Rail committee backs near-term safety upgrades for Alma Street–Charleston crossing; directs final design work

The Palo Alto rail committee on May 12 recommended that city council direct staff to finish design and environmental work for near-term safety improvements at the Alma Street and Charleston Road railroad crossing, a project funded through the federal Section 130 crossing-safety program.

City staff presented conceptual designs intended to reduce vehicle and pedestrian exposure at the crossing. Richa Agrial, a project engineer in the city's Office of Transportation, said the scope is limited to the intersection and crossing of Charleston Road and Alma Street and does not require property acquisitions in the current footprint. The measures presented include reconstructed directional curb ramps and level ADA landings at pedestrian crossings, dashed green bike-lane striping through the intersection to make cyclists more visible, elongated accessible pathways and handrails where existing grades are steep, and a pre-signal coordinated with the roadway traffic signal designed to prevent motorists from being stranded on the tracks.

Marie Mai and Jason E, consultants on the design team, described how the pre-signal would operate: when a train approaches the pre-signal would turn red to hold approaching motorists so the main crossing signal and gate arms can lower and keep the area immediately adjacent to the tracks clear. That change will require restricting right turns on red at locations served by the pre-signal, staff said.

Staff said the project is being advanced using Section 130 funds, routed through state partners; the preliminary engineer's construction estimate is about $2.22 million. Agrial said staff expects a GO88 approval submittal in the next couple of months and anticipates beginning construction in 2027. Staff also said they are incorporating provisions in the design to accommodate possible future four-quadrant gate systems so the near-term work is compatible with later intersection upgrades or grade separation projects.

Residents and committee members pressed staff on traffic impacts. Raphael Ria, senior engineer with the Office of Transportation, said a Hexagon traffic analysis shows roughly a 25% increase in eastbound queue lengths at peak times and a degradation in level of service (to E/F during peak periods) for eastbound Charleston with the proposed pre-signal, though staff emphasized safety as the primary objective. Committee members discussed signal-timing adjustments, AI-powered signal optimization, signage and potential enforcement (including automated ticketing) to reduce unsafe behavior that leaves vehicles on the tracks.

After public comment and deliberation, a motion to recommend the council direct staff to complete final design plans, environmental analysis, project specifications and engineering cost estimates was seconded and passed in a roll-call vote (Council member Lifcott HS: yes; Council member Lowing: yes; Chair Bert: yes).

The committee asked staff to return regular timeline updates on quiet-zone coordination and to post a public timeline document. Staff said they will return to the rail committee and city council with design-plan approval by midyear and then advance construction drawings later this year.

The project references CPUC requirements for crossing work and Section 130 funding; staff noted they will coordinate with Caltrain, Caltrans and CPUC as designs are finalized.

The committee flagged the tradeoffs between improved safety and increased vehicle queuing and asked staff to pursue signal optimization and public-education measures alongside engineering changes. The item now moves to the full city council for final action.