Our surrounding area will soon see some significant highway improvements.
This fall, construction of the U.S. 101/SR 25 interchange project begins. It starts with building new ramps, estimated to be completed in 2025, followed by building the new bridge in 2026, and demolition of the old ramps and old bridge and finishing of the roadway in 2027.
The timeline for Phase II, extending Santa Teresa Boulevard across Castro Valley Road and connecting to the 101/25 interchange, is not yet available but may begin simultaneously with parts of Phase I.
Also in the works is to widen Tenth Street in Gilroy between Chestnut Avenue and Automall Parkway and Camino Arroyo. This widening will add one lane in each direction to improve existing and future traffic flow near the freeway and the surrounding area.
Thanks to an $8 million grant award from the Measure B Highway Program in 2023, we’re able to start planning/design for this project that not only includes widening the bridge structure and the roadway, but also ramp work, grading, striping and signal modification improvements.
Next month Caltrain will adjust their PM schedule to Gilroy to offer commuters more flexibility with one earlier arrival time than currently exists and one later arrival time. Since the addition of the fourth commuter train in September 2023, morning ridership from Gilroy has increased by 38 percent. Evening ridership has also increased, but not by as much.
To better address the needed flexibility of our commuters, the Caltrain PM schedule will change this September and will offer one earlier arrival time than currently exists and one later arrival time. Current evening Gilroy arrival times are 5:19pm, 5:40pm, 6:17pm and 6:40pm, and will be changing to 5:09pm, 5:48pm, 6:48pm and 7:09pm.
With plans for High-Speed Rail to come through Gilroy, the Gilroy Transit Center will one day be a transit hub, second only to Diridon in San Jose for the stretch between Merced and San Francisco.
Already underway are studies funded by Caltrans’ Sustainable Planning grant to identify and plan for access improvements to the Gilroy Transit Center. VTA is hosting pop-up tabling sessions in Gilroy as well as conducting an online survey to initiate their outreach to Gilroy residents and the surrounding neighborhood for feedback as to how access to the station by foot, bicycle or vehicle could be improved, including things like wayfinding signage, improved lighting, better bus waiting areas, transit passenger amenities and traffic calming measures.
The online survey is being conducted from Aug. 6-Sept. 6, and may be found at vta.org/gilroy.survey. Upcoming pop-up events in Gilroy where you may add your input will be at the Gilroy Library, 350 W. Sixth St. on Aug. 22 from 10-1pm; on Aug. 27 from 4-7pm; at the Gilroy Transit Center, 7250 Monterey Road, on Aug. 22 from 4-7pm and on Aug. 27 from 6-9am. Gilroy is on the move!
Marie Blankley
Mayor, City of Gilroy
Interesting how the mayor starts writing letters during election time.