A long-delayed repaving and rehabilitation project of a major highway, El Camino Real, that runs through Los Altos, Mountain View and Palo Alto, is currently in progress.
According to Victor Gauthier of Caltrans, there were delays due to right-of-way acquisitions and utility relocations.
Pavement repairs eventually began on the Palo Alto section of El Camino Real in November 2023. According to Gauthier, curb ramps and sidewalk repair construction on the Palo Alto section also started this month.
The project proposes to cold plane and overlay existing pavement to improve ride quality.
“Currently the project is in construction, and it is tentatively scheduled to begin paving in late summer/fall in the Los Altos area after Palo Alto completes sewer rehabilitation,” Gauthier said via email.
Los Altos resident Bob Sutis said he is disappointed by how long this project has taken. He said he first contacted local officials around December 2020 to inquire about El Camino Real’s repair needs. He said he saw that El Camino Real from Stanford Shopping Center to Grant Road needed repair.
“I’m also the block captain for our Avalon neighborhood group, and our whole block agreed, along with friends that I have that live in the area, that driving down there was rough and dangerous and that people were swerving to get around potholes that weren’t fixed,” Sutis said.
This project also involves parking removal and plans to install around six miles of Class II or Class IV bicycle lanes.
“Each city can provide the responses on how the city approved the bike lanes and parking removal,” Gauthier said via email.
Aida Fairman, Los Altos Public Works Director, did not answer the Town Crier’s bike lane questions before publication deadline. However, Fairman said that she and the Caltrans district chief will answer such inquiries during the public Los Altos Community Coalition (LACC) Zoom event about the El Camino Real repaving project, which will focus on the city of Los Altos section. The event is scheduled 8:30 a.m. Friday (Feb. 23).
Visit us02web.zoom.us/j/86060832407 to join.
