The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority has scheduled a series of public meetings on the Highway 101 and State Route 25 interchange project. The purpose of the meetings is to provide commuters with more information about the changes coming to the busy intersection.
The next meeting is an online session starting at 6pm on March 26, in both English and Spanish.
Phase 1 of the Highway 101/State Route 25 interchange project will reconstruct the existing intersection, displacing it slightly north of its current location, according to VTA staff. Crews will replace the SR 25 two-lane overcrossing with a four-lane overcrossing spanning Highway 101.
The project will also increase the length of the southbound US 101 off ramp to SR 25; upgrade the northbound US 101 ramps to improve exit and merging maneuvers; install new traffic signals at the ramp intersections to regulate traffic flow; and build a separated two-way bike lane between Castro Valley Road and the southbound 101/25 intersection.
Future phases of the project will be announced and detailed as funding becomes available, VTA officials said.
The total projected cost of the Phase 1 project is about $136 million, according to VTA. Of that amount, $77 million is funded by 2016 Measure B Santa Clara County sales tax and $59 million is from Senate Bill 1, known as the Road Repair and Accountability Act of 2017.
VTA officials said the project—which is located in Santa Clara County but serves commuters from San Benito County and throughout the South Valley—is “intended to accommodate traffic demands due to rapid growth in commuter, commercial and recreational traffic that uses SR 25 in Gilroy.”
Construction on the Phase 1 project is expected to begin later this year and last through fall 2027, the VTA said.
The project is designed to enable future improvements to both Highway 101 and SR 25, VTA added. Potential future upgrades include converting the intersection to a partial cloverleaf or diamond ramp configuration with direct connectors, frontage roads and grade separations between SR 25 and the Union Pacific Railroad crossing east of US 101.
At the upcoming public meetings, VTA staff will make a presentation and answer questions from attendees.
For more information, including links to register for the upcoming in-person and online meetings, visit the VTA’s project website at vta.org/projects/us-101sr-25-interchange-phase-1.
