San Mateo closing in on grade separation: Plans relocate Caltrain Hillsdale station, create new crossings at 25th, 28th and 31st avenues

The entire $180 million project also includes relocating the Hillsdale Caltrain station further north and creating new grade separated crossings at 31st as well as 28th avenues — currently the roads dead-end at El Camino Real and don’t intersect the tracks.

Numerous communities along the 51 miles of future electric tracks between San Francisco and San Jose are also hoping to find the means to raise areas of the popular rail line above street traffic.

Brad Underwood, San Mateo’s director of Public Works, said the city is not alone in seeking grade separations as an increased number of trains will carry more commuters through the region.

“Definitely I think it’s going to impact the whole Peninsula if we don’t have grade separations,” Underwood said. “The gate downtimes, obviously that’s going to affect traffic and anything we can do to get this done in advance of high-speed rail is beneficial.”

The entire collaborative project in many ways can be viewed as a model for how communities must be proactive — and willing to contribute financially — if they want their own grade separations to come to fruition. San Mateo’s improvements are jointly funded by the city, county and state — although the last portion has yet to be awarded from voter-approved high-speed rail bonds.

“One of the things that high-speed rail has said, even at public meetings, is they’re kind of using the San Mateo 25th Avenue grade separation as kind of their poster child, or role model, on how grade separations should be funded. Obviously they have limited funding too, even if billions of dollars seems like a lot, it goes fast,” Underwood said. “When you can bring local money in to play, it’s going to be beneficial.”

The city is expected to contribute $12 million, $74 million will come from the county’s Measure A transportation tax, the California Public Utilities Commission is expected to offer $10 million and about $84 million in voter-approved high-speed rail bonds is needed to fund construction.

High-speed rail hasn’t fully tapped in to the $10 billion in voter-approved Proposition 1A bonds and has yet to secure the estimated $64 billion it’ll cost to create the state’s first bullet train.

But electrification and San Mateo’s grade separations are proceeding as the agencies hope high-speed rail’s support will arrive soon.

The High-Speed Rail Authority has earmarked funds for San Mateo’s project in its business plan and the city is working on a formal funding agreement to assure the money is accessible — ideally in time for construction to start next year, Underwood said.

The new crossings will offer critical access as the massive transit-oriented Bay Meadows redevelopment welcomes thousands of new residents and employees to the completely transformed site of the former horse race track.

This stretch of tracks could also serve as a critical component of the future Caltrain and high-speed rail blended system, as the area is considered a possible locale for passing tracks — extra tracks where the proposed bullet train could potentially pass the regional commuter line that will make more frequent stops. Having the area already grade separated will provide both operational benefits to the rail agencies and to the general community traversing across the tracks, said Liria Larano, deputy chief of Caltrain Modernization and Capital programs.

“It’s important that we work together so that we address the needs of all the stakeholders. [Caltrain] is a stakeholder, high-speed rail is a stakeholder, the city is a stakeholder and riders are stakeholders,” Larano said. “So when we do a design, we account for everyone’s needs if we’re able.”

Raising the tracks up to 20 feet in some places, while also lowering some portions of the street, will have safety benefits as vehicles will not intersect with the railroad and sidewalks running through the underpass will provide pedestrian routes, Larano said.

Some right-of-way acquisition will be required, with about $4 million set aside as part of the project costs. No residential properties will be affected, although some commercially-used surface parking lots may be needed to create crossings at 28th and 31st avenues, as well as for the new station, Larano said.

The project necessitates the Hillsdale Caltrain Station be raised and relocated further north toward 28th Avenue. The proposed new station will be centered between the two tracks and provide similar amenities as the existing station such as benches, shelters and ticket machines, Larano said.

With the final design wrapping up this fall and plans for the project to go to bid soon after, Caltrain and the city hope to start construction in 2017 with it wrapping up in 2020.

The plan is to coordinate the grade separation project alongside electrification — which involves installing an overhead contact system beginning in 2017. But keeping the project on track means support from the state’s high-speed rail must arrive in time to hire contractors next year, said Underwood and Larano.

The City Council will receive an update on the project and provide direction to staff about feasible funding sources at its Monday, July 18, meeting. The meeting is 7 p.m. at City Hall, 330 W. 20th Ave. Visit cityofsanmateo.org or caltrain.com for more information.

samantha@smdailyjournal.com

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