Highway 85

Ahhh, the good ol’ 85. Lots of experiences with this freeway. This road is where I got in my very first accident, and then almost got killed again by my friend who was learning how to drive and nearly drove off the road.
But you have to be really bored to have a «driving» desire to write a review for a freeway!!!
(.did u get the pun?)
I share a love/​hate relationship with this freeway. It’s great when there’s no traffic, but an absolute nightmare during the rush hour.
Due to some awesome scheduling of college classes on my behalf, I get to endure the PM traffic nightmare that is 85S from it’s northern terminus in Mountain View, and try to battle my way to De Anza College (Stevens Creek Blvd) before my classes start at 5:30p.
It’s clearly a freeway that suffers from lack of lanes, lack of public transit running around the corridor, and lack of drivers with common sense, because there has never been a commute on the beloved 85 during the PM rush that hasn’t left me wanting to pull my hair out. Even the carpool lane gets regularly bogged down by carpoolers, Nissan Leafs with the nifty carpool stickers, and the solo-​riding De Anza students with god complexes who’s late to class because Starbucks messed up his latte.
POPULAR JAM SPOTS DURING THE EVENING COMMUTE:
— I’ve seen it jam up from the very beginning, at the 101S flyover before. It’s then that I tell myself «nope» and take the back roads to where I need to go.
— Central Expressway to El Camino South, clearing up slightly after ECR
— Just before Fremont Ave to Homestead Rd, where traffic usually resumes to 55−65mph until the I-​280 approach.
— Then it bogs down again at the 280S merge, where people will literally fly over 2 lanes while slamming on their brakes to get on/​off Stevens Creek Blvd
— Past Stevens Creek Blvd and beyond
— If there’s an accident of any kind, the freeway is fucked, quite honestly.
Thankfully, my commute home from school is a lot more mellow, and I can appreciate the «urban-​ness» of this road. Every exit there seems to be services or food. Relatively smooth, though not the quietest freeway (in terms of actual noise) in the South Bay. But no big rigs are allowed which makes visibility great on this freeway. People love to drive 75 on this road, and cops don’t seem to patrol this freeway as much as 101 or 280. So if you’re in a mad dash to get across San Jose, let 85 be your chariot! (Just don’t think about tailgating that Silver 04 Camry with the modded tail lights)
In all, very pleasant freeway to drive on if you’re lucky enough to not take it during the peak hours. Definitely needs to be defaulted to 4 lanes, and maybe have a VTA express route running along the freeway too.

This is one of the worst damn highway in the bay area. Damn potholes everywhere, and the lane is constantly merging from 4 to 3, from 3 to 2. EVERY DAMN EXIT.
I understand that during weekday rush hours, it is not great anywhere. But seriously? The carpool lane gets hogged by the special vehicles, and the right lane is constantly merging, which leaves ONE DAMN LANE to transport everyone to their work place.
You just can get anywhere on this damn highway. Horrible designed, and constantly merging. do not take this during rush hours unless you want to shit your pants in your car because you are stuck in traffic.

Haha yes. I found me a freeway I could write a Unilocal review for!
Highway 85 has its southern terminus with US101 in San Jose and ends with US101 in Mountain View. It’s seen as a Southern wrap around for South San Jose: P
I entered on the CA-​17 intersection, coming from Santa Cruz and took it to the 280. Yes it’s not much, but driving on the 85 is smooth. There wasn’t any «troublesome» parts nor was there traffic at 10am on a weekday: P
It also is on the Western part of Cupertino, so if you need to be in Stevens Creek… Hwy 85 is the way to go #philz
Wheee. just drive. Speed limit is not 85: P

I’m a relatively new driver who commutes on 85 every weekday. I’d say it’s one of the less intimidating highways in the Bay, even during rush hour. Not too swervy. No big-​rigs. Smooth roads. Bottle necks aren’t even that bad compared to more active highways.

