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City reviews three concepts for North Rollins Road redesign; staff seeks more public input
Summary
Consultant presented three alternate cross sections for North Rollins Road—a protected, a class‑2, and a hybrid approach—citing speed and freight constraints. Commissioners and the public urged stronger connectivity to Millbrae and raised concerns about truck movements and parking in the industrial south end.
BURLINGAME — Staff and consultant representatives presented three conceptual plans for a 1.3‑mile redesign of North Rollins Road and asked the commission for direction on which concepts to advance into preliminary design.
Julia Harberson of CSW summarized analyses showing excessive speeds (posted 35 mph; measured 80th‑percentile speeds in places in the high 30s to mid‑40s) and relatively modest current volumes (roughly 8,000–9,500 average daily trips per direction). The team said the corridor meets Federal Highway Administration feasibility guidance for a road diet but that freight access and large driveways in the southern, industrial portion require careful design.
Concept 1 applies a road diet and class‑4 (protected) buffered lanes in the specific‑plan area with continued parking in more industrial sections. Concept 2 would provide a continuous class‑2 lane network but would require the city to lower the speed limit to about 30 mph for safety. Concept 3 would install protected lanes and structural buffers in the north (residential/rezoning) segment and preserve parking and a narrower buffer for the south industrial segment.
Public commenters and commissioners were split. Advocates and several residents urged the most protective option (Concept 3) to encourage walking and biking and to improve access to the Millbrae transit center. Business and industrial stakeholders cautioned that truck turning, loading and backing at numerous driveways could be compromised by curb‑to‑curb narrowing; staff said they had identified a few specific locations where backing maneuvers would require design accommodations.
Staff noted limited public turnout to date (an online survey had 16 respondents as of March 7) and said outreach and stakeholder meetings will continue; the survey will remain open for additional weeks. Staff also flagged the governance need to coordinate with Millbrae at the north end where Rollins crosses the jurisdictional boundary and a bridge narrows the cross section.
The commission asked staff to continue refinement: evaluate pedestrian crossing treatments, test freight turn templates at key driveways, reassess parking placement (east vs. west side in the specific‑plan area), and coordinate with Millbrae on connectivity to the transit center. The commission did not take a binding vote on a preferred concept at this meeting; staff will return with additional technical refinements and outreach results.
