San Mateo commission reviews $28 million plan for protected bike lanes, intersection safety on 19th Avenue

Bethany Lopez, senior engineer in San Mateo City’s public works department, presented the final design for the 19th Avenue–Fashion Island Boulevard multimodal improvements project to the Sustainability and Infrastructure Commission on April 30, outlining protected bike lanes, pedestrian upgrades, intersection reconfiguration and a funding plan that largely relies on grants.

Lopez said the project’s goals are to "provide congestion relief, improve traffic flows," and "improve safety and access for pedestrians and bicyclists," and that staff are seeking the commission’s feedback as design wraps up. She told commissioners the design work began in June and that the team aims to complete design by June, present to city council in mid‑May and obtain a Caltrans permit by August to preserve grant timelines.

Why it matters: staff said the corridor has recorded 80 collisions from 2019 to 2025, with 47 concentrated at the gas‑station/ramps area the plan targets. Lopez said adding protected bike facilities, narrower medians and a new signal phase at Norfolk would separate conflicting movements, protect bicyclists and reduce travel times, while acknowledging some trade‑offs in parking.

Key elements of the plan include a mix of delineators and concrete medians to create protected lanes; a two‑way bike facility on the westerly side to avoid the Delaware ramps and traditional one‑way facilities on the easterly side; a new south‑side pedestrian pathway and a crosswalk at the Norfolk…