Radical thinking needed to solve South Bay traffic woes

South Bay transportation leaders received a whipping last month.

A scathing grand jury report virtually demanded that agencies forget how they’ve been grappling with monstrous traffic jams and one of the worst performing transit systems for nearly three decades and instead think of revolutionary solutions to the South Bay’s mounting traffic woes.

This revolutionary enough? A tunnel to carry riders in driverless or electric cars the 3 miles from the Diridon train station to Mineta San Jose International Airport. Or an elevated roadway along Stevens Creek Boulevard to job-rich high-tech companies like Apple and Google.

There are far more questions than answers. But this month, San Jose, the Valley Transportation Authority and cities of Cupertino and Santa Clara submitted what is called an RFI or Request For Information to determine what is possible.

“We want to hear what the state-of-the-industry technologies and business models are, so we can determine if this is something we should pursue through a competitive bid process,” said San Jose Department of Transportation spokesman Colin Heyne. “It could be buses on a raised viaduct, or a subway, or something we aren’t imagining yet. What we do know is that it must be fast, convenient, and safe.”

The RFI asks firms to discuss potential solutions that could provide grade-separated mass transit infrastructure and operations at significantly lower cost than traditional transit projects.

“Amid unprecedented growth at San Jose International Airport, and the development of a new vision for Diridon Station — set to become the largest multi-modal transit hub west of the Mississippi — San Jose sits on the brink of a new age of public transit, with a unique opportunity to explore innovative transit connections to our city’s core,” said San Jose Mayor Sam Liccardo. “By linking the airport to the station and beyond, visitors from across the globe will be able to explore Silicon Valley’s capital without entering a car.”

Firms are being asked to talk about two other segments: a trio of urban villages including the Santana Row and Valley Fair shopping district; and the San Carlos-Stevens Creek Boulevard corridor that includes Main Street Cupertino, the currently-under-development Vallco site, and De Anza College.

The spark began a few years ago when traffic on Highway 85 exploded as thousands of motorists saw their traveling times double trying to get to work and back home, many leaving as early as 5:30 a.m. while others cut through city streets like Saratoga Avenue, De Anza Boulevard and Wolfe Road.

“Traffic on Saratoga Avenue has been miserable for so long,” said Bill Denny of San Jose. “Red lights are ignored. Lane cutters abound.”

West Valley leaders wanted the VTA to extend light rail from Highway 87 to their cities. But the VTA quashed that dream, saying ridership would be very low and costs to build that extension could run 10 times more than the $350 million earmarked for Highway 85.

Instead, express lanes will likely be installed the entire 25 miles from 101 in South San Jose to 101 in Mountain View. Sometimes two in each direction. And plans to widen and build new interchanges on Interstate 280 from Magdalena Avenue to Winchester Boulevard are on the wish list.

In coming years, Google is expected to build a massive campus near Diridon, bringing thousands more people, jobs and homes to downtown San Jose. And the station itself is expected to undergo an overhaul of its own, with BART eventually set to extend to downtown by 2026 and Caltrain improvements on deck.

“A high-capacity, high-speed, grade-separated transit system along the Stevens Creek Boulevard corridor would go a long way toward creating quicker travel times while building stronger connections throughout the valley,” Cupertino Councilman Darcy Paul said.

“Significantly faster transit is also a key factor, if not the most important factor, for a real and lasting fix to our housing crisis.”

This isn’t the first time a quick connection from the airport to transit has been discussed. In 2000, voters approved Measure A, a 30-year half-cent sales tax aimed at transit capital improvements. Included in that measure was an airport people mover that would connect airport passengers to Caltrain and light rail.

The agencies are promoting the RFI, hoping to garner responses from national and international firms. Responses are due by Sept. 30. Interested firms can find the RFI at http://bit.ly/sjc-diridon-stevens.

Look for Gary Richards at Facebook.com/mr.roadshow or contact him at mrroadshow@bayareanewsgroup.com.

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