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Menlo Park council leans to finish design of $56–65 million Middle Avenue bike-ped tunnel despite big funding gap
Summary
City staff recommended finishing final design for the Middle Avenue pedestrian and bicycle rail crossing to improve east–west connectivity. The project is estimated at $56–65 million with about $22.7 million committed and a $34–46 million shortfall; council asked staff to return with a funding strategy and phasing-cost detail.
City staff recommended the Menlo Park City Council advance the Middle Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle Rail Crossing Project to final design, saying a completed design would make the project more competitive for state and federal grants.
Public Works Director Azalea Mitch told the council the 35% design calls for an 88-foot tunnel (9 feet high, 20 feet wide) and that total project costs are estimated at $56 million on the low end and $65 million on the high end, including an estimated $5 million to relocate fiber lines. Mitch said the city has identified about $22.7 million in local and federal funding, creating a funding shortfall of roughly $34–46 million.
Why it matters: staff said finishing design to roughly 90% would make the city 'shovel-ready' and improve competitiveness for grants; Caltrain has a…
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