California Highway 17 (original) (raw)

California Highway 17 is a four-lane divided highway that runs between San Jose, California and Santa Cruz, California. Much of its length carries it through the Santa Cruz Mountains, where it twists and turns along switchbacks to carry it up from the Santa Clara Valley to the summit and back to nearly sea level in Santa Cruz. Highway 17 carries substantial commuter and vacation traffic between San Jose and Santa Cruz, and its combination of narrow shoulders; dense, high-speed traffic; sharp turns; and sudden changes in traffic speeds make it one of the most dangerous highways in California.

Until the 1980s, Highway 17 extended North from San Jose to Oakland. This section has been rebuilt as Interstate 880.