Highway 87 Photos Index (Guadalupe Parkway)

This is 87 North of 880, in 1988, before it was upgraded to a freeway.

Up to May 1988:
It is a long exit to Julián Street  and it is signed as such. Some of the downtown overpasses were built in 1978. It was first open, that I noticed, in 1985. It has gap between Julián Street and the existing section of (non-freeway) Guadalupe Parkway.
Like Highway 252 in San Diego, it was a huge interchange that led to pretty much nothing.
Guadalupe Parkway, from Coleman Ave. to US101, has traffic lights. It carries a lot of traffic,  especially government agency traffic. A new overpass and extension of 87 to North First St. is underway from 1985 until 1992.
There was talk of opening up 87 south of US101 by 1987, as well as 85 from 87 to Miyuki.

May 1988 until October 1992:
It is opened to the Guadalupe Parkway & Coleman Avenue area.  The exit from 280 has changed from being "Julián St." to being "Guadalupe Parkway."  You can proceed up the freeway section of 87 and then on a parkway (with traffic lights) to US101. The section from 880 to US101 receives a concrete divider. Lawsuits held up the freeway near Almaden Expressway.

October 23, 1992:
It is opened as a freeway from 280 to Almaden Expressway (Northbound 87 opened on this stretch on 9/10/92), and from US101 to North First St. The Northern Section is not a freeway.  87 was anticipated to be completed down to 85 by 1990, but it was held up by the recession, and lawsuits over eminent domain. A Branham Lane interchange similar to the Lawrence & San Tomas Expressway interchange was never built.

August 1993:
It is opened as a freeway from Almaden Expressway to 85 in South San José. It makes driving across San José much simpler. At this point, it is a freeway South of Taylor St. Going from South San José to the Airport just became simple.

Late 2000 until 2004:
Work begins on the section from Taylor St. to US101. The Taylor St. overpass is done before the others. A new overpass is built over 880. Massive work is underway by San José International.

April 4, 2004
87 now is  free of traffic lights from US101 to 85 in South San José.

May 2004
Some of the lanes on 87 South from US101 to 880 don't appear to be open. You really look down on the old part (Terminal C) of the San José Airport when you do this ride. Also, there are no diamond lanes anywhere on 87. A similar section of 85 had diamond lanes painted in early 1994. There are exit numbers from US101 to Julián St. The speed limit is 50 north of 880, then 55, then 65 south of 280.

There is reconstruction of the ramp to US101 North from 87 and the US101 to De La Cruz interchange.

April 2005 - Present
The diamond lane is open in a few areas and under construction on the rest.

87 is proposed to run from US101 to 237 as a freeway mainly along First Street, but I doubt this will be built.
There currently is no interchange with Interstate 880. The old overpasses were replaced as 87 was upgraded.

Now for photos of 87. I redid these sets in the summer of 2006 and the fall of 2008. At the bottom of the page are links to some of these are the oldest highway photos I have! And the developing on one black and white set from 1985 was a disaster. The old photos and construction photos are still very popular and I will not ever take any of my photos of 87 down.

Highway 87 Freeway Photos

Construction Photos (1980s)