Burlingame Broadway rail crossing plan gets funding boost

“This board has been very supportive of this project,” she said during the board’s meeting June 4. “We mentioned the incredible safety issues, congestion.” 

Caltrain was able to get the most basic construction costs for the grade separation down to $380 million by removing the Broadway train station and the need for temporary shoofly tracks when construction commences, Jess Manzi, San Mateo County Transportation Authority project delivery director, said. 

The TA is planning an investment of $21.6 million to get the project, which is currently approaching 65% design, to 100% design by 2029. Pending approval of federal grant money, the TA is also planning for programming $321.6 million into right-of-way and construction costs. 

The agency is hopeful that the funding investment will make the project more attractive for a federal railroad crossing elimination program grant, for which it’s currently applying. That ask sits at just above $90 million, Manzi said. 

If the federal funding comes through, that grant, alongside contributions from the TA, the city of Burlingame and Caltrain should not leave a funding gap for a stripped-down version of the project’s construction cost, she said. 

“We’re calling it a Phase One, bare-bones construction cost,” she said. “For that, there would not be any gap.” 

U.S. Rep. Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, also recently announced that he secured $3 million in additional investment for the project. At a June 1 press conference announcing the financial commitment, Burlingame Mayor Michael Brownrigg emphasized the importance of federal dollars. 

“We have significant support from the state, from the county and from this city, and the missing picture piece right now is the federal government,” he said. 

The TA is still operating on the assumption that the $615 million estimate is what it will take to get a fully completed project, both with construction costs and additional needs like landscaping, Manzi said. Caltrain is slated to present to the Burlingame City Council in July about its latest funding predictions. 

If all goes to plan, the project will begin construction in 2029 and be completed by 2032, according to the TA. It’s imperative that the safety issue be rectified, Mullin said during his press conference. 

“In all of California, the railroad tracks here at Broadway are the most hazardous for people to cross, and tragically numerous people have died here,” he said. 

As recently as June 8, the crossing experienced an issue, with the crossing arm broken and traffic delays in the area as a result. The issue was fixed by the afternoon, according to Caltrain. 

At the TA’s June 4 meeting, they also committed $20.52 million for at-grade safety projects for railroad crossings across the county, including Broadway.