”
It’s kind of a nightmare.
”
In so many words, Morgan Hill Councilman Greg Sellers described
the financial scenario presented in a study that looked at
strategies to alleviate traffic congestion in South County due to
anticipated population and job growth through the year 2030.
MORGAN HILL
“It’s kind of a nightmare.”
In so many words, Morgan Hill Councilman Greg Sellers described the financial scenario presented in a study that looked at strategies to alleviate traffic congestion in South County due to anticipated population and job growth through the year 2030.
“It says basically that we could possibly come up with less than a third of the money we’d need down here,” Sellers said. “We’d be putting a bandage on the situation.”
The URS Corp.-prepared study estimates it would cost up to $4 billion to put in place the necessary improvements. That figure is much larger than provided for in the countywide transit plan, the VTP 2030, and it would require policy changes and finding new sources of revenue to close the shortfall, the study says.
It also gives cost-saving alternatives that take into account the financial climate. In the short-term, the study suggests installing meters on ramps along the stretch of Highway 101 through Morgan Hill and Gilroy, and implementing intersection and transit improvements. Converting carpool lanes into toll lanes for solo drivers and adding bus routes would also do the job, while more expensive propositions, such upgrading and increasing Caltrain routes, could be carried out later, according to the study.
Automobile traffic is projected to increase proportionately as the population swells in South County as well as outside, said Supervisor Don Gage, who reviewed and discussed the study at the Valley Transportation Authority’s South County Policy Advisory Board meeting this week. Sellers, who’s a member of the VTA Board of Directors, and Gilroy Mayor Al Pinheiro also attended the quarterly meeting at VTA’s San Jose office. After a discussion, the board recommended that the full board of supervisors “consider alternatives that are far more extensive and far-reaching,” Sellers said.
The study cites Association of Bay Area Governments figures showing a 62 percent increase in households in South County by year 2030, from 31,868 to 51,553, while other projections peg the numbers even higher. Meanwhile, the number of South County jobs is expected to double in that time period, according to ABAG projections.
The problem isn’t just local, it’s regional, Sellers said, since motorists are likely to travel to or through South County to get to their jobs.
Supervisor Gage said planning was needed to avoid falling behind.
“We need to look at the long-term solution because the study shows the numbers of people using the corridor is going to grow faster than the improvements are being made,” Gage said.
WHAT’S NEXT
The South County Circulation Study goes for review by the Santa Clara Board of Supervisors at an upcoming meeting.
The board could direct its staff to draft documents that it could vote on in adaptation of recommended strategies.
