SamTrans officials told the Planning and Transportation Commission on Oct. 29 that a countywide Grand Boulevard Initiative (GBI) would take a corridor-wide approach to redesigning El Camino Real to prioritize safety, transit and active transportation. Cassie Halls, SamTrans manager for major corridors, said the effort would coordinate 15 jurisdictions and multiple agencies — SamTrans, Caltrans, SMCTA, MTC and VTA among them — and produce a single action plan and a shared Project Initiation Document for Caltrans review.

"We estimate $750,000,000 to a billion dollars to complete this effort," Halls said, noting that the action-plan and PID phases are intended to reduce duplicative work for individual cities. Halls said the PID is already funded at about $2.5 million and that the project will be implemented in phases; she said planners expect some spot or "low-hanging fruit" improvements to move faster while the full corridor redesign could take six to 10 years.

The plan’s stated priorities are safety and mobility. Halls said data show El Camino has "an unusually high rate of fatal or serious injury crashes, particularly for people walking and biking," and that the initiative seeks a "safety-first mindset to eliminate fatal and serious injury crashes." Proposed improvements in the action plan range from traffic-calming and crosswalk upgrades to wider sidewalks, bike facilities, bus lanes and bus-stop improvements. Halls said design choices will vary by city, but the GBI will prioritize continuity so that facilities align across jurisdictional boundaries.

Commissioners pressed SamTrans on how the project will be funded and delivered. Halls said SamTrans and SMCTA expect to pursue phased funding through SMCTA's highway call for projects (which may fund up to 50% of construction costs for eligible projects), federal and regional competitive grants, and other sources. She said the coordinated PID reduces the per-city planning cost: "We're spending $2.5 million for the first PID, where a city going alone might spend $2,000,000," Halls said.

Multiple commissioners asked how divergent local designs will be reconciled where city preferences differ. Halls said a preferred alternative would be selected during later design phases and that the process will include negotiation and transition zones to make facilities continuous. She added that the team will identify priority sections for transit lanes and bike facilities based on congestion and safety analyses.

Commissioners also asked about contractor involvement and delivery methods; Halls said SamTrans and the TA are familiar with alternative delivery models and will explore those because of the project’s scale. SamTrans staff said they plan technical assistance to help smaller cities prepare alternatives and permit applications so that cities can compete for discretionary funding together.

Public commenters at the meeting raised adjacent concerns about existing bike-lane safety on nearby streets and enforcement, saying planning should consider current conditions. SamTrans staff said Caltrans is an active partner and that GBI could be a test case for multi-jurisdictional corridor planning and implementation.

What happens next: SamTrans will complete the GBI action plan before the end of the calendar year and seek board adoption; the PID and subsequent environmental/design phases are expected to follow, with a decision window about preferred alternatives in the next two to three years. SamTrans said it will return to jurisdictions for review and anticipates regular coordination with city transportation and planning staff.