SMCTA planner details $4 million set-aside, mini-grant program for US 101 Corridor Connect projects

Marissa Mathias, senior transportation planner with the San Mateo County Transportation Authority (SMCTA), presented an update on the US 101 Corridor Connect program to the Foster City Traffic Review Committee on April 30, 2026. The program aims to position locally identified, regionally significant projects for competitive state and federal funding by packaging them in a corridor multimodal plan.

Mathias said the program moves beyond freeway-only fixes to prioritize improvements that serve people walking, biking, rolling and using transit as well as drivers. "The end goal of this program is our vision is for 101 to function as a truly interconnected corridor that serves all travelers regardless of mode," she said.

To help jurisdictions advance priority projects identified through the multimodal strategies and the Caltrans-funded Active 101 crossings effort, Mathias said SMCTA has "set aside 4,000,000 in our SMCTA interest earnings, to support this multiyear effort that will fund and provide technical assistance to jurisdictions to jump start the planning of these projects." She described a mini-grant component with funding tiers that include up to $1,000,000 for multi-jurisdictional projects and up to $750,000 per project, and said there is no local match requirement.

Mathias outlined the schedule: the call for projects will be released in June, applications will be due in July, and funding decisions will be made in August. She noted the funding decisions will precede the Ped-Bike call for projects, which she said could help cities better leverage multiple funding sources.

Committee members asked about commuter and employer data after the presentation, noting that much of Foster City's congestion comes from inbound employees. Mathias responded that the Corridor Connect work relied on jurisdiction-submitted priority projects and community engagement and said the multimodal strategies are available on SMCTA's website; she offered to follow up with more detailed data.

The SMCTA slides and materials include the multimodal strategies for North, Mid and South County and the Active 101 crossings plan; Mathias encouraged cities to prepare letters of interest and to contact SMCTA staff for technical-assistance bench support.

Next steps: the committee received the presentation for information; SMCTA will release the call for projects in June, accept applications in July and announce funding awards in August.