Pedestrian bridge ready to open

A brand-new Broadway pedestrian overcrossing will open to the public Friday as the latest part of a multi-year process to improve traffic on Highway 101 from San Mateo to Millbrae.

The new overcrossing will connect Burlingame’s eastside hotel district with businesses and the train station on the west side of Highway 101. It is part of a major construction undertaking that began more than 18 months ago and will continue through 2011, according to Caltrans.

When complete, the entire project will add 4.5 miles of auxiliary traffic lanes between Millbrae Avenue and Third Avenue in San Mateo, reconstruct the Peninsula overpass, reconstruct a pedestrian overcrossing at Monte Diablo Street and create a new pedestrian overcrossings at Broadway in Burlingame.

The Monte Diablo overcrossing was opened to the public this summer. The Broadway overcrossing is completed but boarded up until it opens Friday.

The total cost of the project is estimated to cost $160 million, according to Caltrans.

Caltrans continues to work on the San Mateo Peninsula Avenue overcrossing and the auxiliary lanes.

Auxiliary lanes reduce freeway congestion by providing a merging area for cars to enter and exit the freeway. The lanes are equipped with metering lights that activate during commute hours, when traffic is heaviest.

Similar lanes have already been added on other sections of the highway in the county. The entire plan calls for the lanes to extend from county line to county line, a total length of 26 miles, according to the San Mateo County Transportation Authority.

The replacement Peninsula Avenue overpass will be four lanes instead of two, have a 6-foot-wide sidewalk on both sides of the overcrossing and a 5-foot-wide bike lane. It will be a straight overcrossing to provide better sight distance as opposed to the existing curved alignment.

The project is funded by a combination of sources, with the San Mateo County Transportation Authority contributing $80 million and Caltrans contributing $70 million.