California State Route 130

State Route 130 (SR 130) is a state highway in Santa Clara County, California that connects San Jose with the Lick Observatory on Mount Hamilton. The highway follows Mount Hamilton Road, a narrow two-lane highway that goes through the Diablo Range. Legislatively, SR 130 extends east from Mount Hamilton to Patterson in Stanislaus County, forming a route between the Santa Clara and San Joaquin valleys, but the traversable route via San Antonio Valley Road and Del Puerto Canyon Road is maintained at the county level and has not yet been formally adopted by the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans).

Route description


The original official western terminus of SR 130 was at U.S. Route 101 (US 101) in San Jose. SR 130 then proceeded along Alum Rock Avenue, over a junction with Interstate 680 (I-680), and through San Jose's Alum Rock neighborhood. After the California Legislature relinquished segments of the highway in 2011, state control of SR 130 now officially begins at the eastern city limits of San Jose, although SR 130 signs may remain posted along US 101 and I-680.

After crossing San Jose's eastern border, SR 130 then heads east up into the mountains along Mount Hamilton Road, offering vistas of San Jose and the Santa Clara Valley, and traveling 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 Mount 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. The observatory also serves as the existing route's eastern terminus at around 4,200 ft. (1,280 m) elevation. When snow falls on the higher elevations of the road, it is closed until crews can clear the snow and black ice. There is a small community in this area.

Although state maintenance of SR 130 ends at this point, the road continues east of the Lick Observatory as the county road San Antonio Valley Road. San Antonio Valley Road terminates at the intersection of Mines Road (to Livermore) and Del Puerto Canyon Road, which the latter eventually leads to Interstate 5 and Patterson. It consists of one to two lanes, and may be considered a part of SR 130 by the state in the future. The County of Santa Clara has posted SR 130 markers along the section it controls, but the route within Stanislaus County remains totally unsigned by either the state or the county there.

A portion of SR 130 in San Jose is part of the National Highway System, a network of highways that are considered essential to the country's economy, defense, and mobility by the Federal Highway Administration.

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 through the San Antonio Valley. East of the Lick Observatory, the road is maintained by the county rather than the state, and therefore this portion of the state highway remains technically unbuilt.

However, the County of Santa Clara has posted small SR 130 markers along the traversable route, including where San Antonio Canyon Road begins east of the Lick Observatory entrance, the intersection of San Antonio and Del Puerto Canyon Roads. and at the Stanislaus County line. Thus, Google Maps and other map services may acknowledge SR 130 existing east of the Mt. Hamilton summit all the way to SR 33 in Patterson.

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 Road east to Interstate 5 into a freeway. This was intended to facilitate traffic between the Santa Clara Valley and the Central Valley; the former is experiencing population growth and real estate development. The project's main proponent was former United States Representative Richard Pombo, 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 Mount Hamilton either to the north toward State Route 237 or to the south toward San Jose's Evergreen district. The feasibility of the project came into question, however, as constructing a freeway over the Diablo Range near three of its highest peaks (Mount 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 the Lick Observatory (A freeway through the mountains near the observatory would render it useless by light pollution). The freeway plan was quietly abandoned after Congressman Pombo failed in his reelection bid in 2006.

Mount Hamilton to Patterson
This junction list consists of the county-maintained, Mount Hamilton-to-Patterson route that has not yet been formally adopted by Caltrans. There are no postmiles maintained by the state.