[Mick]

Doesn't the existence of 85 show that even if 280 had been built a few miles to the East (in its originally planned location), something to its south and west would have inevitably been built?

I applied to Stanford sight unseen, and my first visit was during spring break of my senior year (a few weeks before admission notices went out).  I visited my cousin, who lived in San Francisco at the time, and she took me to the Stanford campus via 280.  Mind you, I was used to San Diego's freeways, and I thought it was a stunning drive.  I was smitten with the area, the campus and the school.  The only problem is that I hadn't gotten in yet.

And Mick, my first trip up highway 1 was the ensuing fall, when we drove from San Diego to Stanford to drop me off.

I think Mick's mixed article usage makes sense in context.  He was talking about 85 and 87 in the context of Northern California.  He was talking about "the 101 and the 5" In the context of driving south, specifically, south of Monterrey County.

BC

You see what I did there...

[Mick]

Doesn't the existence of 85 show that even if 280 had been built a few miles to the East (in its originally planned location), something to its south and west would have inevitably been built?

I applied to Stanford sight unseen, and my first visit was during spring break of my senior year (a few weeks before admission notices went out).  I visited my cousin, who lived in San Francisco at the time, and she took me to the Stanford campus via 280.  Mind you, I was used to San Diego's freeways, and I thought it was a stunning drive.  I was smitten with the area, the campus and the school.  The only problem is that I hadn't gotten in yet.

And Mick, my first trip up highway 1 was the ensuing fall, when we drove from San Diego to Stanford to drop me off.

I think Mick's mixed article usage makes sense in context.  He was talking about 85 and 87 in the context of Northern California.  He was talking about "the 101 and the 5" In the context of driving south, specifically, south of Monterrey County.

BC

You see what I did there...