Palo Alto, Calif., still waiting on decisions, funding for grade crossing projects
Written by RT&S Staff
Palo Alto, Calif., is looking at an underpass option at Churchill Avenue.
This is one separation Palo Alto, Calif., wanted no part of, and it deals with funding.
When the Metropolitan Transportation Commission recently gave the thumbs up to rail projects that will use federal grants under the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, none of Palo Alto’s grade-separation projects made the cut.
It appears grade-separation work in fellow Santa Clara County cities like Mountain View and Sunnyvale are closer to being ready than projects in Palo Alto. Projects in those cities were on the list. Mountain View wants to close Castro Street to traffic and put Rengstorff Avenue under the railroad tracks. Sunnyvale is looking at grade crossing options at Mary and Sunnyvale avenues. A feasibility study is zeroing in on undercrossings under railroad tracks.
Palo Alto has four grade crossings that need to be addressed, but officials have put work on Palo Alto Avenue on pause and are still looking at how to approach two of the city’s most dangerous crossings at Meadow Drive and Charleston Road. Last November, the council expressed support for a vehicle underpass option at Churchill Avenue.
Caltrain is not helping matters. The transit line has been focused on the electrification of its rail system and has yet to get to a corridor-wide study dealing with grade separation. Palo Alto needs to see results of that study to answer some key questions. The study has been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
The crossings in Palo Alto also carry more challenges. For example, digging a trench for the Meadow and Charleston crossings would call for the rerouting of Barron and Adobe creeks.
However, Palo Alto will be getting half of Measure B funding, which computes to $350 million. That should give the city a start, and earlier this week the council agreed that a proposed business tax should be used to help fund the grade-separation projects. Local funds can be leveraged to apply for federal and state grants in the future.
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