California State Route 130
Encyclopedia
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in Santa Clara County
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
. The route runs between San Jose, California
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
, and Mount Hamilton
Mount Hamilton (California)
Mount Hamilton is a mountain in California's Diablo Range, in Santa Clara County, California. Mount Hamilton, at is the tallest mountain overlooking Silicon Valley, and is the site of Lick Observatory, the first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory. The various summits along its...
. Much of its length goes through the Diablo Range
Diablo Range
The Diablo Range is a mountain range in the California Coast Ranges subdivision of the Pacific Coast Ranges. It is located in the eastern San Francisco Bay area south to the Salinas Valley area of northern California, the United States.-Geography:...
as Mount Hamilton Road where it is a narrow 2 lane highway. The remainder of SR 130 is numbered along Alum Rock Avenue in San Jose.
Route description
SR 130 begins in the west at U.S. Route 101 just east of Downtown San Jose and runs along the 4-6 lane Alum Rock Ave. SR 130 continues over a junction with Interstate 680Interstate 680 (California)
Interstate 680 is a north–south Interstate Highway in Northern California. It curves around the eastern cities of the San Francisco Bay Area from San Jose to Interstate 80 at Cordelia, bypassing cities along the eastern shore of San Francisco Bay such as Oakland and Richmond while serving...
through San Jose's Alum Rock
Alum Rock, California
Alum Rock is a census-designated place in Santa Clara County, California, United States and a community of San Jose. The CDP, which excludes all annexed areas, had a population of 15,536 at the 2010 census. Alum Rock was named after a rock formerly thought to be composed of alum in nearby Alum...
neighborhood. The road narrows as it begins to run into the foothills from 4-6 lanes down to 2. Where Alum Rock Ave and Mt Hamilton Rd meet SR 130 heads east up into the mountains along Mt Hamilton Rd. As the road climbs it continually offers outstanding vistas of San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley that increase the further east you travel. SR 130 also travels through some of the last remaining ranch and naturally wild land in Santa Clara County as well as Joseph D. Grant County Park. As SR 130 approaches the base of Mt Hamilton itself the road narrows further and is barely capable of supporting two cars abreast. The narrow road begins a series of tight switchbacks that culminate on the summit of Mount Hamilton at the Lick Observatory
Lick Observatory
The Lick Observatory is an astronomical observatory, owned and operated by the University of California. It is situated on the summit of Mount Hamilton, in the Diablo Range just east of San Jose, California, USA...
. The observatory also serves as the existing route's eastern terminus at around 4,200 ft. (1,280 m) elevation. When snow
Snow
Snow is a form of precipitation within the Earth's atmosphere in the form of crystalline water ice, consisting of a multitude of snowflakes that fall from clouds. Since snow is composed of small ice particles, it is a granular material. It has an open and therefore soft structure, unless packed by...
falls on the higher elevations of the road, it's closed until crews can clear the snow and black ice
Black ice
Black ice, sometimes called glare ice or clear ice, refers to a thin coating of glazed ice on a surface.While not truly black, it is virtually transparent, allowing black asphalt/macadam roadways to be seen through it, hence the term "black ice"...
. There is also a small community in this area with a small population. Though SR 130 is only signed up to this point, the road continues as San Antonio Valley Road. San Antonio Valley Road eventually leads to Patterson, but there is also a turnoff toward Livermore. This road consists of 1-2 lanes, and may be considered a part of SR 130 in the future.
History
SR 130 did not exist as a state highway before 1964, however the roads it travels had existed since Lick Observatory was built. Legislatively, SR 130 continues for 30 additional miles (48 km) east of Lick Observatory to State Route 33 in Patterson, CaliforniaPatterson, California
Patterson is a city in Stanislaus County, California, United States, located off Interstate 5. It is 45 miles southeast of Livermore and part of the Modesto Metropolitan Statistical Area. Patterson is known as the "Apricot Capital of the World"; the town holds an annual Apricot Fiesta to...
through the San Antonio Valley. It is not signed as such and is not commonly recognized as existing beyond Lick Observatory. Both locals and most map makers do not acknowledge SR 130 existing east of the summit. In addition, east of Lick Observatory the road is maintained by the county rather than the state, as it is west of Lick Observatory, further supporting the position that the eastern portion of the road is not actually part of SR 130 and that the eastern portion still remains technically unbuilt.
Recently, signs have been erected with, "San Antonio Road" with a small "CA-130 East" symbol in the upper right hand corner.
Future
Money had been set aside by the state to study the feasibility of turning part of SR 130's legislative route from San Antonio Valley Rd east to Interstate 5 into a freeway. The road was intended to facilitate traffic between the Santa Clara ValleySanta Clara Valley
The Santa Clara Valley is a valley just south of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California in the United States. Much of Santa Clara County and its county seat, San José, are in the Santa Clara Valley. The valley was originally known as the Valley of Heart’s Delight for its high concentration...
and the Central Valley
California Central Valley
California's Central Valley is a large, flat valley that dominates the central portion of California. It is home to California's most productive agricultural efforts. The valley stretches approximately from northwest to southeast inland and parallel to the Pacific Ocean coast. Its northern half is...
, the latter is experiencing population growth and real estate development. The project's main proponent was former United States Representative Richard Pombo
Richard Pombo
Richard William Pombo is a former Republican member of the United States House of Representatives, having represented California's 11th congressional district from 1993 to 2007...
, who was the House Resources Committee chair when in Congress and himself a member of a family with extensive Central Valley property holdings near the proposed freeway's path.
The proposed freeway's path west of San Antonio Valley Road would have bypassed Mt. Hamilton either to the north toward State Route 237 or to the south toward the San Jose's Evergreen district
Evergreen, San Jose, California
The Evergreen area of San Jose, California, is a large district of Southeast San Jose, bounded by Tully Road to the north, US 101 to the west, San Felipe Road to the south and the East Foothills neighborhood on the eastern edge...
. The feasibility of the project had come into question, however, as crossing a freeway over the Diablo range near three of its highest peaks (Mt. Hamilton included) would have been very difficult. The project also faced stiff opposition from taxpayers, environmentalists, residents of the area looking to preserve their area's local charm and from the Lick Observatory. (A freeway through the mountains near the observatory would render it useless due to light pollution.) The freeway plan has been quietly abandoned after Congressman Pombo failed in his reelection bid in 2006.
Major intersections
- 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
Santa Clara County, California
Santa Clara County is a county located at the southern end of the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. state of California. As of 2010 it had a population of 1,781,642. The county seat is San Jose. The highly urbanized Santa Clara Valley within Santa Clara County is also known as Silicon Valley...
.
{| class=wikitable
!Location
!Postmile
!Destinations
!Notes
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|rowspan=3|San Jose
San Jose, California
San Jose is the third-largest city in California, the tenth-largest in the U.S., and the county seat of Santa Clara County which is located at the southern end of San Francisco Bay...
|0.00
|Santa Clara Street
|Continuation beyond US 101
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|0.00
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|Interchange
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|1.35
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|Interchange
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|11.23
|Quimby Road
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|22.50
|Mount Hamilton
Mount Hamilton (California)
Mount Hamilton is a mountain in California's Diablo Range, in Santa Clara County, California. Mount Hamilton, at is the tallest mountain overlooking Silicon Valley, and is the site of Lick Observatory, the first permanently occupied mountain-top observatory. The various summits along its...
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