Atherton council hears multi‑agency update on Grand Boulevard Initiative for El Camino Real

SamTrans and partner agencies on Oct. 1 updated the Atherton Town Council on the Grand Boulevard Initiative, a multi‑jurisdictional planning study to guide changes along El Camino Real.

The presentation, led by Cassie Halls, manager of major corridors at SamTrans, outlined a countywide effort—supported by the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (TA), Caltrans and regional agencies—to develop corridor‑level concepts and a plan for implementation. Halls said the study responds to “a lot of safety and mobility issues along the corridor,” including “an unusually high rate of fatal and serious injury crashes,” and seeks to provide a menu of improvements cities can consider.

The presentation matters locally because El Camino Real is a state highway that runs through about 1.5 miles of Atherton. Robert Abadio, introduced at the meeting as the town’s Brooks director, said Atherton’s short segment faces different conditions than commercial stretches in other cities and noted the scale and cost of corridor work: $750 million was cited as an estimate to address needs countywide, while Abadio estimated Atherton’s 1.5‑mile segment could be in the “$50 million to $75 million ballpark.” He warned that those costs are beyond the town’s capacity to deliver alone and said the partnership aims to coordinate funding and reduce regulatory obstacles posed by Caltrans approvals.

SamTrans and TA officials described a range of design options under study rather than a single mandated plan. Those options include narrower travel lanes and “road diets” that remove a lane in each direction to create protected bike lanes or wider pedestrian areas; signal and crossing treatments at selected intersections; and treatments that would vary by jurisdiction. Jess Manzi, Director of Project Delivery with the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, said the process is lengthy and funding‑intensive and that construction for corridor projects will likely be an 8–10 year endeavor.

Several residents raised concerns about lane reductions, vehicle throughput and Atherton’s largely residential character. Zach Whitman, a resident, told the council, “I think it’s pretty stupid to go from 3 lanes down to 2 lanes at El Camino Real,” saying the town benefits from through traffic and urging preservation of three lanes. Carol Speaker said narrowing main arterials can create bottlenecks and push vehicles onto neighborhood streets, a safety concern for residents. Another commenter, Robert Shackleton (who identified himself as “Woody”), criticized existing speed‑hump installations and said they were “atrocious,” arguing that different calming devices are more suitable.

Council members and staff emphasized the study’s advisory role: it presents a “universe of options” and will not force all cities to adopt every measure. Halls and other presenters repeatedly said the initiative’s intent is to support each community in defining its own vision and to help coordinate the Caltrans project development process so cities are not required to go it alone. Town staff said the next technical step is a project‑initiation document and further analysis to compare the alternatives developed in Atherton’s own planning work with corridor‑level options.

Councilmember comments stressed safety priorities and local context. One councilmember noted that Selby Lane is the corridor’s most dangerous intersection in San Mateo County based on the analysis described at the meeting and urged attention to that crossing and to the Atherton Avenue intersection. Town staff and the presenters said local studies, including Atherton’s bicycle‑pedestrian work, will be used as inputs as the action plan is refined.

The item was presented for council information only (receive and discuss); no formal action or vote was taken. Presenters said public and council input would be incorporated into the Grand Boulevard Initiative action plan and that SamTrans and the TA anticipate seeking adoption by their boards in a future phase. Officials also said funding efforts will rely on a combination of local sales‑tax funds, state and federal grants and other regional sources.

Next steps: the project team will incorporate the comments into the corridor action plan, pursue the Caltrans project‑initiation steps, and continue local outreach. Officials cautioned that implementation will require further design, environmental review and coordination with Caltrans before any construction can begin.