Widen State Route 92 bridge over Caltrain tracks

Editor,

San Mateo’s City Council is smart in not jumping up and down with immediate support for the latest Highway 101 and 92 interchange improvement plans, as proposed by state planners. If regional interchange work is to occur, let’s ensure equal prioritization of local public safety. Immediate attention is needed to the current inadequate width of the State Route 92 bridge over the Caltrain tracks. The lack of a third lane there regularly prevents smooth merging of exiting southbound 101 vehicles into westbound 92, especially when those drivers need to maneuver to exit at El Camino Real. This bottleneck will become even more complicated to merge, given the related increasing traffic volumes generated by the mandated construction of denser housing along El Camino Real in San Mateo. The next step for our City Council is to ensure that any expenditure of public funds for freeway redesign also meets the needs of current and future San Mateo residents, not just the demands of motorists passing through. San Mateo’s first priority should be the addition of a traffic lane to westbound 92 west of the 101 interchange, specifically where traffic struggles to merge just before the El Camino Real exit. By the way, I first identified this need in a letter to the Journal’s editor, published July 18, 2024, “Don’t ignore local traffic needs.” I have faith that the current City Council will facilitate a local-community-serving redesign before endorsing any costly state highway modifications.