Robert Weil Public Works Director/City Engineer 600 Elm Street San Carlos, CA 94070 Phone: (650) 802-4202 Fax: (650) 595-6702
Holly Street at Highway 101 - Access Alternatives Study
Why is this study being done?
The City of San Carlos has $4.5 million for improving traffic flow into and out of the city on Holly Street. The City wants to make sure that the funding is used to best effect. The current plan calls for widening a portion of Holly Street and modifying the interchange of US 101 with Holly Street. We have developed sketches of other alternatives that may have less impact on the neighborhood, better meet the needs of pedestrians and bicycles, and/or cost less money. The study will select three or four alternatives for further consideration.
Where is the money coming from for this project since the City of San Carlos is currently not able to fund vital services?
The budget for the street improvements is not from the City's General Fund. The General Fund is used for police, fire, parks and recreation, street maintenance, and other general services. The budget from this project is from the City's Redevelopment Agency, which cannot be used to balance the General Fund. The Redevelopment Agency will be reimbursed by traffic impact fees, which are charged to all new development that generates traffic. It may also be possible to obtain grant funds if the cost of an alternative exceeds the City's budget.
Who is working on the project?
The Director of Public Works, Robert Weil, is managing the project. Brad Leveen, the San Carlos branch manager for Mark Thomas and Company is the civil engineer for the project and leads the consulting team. Hexagon Transportation Consultants is the traffic engineer. Alta Planning is providing expertise on bicycle and pedestrian issues. Circlepoint is assisting with community input.
How will alternatives be compared?
All of the alternatives will be compared using a set of screening criteria which includes traffic benefits, bicycle/pedestrian benefits, community impacts, cost, grant eligibility, and whether the alternatives would receive Caltrans approval.
How can I have input on the alternatives:
All of the alternatives are posted on the City's website at http://www.cityofsancarlos.org/publicworks/current_projects. (still under construction) Please select the top three alternatives that you think are the best overall and send an email to holly101@cityofcancarlos.org. Your comments are also welcome. We would like to receive your input before November 9, 2009, if possible.
Who will make the decisions about alternatives?
The Transportation and Circulation Commission will receive public input on the alternatives and select the top three or four alternatives to be studied further. The recommendations of the Transportation and Circulation Commission will then be considered by the City Council, who will also receive public input and then make a decision about how to proceed.
When will a decision be made?
The Transportation and Circulation Commission will be considering the alternatives at their next two meetings, which will be held on November 17, 2009 and December 15, 2009. The Commission meetings start at 7:00 p.m. in the City Council Chambers at 600 Elm Street. The City Council is scheduled to consier the alternatives in January 2010.
Improvements would not start construction for at least three years after the alternatives analysis is complete. That much time is needed because of the complexity of the design and the need to obtain Caltrans approval of changes to the Holly Street/101 interchange. Because the traffic flow on Holly Street is closely related to the design of the interchange, improvements to Holly Street would follow the same schedule. Short-term improvements, such as better signs and striping, could be made within a year.
Why doesn't the City put in a full interchange at Brittan Avenue?
There are a number of reasons why a full interchange at Brittan AVenue is not possible. These include cost, environmental impact, and the fact that the interchange would be too close to the Holly Street/US 101 interchange. Also, Brittan Avenue is not designed to handle the additional traffic that would come with a full interchange.
Will any people lose their homes or businesses due to street widening?
No. The City Council, in a resolution approving the alternatives analysis, decided that the study would exclude any relocation of residential or commercial property owners. However, some of the alternatives include would involve buying property to widen Holly Street.
Community Outreach Plan - The City of San Carlos is seeking input from the community on how to improve access to and from US 101 via Holly Street.
Workshops -
View Information on upcoming workshops and discussions that were conducted on previous workshops for this project.
