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A plan for improved pedestrian and bicycle crossings in Mountain View has been shifted to a staggered rollout after the city ran into funding constraints for the intersection upgrades.
Since 2018, Mountain View has been planning on installing crosswalk improvements at Grant Road and Sleeper Avenue, an intersection that is adjacent to Cuesta Park and gets a lot of pedestrian and bicycle activity, according to a report presented to the City Council in June.
Over time, the scope of the project has grown to include improvements at nine intersections throughout the city. But as the project has expanded so has the cost, ballooning to about $6.3 million or approximately $700,000 per intersection, according to a city memo.
Currently, Mountain View has the funding covered for most of the road improvements, with about $4.8 million set aside for six crossings. The plan is to proceed with the upgrades using a phased approach, starting with the Grant Road and Sleeper Avenue intersection.
Phase one improvements
Currently, there is a pedestrian refuge island in the middle of the Grant Road and Sleeper Avenue intersection but no painted crosswalk or pedestrian warning signals. A marked crosswalk runs across Sleeper Avenue.
The proposed pedestrian and bicycle improvements for the intersection include a pedestrian hybrid beacon, high visibility crosswalks, marked bicycle crossings, streetlights and more signage and striping. There also is a plan to pilot prohibiting left turns from Sleeper Avenue onto Grant Road, according to a report presented to the City Council last year.
At the same time, the city is planning to install bicycle and pedestrian upgrades at Sleeper Avenue and Franklin Avenue as well as Dale Avenue and Heatherstone Way.
At Sleeper Avenue and Franklin Avenue, which is an access point to the Stevens Creek Trail, the city plans to put in speed humps, a marked bicycle crossing, a median island with a refuge area and more signage and striping.
The city plans to add flashing beacons and added signage at Dale Avenue and Heatherstone Way, which marks the southern end of the Stevens Creek Trail.
The estimated cost for these three intersection improvements is about $2.3 million. Construction is expected to start this fall, according to the June council report.
Phase two improvements
The city then plans to roll out three more intersection improvements next year.
Construction is slated for Rengstorff Avenue and Junction Avenue, West Middlefield Road and Terra Bella Avenue, and Cuesta Drive and Bonita Avenue near Cuesta Park, according to the June council report.
The proposed upgrades, which vary by intersection, include a number of bicycle and pedestrian safety improvements. All three intersections would get enhanced signage and striping.
At West Middlefield Road and Terra Bella Avenue, as well as at Cuesta Drive and Bonita Avenue, the city plans to install what are known as rectangular rapid flashing beacons. The Rengstorff Avenue and Junction Avenue intersection would get a pedestrian hybrid beacon.
The Rengstorff and Cuesta intersections would also get high-visibility crosswalk striping and additional streetlights. Cuesta would also get upgraded curb ramps to meet current Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
The estimated cost of this phase of the project is $2.1 million. Construction is expected to begin next spring and finish in fall 2026, according to the June report.
Phase three improvements
Initially, the city had planned to upgrade six intersections as part of the second phase, but has since determined there is not enough money to do all of them at once. Three of the projects have therefore been deferred to a later time, according to the June report.
Those three intersections are West Middlefield Road and San Pierre Way, Cuesta Drive and Begen Avenue, and East Dana Street and Pioneer Way.
The estimated cost for the intersection improvements is $2 million, according to a city memo.
Several similar improvements are planned for pedestrians crossing El Camino, but I believe the State will be funding those. I’m particularly looking forward to the one between (roughly) the Russian School of Mathematics and Subway, near Bush St.
Who painted the bike lane on El Camino Real and Continental. The bike lane merges into the road when there is plenty of space near the crosswalk to go straight. Why are those pedestrian bump out forcing the bikes into the road with cars? Yes some of these intersection improvement are poorly design for the whole community and need better reviews by the whole city not just one group.
Appreciate the update MV Voice and also hmm…I remember getting a notice about 2 years ago that improvement were to be made at this Sleeper and Grant ped crossing – to began April 2025. And still nothing – I was thinking all summer about this non-existent update to the most dangerous crossing outside of anywhere on El Camino. Now they are going to do in October, while school is in session? Why this intersection continue to get downgraded and delayed is beyond me. As long as I have lived here, I have held my breath every day when I see children cross on their bikes to go to high school and middle school there. And pedestrians and families crossing on foot there take their chances every time, as cars speed through (mostly on their way to their cushy Los Altos address). I see many other areas in MV get the road crossing make overs much faster than this crossing, which the above article noted that the city has had this on their radar since 2018! 2018!!!! The city knows that this intersection is an accident waiting to happen and when it does, I hope the victims sue the heck out of the city. This should have been taken care of ages ago. Somehow painting colorful and useless lines on Castro St. was more of a priority than resident/children safety. I’ll believe this upgrade when I see it.