end of freeway
R0.38 1A US 101 north (via SR 85 north) – San Francisco Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
R0.38 1B SR 85 south to SR 82 south – Los Gatos, Santa Cruz Westbound exit and eastbound entrance
R0.61 1B Dana Street, Evelyn Avenue, Whisman Road Signed as exit 1C westbound
M1.55 2 Middlefield Road, Maude Avenue
Sunnyvale 2.48 3A US 101 south – San Jose Westbound exit is via exit 3B
2.48 3A US 101 north – San Francisco Eastbound exit is via exit 3B
2.99 3B Mathilda Avenue – Sunnyvale Former SR 9 south
R3.97 4 Fair Oaks Avenue Eastbound exit and westbound entrance
R4.60 5 Lawrence Expressway (CR G2), Caribbean Drive
Santa Clara R5.83 6 Great America Parkway, Lafayette Street
San Jose 6.87 7 North First Street
8.02 8 Zanker Road
Milpitas R9.13 9A McCarthy Boulevard
9.34 9 I-880Oakland, San Jose Signed as exits 9B (south) and 9C (north)
East end of freeway
Serra Way to Main Street
Abel Street to Main Street
10.00 10 Main Street Interchange; westbound exit and eastbound entrance; former SR 238
Milpitas Boulevard
11.08 11 I-680Sacramento, San Jose Interchange; signed as exits 11A (south) and 11B (north)

[edit] Points of interest

Route 237 is known for the number of companies that define Silicon Valley's technological landscape. Many major software and hardware manufacturers have their headquarters along 237. A few of these are:

Route 237 also passes Moffett Federal Airfield, a large former military air base in the Bay Area, and Onizuka Air Force Station, locally known as the blue cube.

[edit] Highway 237 Bikeway

The Highway 237 Bikeway is a 5 mile pedestrian and bicycle path that parallels State Route 237. The majority of the path is separated from vehicular traffic, however, two sections comprising a total of 1.5 miles follow an on-street alignment adjacent the freeway.

This bikeway serves as an important connector in the network of trails in San Jose and Santa Clara County. It intersects with the Guadalupe River Trail, which provides access to Downtown San Jose, as well as the San Tomas Aquino Creek and Coyote Creek trails. [7]

[edit] See also

[edit] References

[edit] External links