The city of San Mateo opened up the newly finished section of 28th Avenue that connects Bay Meadows to El Camino Real. This project was on the drawing board before the 25th Avenue grade separation project was approved. A connection between El Camino Real and Bay Meadows was needed for first responders to cut response times to calls in Bay Meadows.
As the 25th Avenue Grade Separation Project in San Mateo begins its final stretch toward completion, recent construction work has closed most of the road, while 28th Avenue is now open, Caltrain announced Monday.
The eastbound lanes of East 25th Avenue at South Delaware Street will be closed until August, while westbound travel is single lane only until April. For East 28th Avenue at El Camino Real, the road will be opened to both directions of traffic from El Camino Real to South Delaware Street, according to the city’s website. For now, 28th Avenue will be the primary means of getting between El Camino Real and Delaware Street for the months required to lower the road at East 25th Avenue, while the 31st Avenue connection is expected to open to the public in the fall, according to Caltrain.
Nick Rose/Daily Journal
Once finished, the project will allow traffic to cross the Caltrain corridor without crossing the tracks at 25th, 28th and 31st avenues. It will raise the train tracks, slightly lower the road at East 25th Avenue and create new east-west street connections at 28th and 31st avenues to meet guidelines for the Bay Meadows Transit-Oriented Development Plan, a redevelopment plan for the Bay Meadows race track. Caltrain is also building a new elevated Hillsdale Station with updated amenities at East 28th Avenue, the transit organization said. The project is expected to improve motorists’ and pedestrians’ safety in the area and reduce local traffic congestion.
Work on the 25th Avenue Grade Separation Project began in 2017 and is expected to finish this fall. Caltrain closed the Hillsdale Station in spring 2020 to work on 28th Avenue and to make improvements. It is relocating the station about one block north of its previous location, between 28th and 31st avenues. Construction crews are currently working on the finishing touches, including putting together the parking lots and installing lighting and shelters on the platform, Caltrain spokesman Dan Lieberman said by email. It is expected to be open for service in April.
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The project costs current total is $205.9 million, with $97.8 million from Measure A, $94 million from state and county organizations and funding, and $14.1 from San Mateo, Caltrain said. San Mateo is the sponsoring partner, while Caltrain has handled the project’s construction and financial overview. The project, which is around 85% finished, had overrun construction costs of $25.9 million. The city of San Mateo recently had to pay an extra $2.1 million to finish the project, while the remaining $23.8 million coming from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, which approved the funding at its Jan. 7 meeting.
Caltrain officials cited COVID-19 cost overruns and issues with the relocation of a gas line and two fiber-optic lines as significant reasons for the higher budget needed. If the SMCTA had not approved the additional funding, the project would likely not have finished. Lieberman said there had been no additional costs since the $25.9 million increase in January.
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