Burlingame Public Works director retiring

Ultimately, the city successfully applied for grants and passed a storm drain ballot measure to fund upgrades to Burlingame’s flood control systems and build pump stations, significantly reducing the city’s flooding issues.  

If he’s doing his job right, many community members may never know the breadth of work that goes into keeping streets clean, pipes working and roads safe. But this quietly tenacious, long-term approach to solving the problems that affect Burlingame residents’ everyday lives is one Murtuza has brought to many projects throughout his tenure. 

Now, as he’s retiring, Murtuza reflected on his love for the puzzle that is building, funding and maintaining public works projects. He originally began working for the city in 1997, he said, and has been here ever since.

“I love the challenge,” he said. “It’s a challenging thing to find solutions, but also to find money to pay for it and to build it. It’s multiple problems — and when you build it, and you have to maintain it, and you have to train people.” 

He’s been a major player in the upgrades to Burlingame Avenue, transitioning it into a more pedestrian-friendly shopping area. Upgrading the Broadway interchange, a $92.5 million project that required work with state agencies like Caltrans, was accomplished under Murtuza’s leadership. And building a California Avenue roundabout to slow traffic and keep pedestrians safe? Also Murtuza. 

Projects of this nature require convincing a wide variety of political players, from Burlingame councilmembers to state agencies and private investors, that spending the money will be worth it. 

If you ask him, working with a committed city staff and council has made all the difference, particularly when suggesting major changes to the city’s roads that might ruffle feathers. 

“Continued support is important because they also get backlash when you do things different, new, [and] trying to change the behavior of people, especially high-speed traffic,” Murtuza said. “Not everybody likes that.” 

And if you ask the city leaders he’s worked with throughout the years, it’s his vision and leadership for city upgrades that has made Burlingame one of the most sought-after destinations on the Peninsula. Councilmember Donna Colson cited his work on the Burlingame Avenue renovation as a huge boon to the city. 

“I would call him one of the most impactful public servants in the history of Burlingame,” she said. “The innovative public-private partnerships he put together to fund all these projects, and the multiplier effect that has had on the number of people wanting to visit, have businesses and live in Burlingame is almost immeasurable.” 

His penchant for generating collaboration has made him invaluable to the city, Mayor Peter Stevenson said.

“It’s comprehensive impact across our city,” he said. “When you think about all the infrastructure, from roadways to sidewalks to sewers to water lines, Syed has touched literally every square mile, every square foot, of this city.”

A Dec. 3 letter from the City/County Association of Governments of San Mateo County highlighted Murtuza’s work not only within the city but also the county at large, including 18 years of service on the C/CAG Technical Advisory and Stormwater Committee. 

“Your contributions have positively shaped the safety, accessibility and resilience of Burlingame and beyond,” the letter read. “What also stands out is the way you carried yourself as a leader. Your professionalism, integrity, super communication skills, and ability to unify diverse perspectives have earned you the admiration of your peers.” 

Perhaps no project is more indicative of the long-term commitment required to bring significant public works projects to life than the major upgrades on the Burlingame section of El Camino Real. 

Murtuza has been working on that project — which will remove 382 trees from the street, replant 429, fix failing sections of road, repair sidewalks and underground utilities via Caltrans and Pacific Gas and Electric — for the better part of three decades. It broke ground Monday. 

“You don’t get yes the first time when you start on any project, from the community or from anybody, because people have different ideas, people have different perspectives, and bringing people together on a common cause is challenging, and it takes time,” he said. 

But one project, the Broadway grade separation, stands out as a regret. After decades of work to make separating tracks from road at the dangerous intersection a reality, a new $600 million Caltrain price tag for the project has made completion feel farther away than ever.  

“I worked really hard, put in every ounce of my energy to make that project happen,” Murtuza said. “That project is still dear to my heart. It will save lives. It will make it much safer for people to cross Broadway. It also will help relieve traffic congestion.” 

Working in the public projects realm makes resident and visitor safety personal, Murtuza said, though he’s had to learn to accept that he cannot take the human error element away entirely.

“It is very personal, because every time, if something happens, you look at it — what happened, where, and you can do what you can do,” he said. “And you can do only so much.” 

And as for what Burlingame will do without Murtuza, now that he’s choosing to take time for himself, his family and travel? 

“It’s a really crazy question,” Colson said.