New design for Willow Road/Highway 101 interchange on the border of Menlo Park and East Palo Alto

The new design is aimed at preventing drivers from weaving among cars getting onto Highway 101 and those getting off the freeway and is expected to reduce lines of cars backing up onto the highway, said Weiss. As an interchange commonly used by commuters to and from the Facebook campus and other nearby employers, the redesign of the juncture on the southern edge of San Mateo County is also slated to accommodate bicyclists in four new bicycle lanes, noted Weiss. 

He said much of the construction work was completed at night, but among the challenges those coordinating the project faced was maintaining the ability for cars to travel through the interchange while the project was under construction

“It was a difficult project because you’re rebuilding an interchange while accommodating traffic,” he said. “That’s the new reality.” 

Because the new design routes drivers farther down Willow Road than they were previously directed, it cut the traffic volume on the overpass down in half, explained Weiss. He said there are two bicycle lanes in each direction on the overpass, with one serving as a “fast” lane that’s not separated from traffic and another meant for recreational bicyclists that is separated from traffic by a barrier. 

Weiss said local agencies collaborated to come up with the $71 million needed to fund the design and construction of the project, which was largely completed in June. He said crews have been refining the timing of the lights and lane markers during the summer to optimize traffic flow through the area. 

Weiss was gratified to see representatives of Menlo Park, East Palo Alto, San Mateo County as well as state Sen. Jerry Hill, D-San Mateo, and Assemblyman Kevin Mullin, D-South San Francisco, at the ribbon-cutting Tuesday, which he noted was the culmination of years of collaboration. 

“If we work together on these projects, it’s much easier to get them built and deal with any problems that arise,” he said.

anna@smdailyjournal.com

(650) 344-5200 ext. 106