The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority board of directors is set to make a decision on how to best proceed on a major toll lane project that could bring congestion relief to Highway 85.
On Nov. 6, VTA staff will ask the board to support a plan that would convert carpool lanes on each side of the approximately 24-mile route into toll lanes open to other motorists.
The project proposes to convert the existing high-occupancy vehicle lanes on State Route 85 from U.S. 101 in South San Jose to U.S. 101 in Mountain View to allow single-occupancy vehicles to pay a fee during rush hour to join carpool, clean-air vehicles, motorcyclists and transit buses in the relatively faster lane. Today, SR 85 has six lanes, including a carpool lane in each direction.
The Nov. 6 meeting will begin at 5:30 p.m. at the County Government Center, 70 W. Hedding St., in San Jose.
If the project is approved and implemented, single-occupant vehicles would be able to begin using FasTrak, electronic technology that Bay Area motorists are already using on local toll bridges. Motorists would find overhead signs alerting drivers to the upcoming express lanes. Signs will also be erected telling drivers the price to enter the approaching lane.
The express lanes’ exit will be situated to give drivers adequate distance to change lanes prior to reaching the interchange. A double white line would be painted alongside the express lane to prevent drivers from moving in and out of the lane and to prevent weaving issues.
The project originally was pitched as adding a second lane on each side and doing away with the center median, but that proposal was not popular with residents and elected officials in the West Valley cities, VTA’s John Ristow told the Cupertino City Council during a project update on Oct. 21. Ristow has been visiting cities along the SR 85 corridor and updating city leaders on the project.
The full cost of the project if it were to include the second-lane component is approximately $170 million, VTA stated in the spring.
The project is in its environmental review phase and is a joint venture between VTA and Caltrans. The review should be complete by the beginning of the new year.
A public comment period ran closed on Feb. 28. VTA has finished going through approximately 800 comments that have been forwarded onto Caltrans, which Ristow said is the lead agency for both the project’s environmental reviews.
The Nov. 6 meeting will also see the VTA board consider a plan to reduce noise along the SR 85 corridor. The noise reduction efforts would be done in three phases. Phase one would see a noise reduction study, with phase two consisting of a noise reduction pilot project and phase three seeing actual noise reduction projects using toll lane funds and pending the approval of the VTA toll lane project.
The pilot portion of the project includes VTA testing noise abatement techniques in certain areas. Ristow told the Cupertino council that not every portion of the freeway has the same noise abatement tools and features, with some areas having better landscaping, soundwalls and different types of concrete.
In spring 2015, Caltrans will approve the final environmental document. Soon after, the project would go into final design phases. VTA staff is recommending the project be done in increments, beginning in the Mountain View area of SR 85 and south San Jose to take advantage of both direct connectors in the Highway 85 corridor, Ristow told the council.
The Nov. 6 meeting will be streamed live on the VTA website. It can be viewed by visiting vta.org/get-involved/board-of-directors. For more information about the Highway 85 express lane project and similar projects, visit vta.org/projects-and-programs/highway/silicon-valley-express-lanes.
