San Jose DOT recommends restoring Westgate Mall lane, altering bollards after year‑one Saratoga evaluation

San Jose transportation officials on Tuesday presented a year‑one evaluation of the Saratoga Avenue quick‑build safety corridor and recommended bringing back a third northbound lane along the Westgate Mall frontage while replacing some protected‑lane bollards at intersections with merge areas, pending meeting approval.

The recommendation came as Jim Bittner, acting division manager for the Vision Zero and traffic safety team at the Department of Transportation, said the quick‑build installations were intended to reduce severe crashes and improve conditions for pedestrians and bicyclists. “We are aiming to eliminate traffic fatalities and severe injuries,” Bittner said during the virtual presentation.

DOT reviewed five years of pre‑installation data (2018–2023) and compared it with year‑one post‑installation results (2024–2025). Officials reported that while fatal and severe‑injury crashes did not increase, minor‑injury and overall crashes rose in the first year and were concentrated in a hotspot north of Westgate Mall between Campbell/Prospect and Atherton. Speed data showed small decreases in the sections where lanes were reduced: a…