Bear Creek Road

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Where Bear Creek Road meets Highway 9. There are a few reminder for the commuters.

Bear Creek Road starts at Highway 17 in Santa Clara County, and winds through the mountains for about 13 miles to Highway 9 near Boulder Creek in Santa Cruz County. It was named for the proximity to Bear Creek in Santa Cruz County.

Old Bear Creek Road nearby where Bear Creek Road and Highway 9 meet, is mostly on private property and it is posted. There is a bridge on the road that cannot support heavy vehicles. Old Bear Creek Road dead-ends on private property.

Bike-Friendliness

There are no bike lanes, the terrain is hilly and the traffic is heavy during commute times. Cars travel fast so it can be risky for bikers. There is one call box (where Bear Creek Road meets Summit Road) and cell phone service is typical of mountain area. Some areas have decent cell phone service and some areas have none.

Public Transportation

Bus Route 35 passes by Bear Creek Road on Highway 9 near Boulder Creek, and makes a loop coming back using part of Bear Creek Road.

Landmarks

Bear Creek Road joins Highway 17 in Santa Clara County at the Gillian Cichowski Memorial Overcrossing Bridge, near Los Gatos at Lexington Reservoir. It was named by California Senate Concurrent Resolution 32, Chapt. 70 in 1994. Gillian Cichowski was killed in an accident at this location in 1992. This is one of the few highway constructions in California named for a woman. The overpass was in response to a campaign by friends of Gillian Cichowski to make the intersection (with Bear Creek Road) safer. The overpass was open to northbound traffic July 18, 1996 and opened to southbound traffic August 29, 1996. Margaret Green of Sunnyvale, California died in a similar accident near the same location during overpass construction.

Major Intersections

There are several streets that intersect Bear Creek Road. Only three make for significant traffic problems. Highway 9 and Bear Creek Road. A few hours after 5pm. Commuters going home.

Summit Road and Bear Creek Road. Due to icy roads, there is a call box there for reporting emergencies. (TIP: Use a cell phone. AT&T service gets a signal there. {This is confirmed.} Cal Trans will answer a cell phone call first.)

Highway 17 and Bear Creek Road. At the overcrossing and freeway ramps this area can be busy, but not a major problem.