South Bay drivers should start planning for delays and detours this weekend as Caltrans shuts down a section of southbound Highway 87 in San Jose.
The 56-hour closure between Interstate 280 and Highway 85 is set to begin Friday at 9 p.m. and will continue until 5 a.m. Monday.
Detours during Highway 87 closure
During the closure, Caltrans recommends these detours:
- Southbound Interstate 280 to southbound Highway 101 to northbound Highway 85
- Northbound Interstate 280 to southbound Highway 17 to southbound Highway 85
Why is the Highway 87 closure happening?
Caltrans said it will use the time to remove old asphalt and repave the stretch of highway.
"We’ve definitely heard from the public," Caltrans official Victor Gauthier said. "People have been saying it’s time to fix some of the potholes and some of the drainage systems on the highway. It’s been years that people have been saying, ‘Hey, it’s time.' We’re finally going out and repaving this entire structure."
Crews will also upgrade guardrails and barriers, work on 28 curb ramps at six intersections, and improve traffic signals and drainage facilities.
Get a weekly recap of the latest San Francisco Bay Area housing news. Sign up for NBC Bay Area’s Housing Deconstructed newsletter.
"We learned from the inclement weather that we experienced, so we want to make sure that all the drains are flowing freely," Gauthier said.
Are more Highway 87 closures planned?
This closure is the second of two Caltrans announced in relation to a larger rehabilitation project for Highway 87. While the work itself it set to continue into 2024, the agency has not identified the need for other closures connected to the project.
