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Design paused on Homestead Road Safe Routes to School; VTA seeks $3–3.5M to finish design
Summary
The committee received a semiannual update on the Homestead Road Safe Routes to School corridor. VTA completed 35% design but paused work because of a funding shortfall; VTA and county staff are pursuing state and federal grants and federal earmarks and asked cities for matching support.
The Santa Clara County Housing, Land Use, Environment and Transportation Committee on April 17 received a semiannual report on the Homestead Road Safe Routes to School corridor, a multi-jurisdictional project serving Homestead High School, Cupertino Middle School and West Valley Elementary.
Valley Transportation Authority staff reported the project reached about 35% design before pausing because additional design funding—staff estimated at $3 million to $3.5 million—remains unfunded. VTA transportation manager Hassan Basma said, "the reason we've now put a pause to it because of lack of fundings." The county and VTA are pursuing additional grant opportunities, including the federal Safe Streets and Roads for All program, state funding requests and community project funding (earmarks). County intergovernmental relations staff said they submitted a state budget request to the assemblymember and senator listed on the application.
Why it matters: the corridor is used daily by students from three nearby schools and by many bicyclists and pedestrians. Staff and several public commenters described frequent unsafe crossings, gaps in sidewalks and inconsistent bike lanes; a number of speakers urged the committee to accelerate funding for final design and construction so safety improvements can be built.
Project history and status: the county initiated a feasibility study and a concept report in 2018–2019 and the board later authorized additional design funding that VTA used to advance the project to 35% design in 2024. VTA was able to secure $1.1 million in Measure B funds and county seed money but still lacks the remainder needed to finish design and environmental clearance. VTA staff said the project was not selected in a prior ATP grant cycle and that reviewers cited a low equity score and a relatively limited history of severe injuries on this specific corridor compared with other applicants.
Public and stakeholder input: county and city staff held two community meetings and coordinated with Los Altos, Sunnyvale and Cupertino; school representatives and local advocates reiterated the corridor’s hazards. Charlene Liu, chair of Sunnyvale Safe Streets and a Safe Routes to School parent lead, told the committee she had personally observed ‘‘serious hazards’’ including students crossing a five-lane high-speed road midblock and inconsistency in bike lanes and sidewalks.
Funding steps under way: the county’s Intergovernmental Relations team said it submitted a state budget request to the named legislators and is applying for federal community project funding; VTA staff said they will explore other competitive grant cycles and will ask the adjacent cities about contributing toward completing design so the project can move forward. County and VTA staff also asked school districts to participate in outreach and planning to ensure designs meet student travel patterns.
Vote and action: the report was received by the committee; no formal construction authorization was taken. Committee members discussed convening stakeholders to coordinate matching funds and urged continued pursuit of grant opportunities.
Next steps: VTA will continue to pursue grants and local contributions, and county staff said they will return to the committee in six months with a status update on funding and design progress.
