Interstate 280 (California) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Interstate 280
I-280 highlighted in red
Route information
Defined by S&HC § 580
Maintained by Caltrans
Length	57.22 mi (92.09 km)
Existed	September 15, 1955 by FHWA July 1, 1964 by Caltrans–present
Tourist routes	Junipero Serra Freeway between the San Mateo–Santa Clara county line and San Bruno
Major junctions
South end	I-680 / US 101 in San Jose
	SR 87 in San Jose I-880 / SR 17 in San Jose SR 85 in Cupertino SR 84 in Woodside SR 92 near San Mateo I-380 in San Bruno SR 1 in Daly City US 101 in San Francisco
North end	King Street in San Francisco
Location
Counties:	Santa Clara, San Mateo, San Francisco
Highway system
Auxiliary route of the Interstate Highway System Main • Auxiliary • Business State highways in California(list • pre-1964) History • Unconstructed • Deleted • Freeway • Scenic ← SR 275 SR 281 →

Interstate 280 (I-280) is a major highway in the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It stretches about 57 miles (92 km) from San Jose to San Francisco. This highway is special because it runs mostly west of the main cities on the San Francisco Peninsula.

I-280 is known by a few different names. A big part of it, from San Jose to Daly City, is called the Junipero Serra Freeway. This name honors Junipero Serra, a Spanish friar who started many missions in California long ago. Some signs even call it the "World's Most Beautiful Freeway" because of its amazing views.

Closer to San Francisco, the highway changes names. From Daly City to US 101, it's called the John F. Foran Freeway. The very northern part, leading into San Francisco, is known as the Southern-Embarcadero Freeway.

Did you know that I-280 is one of only two Interstate highways with the same number on both the East and West Coasts of the United States? The other is I-110.

Also, I-280 used to be shown on the map app icon for Apple's phones and computers. This is because the highway goes right through Cupertino, where Apple's main offices are located!

What is I-280 Like?

I-280 near Stanford University

Aerial view of I-280 in San Jose, looking northeast toward the Joe Colla Interchange (I-680/US 101) in the distance

I-280 begins in San Jose at a big interchange called the Joe Colla Interchange. Here, it connects with I-680 and US 101. From there, it heads north, passing through cities like Santa Clara, Cupertino, and Los Altos.

As it continues, I-280 follows a very scenic path. It runs along the western side of the San Francisco Peninsula, with beautiful views of the Santa Cruz Mountains. You might even catch glimpses of San Francisco Bay! This part of the highway is often called the "World's Most Beautiful Freeway." It's special because hills often block the view of the cities, making the drive feel very natural.

A cool fact about this scenic part is that the freeway actually runs along the edge of the San Andreas Fault rift valley. This is a famous geological fault line. There's also a pretty 6-mile (10 km) stretch near Hillsborough and Belmont where you can see the Crystal Springs Reservoir. This reservoir gets its water from far away, all the way from Hetch Hetchy Valley in Yosemite National Park!

For most of its journey, I-280 runs a few miles west of US 101. Both highways connect San Jose and San Francisco. However, US 101 goes through busy city areas, while I-280 offers a more peaceful, scenic drive. Most people living on the San Francisco Peninsula live somewhere between these two major highways.

I-280 is part of California's important California Freeway and Expressway System. It's also part of the National Highway System, which includes roads vital for the country's economy and travel. A large section of I-280 is even officially named a Scenic Highway. This means it passes through a "memorable landscape" with very few visual distractions.

Near the SR 92 intersection in Hillsborough, there's a 26-foot (8 m) tall statue of Father Serra. He's kneeling and pointing over the freeway, and drivers can see him from both directions. The part of I-280 from San Jose up to I-880 is also called the Sinclair Freeway, named after Joseph P. Sinclair, an important engineer.

History of I-280

A 1955 map showing the planned Interstates in the San Francisco Bay Area.

I-280 was first planned as an Interstate Highway on September 15, 1955. The original idea was for it to go from San Jose all the way north to the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. However, these plans changed over time. The I-280 number was officially approved on November 10, 1958.

In 1964, California officially named the planned route for I-280. Later, in 1968, the route was changed again to mostly follow the path it does today.

The beautiful scenic part of I-280, between SR 85 in Cupertino and SR 84 in Woodside, was finished in the late 1960s. The section between SR 92 and SR 84 wasn't completed until the 1970s. Before that, cars had to use a different road called Cañada Road.

Cars driving near Page Mill Road on I-280.

One interesting part of I-280's history is that it was supposed to connect directly to I-80 in San Francisco. However, this connection was never built. The northern end of I-280 used to stop suddenly in the air! After a big earthquake in 1989, the plans to connect I-280 to I-80 were completely dropped. The damaged Embarcadero Freeway was torn down, and I-280's northern end was redesigned in 1997 to its current ramps at King Street.

The start of I-280 in San Jose, the Joe Colla Interchange, also has a funny story. For years in the 1970s, the tall overpasses stood unfinished, earning jokes from locals. In 1976, someone even put an old car on the highest bridge overnight as a prank! This stunt might have helped convince the state to find money to finish the freeway, which finally opened in 1981.

In recent years, studies have looked at how often animals cross the road on I-280. Some parts of the highway, especially between San Bruno and Cupertino, are known for having more animal crossings. Drivers should always be aware of wildlife when driving on this scenic route.

