By Khalida Sarwari
There is good news for pedestrians and cyclists in Campbell. A project to widen the sidewalks at the state Highway 17 undercrossing is one step closer to completion with the city council’s approval of the preliminary design for the East Campbell Avenue Portal Project.
At its meeting on Sept. 4, the council voted unanimously to approve a design that provides 26-foot-wide pedestrian tunnels on the north and south sides of the Highway 17 undercrossing and would include terraced landscaping, a city of Campbell entry emblem and public art.
“In order to put those portals in, what you need to do is cut through the existing wingwalls, pull out all the dirt behind there and build tie-back walls to hold back the remaining dirt,” said Lisa Petersen, project manager and the city’s senior civil engineer.
The existing 4.5-foot sidewalks will be removed, allowing for wider bicycle lanes and widening of the existing traffic lanes underneath Highway 17.
“It’s going to be a very, very large walking area,” Petersen said. “The bike lanes will increase by about 2 feet–this will feel so much more comfortable for people on bikes when they’re traveling through there.”
The council’s decision followed an Aug. 7 study session where staff presented four revised portal façade concepts, noting that the most popular one with residents was a design featuring a “timeless character that blends well with the bridge and future downtown development.”
The $4.2 million project is part of the East Campbell Avenue Master Plan that was approved by the council in May 2007 and included pedestrian portals at the Highway 17 undercrossing to facilitate cyclists and pedestrians traveling from the Pruneyard and neighborhoods east of Highway 17 to downtown Campbell.
Petersen said some work was done as part of the East Campbell Avenue Improvement project, consisting of minor upgrades such as adding a new railing and a bike lane, but that those changes were still below the standards the city had set.
At this point, funding for construction remains a question mark. In 2010, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority awarded $424,000 in Bicycle Expenditure Program grant funds toward the design of the project, with the stipulation that there be a local match of $106,000, which the council agreed to in September 2010.
“They felt if we had the project designed, we’d be project-ready and would have better opportunities to receive construction funding,” she said.
The next phase of the project, Petersen said, will include moving toward the final design, but also continuing to identify and apply for grants. The city is awaiting word from the VTA on an $840,000 Bicycle Transportation Account grant that staff applied for. Depending on when additional funding is secured, construction is estimated to begin in March 2014 and end spring or summer of 2015.
Preliminary design is approved for project to widen Campbell Avenue at Hwy. 17 undercrossing
