New bike projects funded by MTC's Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike Program

This blog post was written by SVBC intern, Emily Olson

Happy summer! It’s an exciting time to announce that MTC has announced the final projects to be funded with the Safe and Seamless Mobility Quick-Strike program. 

As a refresher on this program, SVBC and other Bay Area bike advocacy groups had proposed this grant to MTC in order to support a movement to prioritize bike riding as an accessible, sustainable form of transportation. MTC came up with this program through various funding sources, while the funding is distributed through City and County Association of Governments (CCAG) for San Mateo County and the Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) for Santa Clara County. This $54 million pot of money will help jurisdictions adapt to the COVID-19 environment and continue to support bike-oriented communities for all. For more details on this program and the process for choosing projects, please see our previous blog here.

Now for the projects chosen! Please note that these are only the projects chosen for San Mateo and Santa Clara Counties. Projects were chosen for counties across the Bay Area. For a comprehensive list of all the programs chosen, check out the MTC Programming and Allocations Committee Meeting agenda from June 9th, 2021. For additional information about the projects, visit the MTC Complete Streets website. 

San Mateo County:

1. Planning and Programming of safe and seamless mobility projects – $200,00 – A plan to implement the mobility projects outlined in the San Mateo County Countywide Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan safely and efficiently.

2. San Bruno Transit Corridor Pedestrian Connection Phase 4 – $385,000 – A project to improve pedestrian connectivity to transit and shopping centers by upgrading streets adjacent to downtown San Bruno. Involves construction of curb extensions and ramps. It is the final phase of the original Transit Corridor Pedestrian Connection Project that could not be completed earlier due to insufficient funding.

3. South San Francisco East of 101 Transit Expansion Project – $480,000 – A development to improve access to sustainable transit in the East of 101 area in South San Francisco, which is a busy employment district. Includes expanding access to public transit and making roads safer for biking and walking.

4. South San Francisco El Camino Grand Boulevard Initiative Phase III – $2,120,000 – A project to transform El Camino Real from Arroyo Blvd to Kaiser Way (last uncompleted portion) into an active transit corridor to encourage biking, walking, and using public transit. Construction of bike lanes, sidewalks, street trees, and green landscaping.

5. Broadmoor SRTS Pedestrian Safety and Mobility Improvements – $1,419,000 – To enhance pedestrian access to Garden Village Elementary and Ben Franklin Intermediate Schools via 87th St and S. Park Plaza. Roads are currently congested due to heavy traffic to the schools, apartment buildings, and shopping center. This includes raised sidewalks, speed reduction signs, and ADA ramps to improve accessibility for all users.

6. Burlingame City Wide Pedestrian Safe Routes and Mobility Improvements – $200,000 – This project improves pedestrian access throughout the city through high-visibility signage and striping. It is designed specifically for vulnerable pedestrians. More details can be found here.

7. CTA Planning and Programming – $183,000 – These funds are aimed generally at improving how the CTA plans and executes programming in San Mateo County.

8. Roosevelt Ave Quick Build (regional project funded via CRRSAA, see below) – $755,000 – This project is funded with additional CRRSAA funding and is one of the limited regional (as opposed to county) projects supported by QuickStrike. The goal is to reduce speeding along Roosevelt Avenue, specifically in the business district with busy community centers and schools. This will be done through quick-build improvements such as raised sidewalks, better signage, more open space for seating, and roundabouts. For more information, check out page 6 of this C/CAG agenda.

Santa Clara County:

1. Mountain View Stierlin Road Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements – $4,007,000 – A project to make bicycle and pedestrian improvements along Stierlin Avenue including Class IV bike lanes, traffic calming improvements, green-backed sharrows, Class II bike lanes, and a protected intersection.

2. San Jose Bascom Avenue Protected Bike Lanes and Complete Streets – $690,000 – A plan to implement a Class IV bikeway on Bascom Ave between Fruitdale Ave and Hamilton Ave. Bikeway design includes Includes Class IV lanes, protected intersections, and transit boarding islands. A part of their Complete Street vision.

3. En Movimiento Quick Build Network for East San Jose – $1,325,000 – A project to develop a network of bicycle boulevards and pedestrian improvements in East San Jose. Goal to construct bikeways for all ages and abilities and transform the streets to be a safe roadway for all users. Provides safer access to public transit, reduces vehicle speeds, and makes crossings more visible.

4. San Jose Julian Street and McKee Road Vision Zero Complete Street – $705,000 – A proposal to implement quick-build safety improvements on McKee-Julian from 21st to Toyon Ave. Construction of Class IV bike lanes to replace Class II lanes, roadway signing, and traffic signals. Will also aim to reduce vehicle speeds.

5. San Jose – Downtown Bikeways – $4,025,000 – A plan to upgrade 5 miles of the protected bikeway network in downtown San Jose. Includes improved as well as new Class IV bikeways, new bike boulevards, repainted crosswalks, and speed reduction signals.

6. Electronic Locker Upgrade and Replacement – $1,940,060 – A proposal for VTA to replace 189 of their bicycle lockers (that are 20-30 years old) located at their park and ride lots, Light Rail Stations, and Transit Centers. New lockers will be WiFi enabled and safer.

7. Evaluating on-demand shuttle strategies for improved transit access – $200,000 – Santa Clara County will use this money to evaluate the current state of transit access through public outreach and research. The goal is to design a more accessible shuttle system to and from transit stations to increase the number of users.

8. CTA Planning and Programming – $419,000 – Similar to San Mateo County, this funding will be used to improve the general operation of CTA and its ability to execute accessible and high quality programming.

9. Saratoga Blue Hills Elementary Pedestrian Crossing at UPRR – $1,800,000 – The goal of this project is to reopen an improved crossing over the UPRR tracks at Fredericksburg Dr. and Guava Ct.. Specifically, it will serve students and families traveling to and from Blue Hills Elementary and encourage them to walk or bike to school and other nearby destinations. The crossing would be a Class I bikeway and be ADA-compliant. For more, check out this project proposal.

10. Sunnyvale Bicycle, Pedestrian, and SRTS Safety Improvements – $1,900,000 – These improvements will connect and enhance the existing bicycle and pedestrian network in Sunnyvale. This will include the development of more Class I, II, III, and IV bike lanes and more protected paths for walking. It also has a specific focus on advancing the SRTS network to promote multi-modal transportation to and from school. More information can be found here.

11. VTA Diridon Station Planning and Studies (regional project funded via CRRSAA, see below) – $1,000,000 – This project is funded with additional CRRSAA funding and is one of the limited regional (as opposed to county) projects supported by QuickStrike.

As for next steps on MTC QuickStrike programming, the MTC announced that they will be adding another $34.4 million as Coronavirus Response and Relief Supplemental Appropriations (CRRSAA) Funding, making a total of $89 million. Half of this additional money will fund additional projects nominated by CTAs, and the other half will fund mobility projects of regional significance (such as the Roosevelt Ave Quick Build in RWC). MTC took this recommendation to their committees this past month, and it was approved. For more info on the CRRSAA funding and how it was allocated, check out the MTC Programming and Allocations Committee Meeting agenda from May 12th, 2021 and the included attachments.

We are excited to kick off the summer with the QuickStrike program rolling, and the additional CRRSAA funds are the cherry on top. We thank all of our local jurisdictions for their hard work putting together project proposals, and we are so grateful that MTC, VTA, and C/CAG are able to support a greener future. Happy riding!