Exits on I-280

County	Location	mi	km	Exit	Destinations	Notes
Santa Clara	San Jose	0.00	0.00	—	I-680 north (Sinclair Freeway) / US 101 (Bayshore Freeway) – Sacramento, San Francisco, Los Angeles	Southern end of I-280; Joe Colla Interchange; I-680 continues east
		0.36	0.58	1A	McLaughlin Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		1.29	2.08	1B	11th Street, 10th Street	Signed as exit 1 northbound
		1.55	2.49	2A	7th Street, Virginia Street to SR 82	Signed as exit 2 northbound
		2.20	3.54	2B	Almaden Boulevard, Vine Street	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		2.52	4.06	3A	SR 87 (Guadalupe Parkway)
		2.88	4.63	3B	Bird Avenue
		3.88	6.24	4	Race Street, Southwest Expressway	Northbound exit and southbound entrance only
		3.99	6.42		Meridian Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		4.99	8.03	5A	Leigh Avenue, Bascom Avenue
		5.41	8.71	5B	I-880 north / SR 17 south – Oakland, Santa Cruz	Western end of the Sinclair Freeway
		5.41	8.71	5C	Stevens Creek Boulevard, West San Carlos Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance only
		5.95	9.58	6	Winchester Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		7.33	11.80	7	Saratoga Avenue – Saratoga
		8.51	13.70	9	Lawrence Expressway (CR G2), Stevens Creek Boulevard
	Cupertino	9.76	15.71	10	Wolfe Road
		10.82	17.41	11	De Anza Boulevard	Former SR 85
		12.12	19.51	12	SR 85 – Mountain View, Santa Cruz, Gilroy	Signed as exits 12A (north) and 12B (south)
	Los Altos	12.83	20.65	13	Foothill Expressway (CR G5), Grant Road
	​	15.48	24.91	15	Magdalena Avenue
	Los Altos Hills	16.43	26.44	16	El Monte Road, Moody Road
	​	19.76	31.80	20	Page Mill Road (CR G3), Arastradero Road – Palo Alto
	​	22.00	35.41	22	Alpine Road – Portola Valley
San Mateo	​	23.62	38.01	24	Sand Hill Road
	Woodside	25.34	40.78	25	SR 84 (Woodside Road)
		26.65	42.89	27	Farm Hill Boulevard
		28.60	46.03	—	Cañada Road	Entrances only
	​	28.66	46.12	29	Edgewood Road
	​			Ralph D. Percival Memorial Vista Point (northbound only)
	​			Former rest area (northbound only; closed)
	​			Gate Vista Point
	​	32.84	52.85	33	SR 92 – San Mateo, Hayward, Half Moon Bay
	​	34.33	55.25	34	SR 35 south to SR 92 west / Bunker Hill Drive – Half Moon Bay	Southern end of SR 35 overlap
	San Mateo Creek	35.27	56.76	Doran Memorial Bridge
	​	35.43	57.02	Crystal Springs Rest Area (northbound only)
	Hillsborough	36.24	58.32	36	Black Mountain Road, Hayne Road
	​	39.17	63.04	39	Trousdale Drive
	Millbrae	39.67	63.84	40	Millbrae Avenue	Northbound exit and southbound entrance only
		40.53	65.23	41	Larkspur Drive, Millbrae Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
	San Bruno	41.29	66.45		SR 35 north (Skyline Boulevard) – Pacifica	Northern end of SR 35 overlap; northbound exit and southbound entrance only
		42.28	68.04	42	Crystal Springs Road	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		42.75	68.80	43A	San Bruno Avenue	Southbound access via exit 43B
		42.75– 43.02	68.80– 69.23	43	I-380 east to US 101 – San Francisco International Airport	Signed as exit 43A southbound, 43B northbound
		43.02	69.23	43B	Sneath Lane	Northbound access via exit 43A
	South San Francisco	44.05	70.89	44	Avalon Drive	Northbound exit and southbound entrance only
		44.63	71.83	45	Westborough Boulevard	Northbound exit and southbound entrance via exit 44
	Daly City	46.20	74.35	46	Hickey Boulevard
		46.83	75.37	47A	Serramonte Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		47.29	76.11	47	SR 1 south / Eastmoor Avenue – Pacifica	Northbound signage
				47B	SR 1 south – Pacifica	Southbound signage; southern end of SR 1 overlap
		47.78	76.89	48	Eastmoor Avenue, Sullivan Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		48.51	78.07	49A	John Daly Boulevard, Junipero Serra Boulevard	Signed as exit 49 southbound
		49.17	79.13	49B	SR 1 north (19th Avenue) – Golden Gate Bridge	Northern end of SR 1 overlap; northbound left exit and southbound entrance only
City and County of San Francisco		50.18	80.76	50	SR 82 to SR 1 north / Mission Street, San Jose Avenue	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		51.21	82.41	51	Geneva Avenue, Ocean Avenue
		52.13	83.90	52	Monterey Boulevard	Southbound exit and northbound entrance only
		52.14	83.91		San Jose Avenue, Bosworth Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance only
		52.72	84.84	53	Alemany Boulevard, Mission Street
		53.78	86.55	54A	US 101 south (James Lick Freeway) – San Jose	Southern end of Alemany Maze; signed as exit 54 southbound
		53.78	86.55	54B	US 101 north (James Lick Freeway) – San Francisco Civic Center, Bay Bridge	Northbound exit and southbound entrance only; northern end of Alemany Maze
		55.06	88.61	55	Cesar Chavez Street, 25th Street
		56.04	90.19	56	Mariposa Street, 18th Street
		56.73	91.30	57	Sixth Street	Northbound exit and southbound entrance only
		56.98	91.70	—	Fifth Street	At-grade intersection; northern end of I-280
				—	King Street	Road continues beyond Fifth Street
				—	Fourth Street	Former northern end; replaced by King Street ramps; northbound exit only
1.000 mi = 1.609 km; 1.000 km = 0.621 mi

See also

In Spanish: Interestatal 280 (California) para niños