It’s kinda weird to review a freeway, but it looks like a good place to vent. CA-​85 is the worst freeway in the Bay Area after 101. Traffic is horrible on 85N between 7 am — 11 am and on 85S from 4 pm to 8 pm every damn day. I’m sick and tired of the big-​ass pick up trucks on this freeway, which seems to be causing a majority of the rear-​end collisions causing major traffic backlog. The drivers seem to be retarded — they tailgate a lot, and they don’t get it when I put the blinker on to tell them to back off. It’s always some stupid ass tailgater who is responsible for the traffic problem on 85. It used to be so frustrating to be stuck in traffic on 85 every single day. But I moved away for good.

I hate driving on the freeway especially when there’s traffic.
this freeway flows very smoothly if everybody pays attention to the road.
I’m driving and the man on the left of me is shaving and the girl to the right to me had her head down for several minutes so I’m not sure if she is texTing while driving or reading a book on her phone?
I swear I’ve seen people not in traffic hours putting a long doing 20 miles under the speed limit or multitasking not posting attention which makes me late to work lol
watch the road people Lol as I talk to my phone while I’m in bumper to bumper parking lot on highway 85 Monday morning in the traffic hour
Happy Monday people

Someone actually started rating a highway.
So, here I go: Highway 85, I don’t even frequent you often, but when I do, I find that it’s a easy ride especially since the majority of the people speed on this highway, so I feel much better when I ride 85 since I just chill and jam with my mo jo and bounce my booty and zip in my ride.
As long as I keep my peepers open for them blue & white.

LOL… seriously?
can’t wait for the day someone reviews a freakin sidewalk.

I have a new relationship with Highway 85 and seriously, I think, I am falling in love!
I haven’t use this before until recently. The drive going to work is such a breeze. I rarely get stuck in traffic after 10am. I’ve used it around 9am as well and still the commute is not as bad like 237. Also, the road is somewhat like a skin of a newly born baby… sooo smooth!
The only reason that i ain’t giving it full 5 stars is because my drive here after 6pm is usually longer from Palo Alto to LG but still, it never stresses me out. Prolly because I know there’s something exciting waiting for me where i am heading? teeheehee
Ok. I will admit it. I love this Highway!!! I am in love with it!

Doesn’t have much cars on weekends compare to other freeways
Too many cops, can’t over speed too much, they are hiding somewhere waiting for you to go over the limit
Crazy traffic in the mornings! Need to widen to 4 lanes!

Highway 85 is so chill! I like it! Its so smooth and easy to drive on. Way less «pot-​holey» than some other HWY’s for sure.
I don’t think I’ve been on here during the «commute» hour so I haven’t had to put up with all the bad drivers.
There’s not much you can say about a highway besides how easy it is to drive it.
I recommend it

I got pulled over way to many dam times on this freeway.

I’ve got to say this highway has it all! Lanes, striped lines, signs, 3 lanes, DeAnza traffic, 87 onramp traffic, 101 traffic, 17 traffic, Although I can’t understand the slowdown next to Best buy and Costco. Does everyone look in amazement wondering what store is that behind best buy? is that a closed home depot? I’d also like to figure out why the carpool lane is a slow lane during peak hours for the guy who insists on driving 50 mph in the carpool lane.

