# Origin of "The" freeway in Southern California.

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-freeway-in-southern-california/612543>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [February 11, 2012, 7:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-freeway-in-southern-california/612543 "2012-02-11T19:17:14Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
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**Author:** ![Senegoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/senegoid/32/6606_2.png) [@Senegoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Senegoid)\
**Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 7:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/origin-of-the-freeway-in-southern-california/612543/52 "2012-02-13T07:30:32Z")

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> [@Snnipe\_70E](#):
>
> 17 use to run from Santa Cruz to the Bay Bridge. The Nimitz is that part of the freeway through Oakland and maybe a little futher.

It was “State Route 17” from Santa Cruz, through Oakland, Berkeley and Richmond, all the way over the Richmond/SanRafael Bridge to San Rafael. The part through Berkely was simultaneously I-80. ETA: Thus, Route 17 met U.S. 101 in two places: in Oakland, and again in San Rafael.

That stretch from Berkeley to San Rafael is part of I-580 now. Here’s an interesting anomaly: If you drive through Berkeley on that stretch of road, you are simultaneously going east and west. In one direction (actually, you are going more-or-less north) is simultaneously I-80-east and I-580-west, and conversely going the other way.

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