Foothill Expressway safety update

SAN JOSE – The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has signed off on the Foothill Expressway Pedestrian Sensors and Mast Arms Installation Project, which started in late 2020 and resulted in the installation of pedestrian sensors at five intersections on Foothill Expressway and upgraded traffic signals at two intersections on Foothill Expressway. This phase of the effort is now complete.

“Pedestrian safety has to be a priority,” said County Supervisor Joe Simitian, whose district includes the Foothill Expressway. “These are issues I hear a lot about at my Sidewalk Office Hours. My hope and expectation is that by creating safer intersections for pedestrians, we’re also making improvements to help drivers, too.”

As part of the Foothill Expressway Pedestrian Sensors and Mast Arms Installation Project (“A mouthful,” said Simitian, “but an important mouthful.”), pedestrian sensors were installed at the intersections of Foothill Expressway and Arastradero Road, W. Edith Avenue, Main Street, Springer Road/Magdalena Avenue and Grant Road. At the W. Edith Avenue and Main Street intersections on Foothill Expressway, upgraded traffic signal poles with mast arms were installed. These signal poles/mast arms greatly increase the visibility of the traffic signals for motorists.

Other recent Foothill Expressway improvement projects include:

• Foothill Expressway Auxiliary Lanes between El Monte Avenue and San Antonio Road: A congestion relief project to widen Foothill Expressway from four to six lanes by extending right turn lanes and making intersection improvements at El Monte Avenue and San Antonio Road. The project was funded by 2016 Measure B.
• Loyola Bridge Project: A project to widen the existing Loyola Bridge by 23 feet on the north side and 15 feet on the south side to provide one through lane, one left-turn lane, a bike lane and sidewalk in each direction.

Another project the County is involved in that will improve safety on Foothill Expressway and adjacent roads is the Homestead Safe Routes to School project. It is still in the implementation stage. The project area runs from the intersection of Vineyard Drive/Grant Road and Foothill Expressway in Los Altos continuing along Homestead Road to the intersection of Hollenbeck Avenue/North Stelling Road in Sunnyvale.

When constructed, the Homestead project will improve pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure along Homestead Road and make riding a bicycle or walking safer. Planned improvements include separated bike lanes, a sidewalk gap closure, a trail extension widening, and new sidewalks, high-visibility crosswalks, curb ramps, and pedestrian and bicycle detection upgrades.