This freeway is fine if you stay at or just a fraction above the speed limit (it’s heavily patrolled throughout the day and I keep it at 65 or 70 to be safe) and avoid it during commute times, but there’s something about this corridor that attracts a lot of dummies who want to speed, use the carpool lane when they shouldn’t, and who also want to zip in and out wildly (go speed racer! GO!). Oh, and then there are the people going way too slow or who don’t know how to merge onto or off of a freeway (but this is all pretty typical for the bay area).
When used smartly, it can make crossing the south bay and to and from Mountain View much quicker than using side streets or some other routes.
COMMUTE: This freeway was the bane of my existence when I had to use it for commute. Northbound is very congested in the morning and Southbound is very congested in the evening, so best to avoid those directions during these times. Most onramps are metered when going these respective directions and that can add a bit of time to your commute. I am sure most people know this already, but hey — it was worth mentioning just in case!
ONRAMPS/​OFFRAMPS: Most are very easy but a few need you to be on your toes.
Onramp from 17S to 85S during the peak of the evening commute will take a while.
Onramp from 85N to 17S can be a challenge since this is also the carousel for commuters from 17S onto 85 and you don’t have a lot of time to switch off so monitor the traffic coming down onto 85 from 17 and time your transition.
By far the ABSOLUTE WORST offramp I have encountered is 85SB to Almaden Expressway. The two lanes on the right are for Southbound Almaden Expressway (far right for turning into Costco and the shopping center), and the two lanes on the left are for Northbound Almaden Expressway. Unless you know this ahead of time, you won’t know if you are in the proper lane until it is too late. Well, instead of just following the wrong direction until possible to turn around, most people just cut right across lanes (dotted lines curve through the intersection to help keep people in the proper direction) without looking (usually people in NB-​headed lanes who really wanted to go SB) and in front of or nearly hitting other cars. It’s a freaking NIGHTMARE. And if you honk at someone because they were wrong and nearly hit you, they freak out. It’s very confusing for most people and I am shocked there aren’t a lot more accidents here from people being run into by dummies.
All this aside, it’s fine when used to your advantage.

I’ve never seen more police on a highway than I’ve seen on hwy 85. I drive this three days a week around 9:20am and the place is polluted with po-​pos, speed traps, and motorcycle cops. It’s a nice road and fairly vacant so it’s tempting but I wouldn’t recommend going more than 10 over the speedlimit at anytime.

The Highway 85 has a LONG history in this valley. Planners have been debating the option of connecting deep south San Jose with the west side of the Valley for 30+ years. Seriously. I can remember my parents voting on where the off ramp should go in the Saratoga area. Well, I think it was in the late 80s when construction began and it was completed in ’92 I believe. I remember riding my bike on the recently graded dirt on 85 at the Saratoga Ave off ramp when I was back from UCLA in the summer.
The key with driving this highway is timing… and commute direction. Remember that thousands of people migrate north each morning… and thousands return to their south valley nests each evening.
The farther south you are in San Jose, the earlier you should get on the highway in the morning. My general rule of thumb is to be at your nearest on-​ramp before or no more than 5 minutes after the metering light goes on. I believe most metering lights go on at 6:30am. The bottle necks on the 85 are (from North to South) at the Almaden Expressway, Camden Ave, Saratoga Ave, De Anza Blvd and as you approach El Camino and the merge on to the 101. However, knowing this, the big tip is to get on the 85 at an on ramp other than one of the bottle necks. The closer to 7:00am that you get on to 85 the LONGER your commute will be. If you can do it, get on the 85 by no later than 6:30am and you should experience little delay as you move up north.
Thousands of drivers begin their commute south on 85 at 4:00pm. If you have a high tech industry job, getting out of work at 4:00pm is a never happen… which means you will hit some traffic anytime after 4:00pm you leave your office. However, depending on how far you have to go south, leaving at 5:00pm make still result in a tolerable stop and go commute. The bottle neck areas are the same as the morning commute, but the build up at the 101 south and 85 on ramp starts up at 4:00pm…and is heavy until the 280 split. The build up from the 880 south and on to 85 South is also really bad.
I typically end my day at 6:00pm…and there is NO WAY I will drive home on the 85 at that time. If you are a late guy like me, I recommend waiting until 7:00pm to leave the office… after the car pool lane opens up! You will typically get through the major bottle necks in 50% less time, will cross the 40 mph speed more frequent… and will be less likely to kick the dog when you get home. Woof.
Of course, if you can find a car pool partner, most of my tips are moot. The car pool lane is vacant in most areas during the week… and it feels like you are driving north or south on Saturday… except for the 85 north and 101 freeway merge bottle neck.
Ahhh…the Silicon Valley commute!