The Interchange

On Monday, the two final connector ramps for the Highway 85/87 interchange were opened in south San Jose. It will allegedly relieve traffic on the streets surrounding Oakridge Mall (a.k.a. Valley Fair Jr.), which is being renovated and expanded. They opened around 1992 and both impacted my life.

Highway 85 was the troublemaker. Before the extension was built just north of my parents' house, there used to be an open field separating our neighborhood and the high school. At a good clip, kids could walk to school in about five minutes. Construction began the year I entered high school. They closed the field and set up a circuitous detour route that was at least three times longer. While it doesn't seem so bad now, it was worthy of whining about back then.

Highway 87 was the lifesaver. It is fully contained within San Jose and the northern extension is still under construction. It first opened as I was beginning college and eliminated congested city streets and countless stoplights from my daily commute. At the time, the drive to school took about ten minutes.

Even now, when I miss the train and must drive to work, I still use both highways. It's nice to know that after ten years, the union between the two is finally complete.