Belmont takes aim at infrastructure

The projects total about $12.5 million and about $62 million over the next five years.

“We go through a painstakingly rigorous process. Besides our budget is devising our CIP program and how we are allocating the funding by year and when we anticipate projects may come forward,” Community Development Director Carlos de Melo said.

The projects range from large-scale efforts, such as the San Juan Pump Station rehabilitation, to smaller ones, such as traffic signal improvements on Belmont Canyon Road and Cipriani Boulevard. It also includes the Belmont Creek Watershed project, which is part of a broader effort to address erosion and mitigate increasingly intense stormwater flooding over the last several years, both within the city of Belmont and the nearby Harbor Industrial Area, which has seen some of the worst effects of the area’s most severe storms. The city began tree work at Twin Pines Park in January and completed it in April. The next phase, set to begin in June, will require construction along the creek and involves removing invasive vegetation and stabilizing the eroded creek banks

“The majority of the budget is going toward sewer and storm projects,” Finance Director Grace Castaneda said. “And the biggest project budgeted for next year is the San Juan Pump Station rehabilitation project.”

The pump station project this year has $5.7 million budgeted, with about one-third of design plans expected to be completed by the summer.

About 43% of the total CIP funding for the upcoming year is for street-related projects, including pavement rehabilitation-related projects.

Alameda de las Pulgas corridor improvements is another large-scale project, which has $1.3 million budgeted for the upcoming fiscal year. The effort, which also involves San Carlos and Sequoia Union High and San Carlos school districts, involves repaving the road between Ralston Avenue up to the San Carlos border. It also includes three small roundabouts, bike lanes and upgraded crosswalks. The design is slated for completion by December, though the city is still seeking grant funding.

Many of the projects are a result of contributions from Measure, a half-cent sales tax meant to fund a variety of city services.

According to recent budget discussions, the city is anticipating a $1.4 million deficit for 2025-26.