Caltrans has started to cut down eucalyptus trees along El Camino Real in Burlingame as part of their large project that will improve the corridor between Burlingame and San Mateo.
In around the first month since a long-awaited major renovation project began on the Burlingame section of El Camino Real, around 30 trees have been removed and road closures have begun, Caltrans Public Information Officer Jeneane Crawford said.
The project, which is estimated to end in 2029, includes planned removal of 382 trees from the street, replanting of almost 460 trees, fixing failing sections of road and repairing sidewalks spanning from Millbrae to San Mateo, with a major focus on the Burlingame segment. Groundbreaking on the project officially began Dec. 15.
Since work began, the city, Caltrans and the project’s construction company have been collaborating to improve the driving and rerouting process that’s necessary for renovation work of this magnitude, Burlingame Mayor Michael Brownrigg said. That includes more-robust signage and extra signalers on closed portions of the road.
“We are collectively getting better at rerouting traffic,” he said. “Every week, I hope, will be better than the last, in terms of our ability to route traffic.”
One of the project’s commitments was to keep one side of traffic open in both directions unless trees are being removed, at which point entire chunks of the road will be closed for safety, Brownrigg said.
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El Camino Real road closures for the 20 trees that have been previously removed coincided with road closures on Broadway and California Drive caused by leaking gasoline earlier this month. The trees slated for removal had been designated as hazardous, Brownrigg said, however, he acknowledged the dual closures caused traffic issues in the city.
“We understood it was going to be a traffic problem,” he said. “What we didn’t understand was the extent of the gasoline spill.”
This week, El Camino Real is scheduled for closure from Lincoln Avenue to Rosedale Avenue. The week of Feb. 2, the road will experience closures from Carmelita Avenue to Grove Avenue, and the week of Feb. 9 and Feb. 16, the road will experience closures from Edgehill Drive to Carmelita Avenue, Crawford said.
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