Highway 101 bridge for East Palo Alto

The city of East Palo Alto, CA will host a meeting on Wednesday, November 19 to discuss plans for a pedestrian / bike bridge over Highway 101 east of University Avenue near the IKEA store.

East Palo Alto Highway 1 pedestrian bicycle bridge

East Palo Alto is the historically underserved community on the other side of the highway from $2 million homes south of the freeway in Palo Alto. Bicycle crossings for Highway 101 are notoriously unpleasant. A narrow sidewalk on the University Avenue bridge provides the only pedestrian access, with walkers and cyclists forced to traverse a number of wide intersections and merge lanes with fast traffic to complete the journey between the north and south sides of 101. The nearest adjacent crossings from University are literally miles apart.

The city now plans a bridge over 101 connecting Newell Street south of the freeway to Clarke Avenue on the north. City Council approved plans for what they call “Alternative 2A,” which is roughly the red route shown in the illustration above.

The city of East Palo Alto invites comment from the public regarding the design of the bridge’s lighting, landscaping, color, texture and so forth. This meeting takes place 7:30pm, during Public Works & Transportation Commission Meeting at City Council Chambers, 2415 University Avenue, East Palo Alto, California.

For more details, visit East Palo Alto Highway 101 Pedestrian/Bicycle Overpass project website.

Via Pat at Bike San Mateo County.

2 Comments

  1. Actually, East Palo Alto is on both sides of the highway. One-third of East Palo Alto residents live on the south side of the highway. Palo Alto is farther south. The highway cuts East Palo Alto in two and makes it hard for residents to get from one side to the other without a car.

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