State Route 85 (SR 85), known as the West Valley Freeway along its entire length, is a state highway which connects the cities of southern San Jose and Mountain View in the U.S. State of California. The highway intersects with major highways such as I-280, SR 17, and SR 87. The route provides an alternate to U.S. Route 101 (US 101), bypassing downtown San Jose and instead passing through the foothill cities of Los Gatos, Saratoga, Cupertino, and other cities in the southern San Francisco Peninsula, roughly paralleling the Santa Cruz Mountains up to its interchange with I-280. 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. Prior to 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.
