Glossary · Places
The winding mountain highway between Los Gatos and Santa Cruz, which runs through the middle of town; the stretch over the mountains is a designated safety corridor.
Before the highway, travelers took the Santa Cruz Turnpike, stagecoaches and then the railroad. The highway opened in 1940 and bypassed Alma and Holy City; in 1952 it was rerouted along Lexington Reservoir.
Downtown Los Gatos lies just west of the freeway, and a left exit from northbound 17 leads straight onto South Santa Cruz Avenue.
Caltrans and the CHP designated the stretch between Los Gatos and Scotts Valley for added speed signs, warning lights and enforcement because of its curves.
It was completed in 1940, bypassing towns such as Alma and Holy City.