Poplar Ave Saga Continues

The long saga described here and 67 comments here about the Poplar Ave interchange is in the news again and the Daily Journal has it partly accurate

As communities along Highway 101 consider how to improve congestion as well as safety at some of their outdated on-ramps, the cities of Burlingame and San Mateo will again consider whether to embark on multi-million dollar interchange project that could require eminent domain.

But this part was written by someone who has not driven through there lately

Currently, the five-way intersection at Poplar Avenue and Highway 101 has unregulated traffic coming off the freeway with drivers from three other directions trying to cross or enter the highway.

They should know that the barriers have gone up to preclude most of the options that used to exist for the five-ways in and out--especially the straight across the frontage road that was the most unexpected and hence dangerous.  So we really haven't seen the effect of the recent changes yet.

Currently, two design alternatives include aligning southbound on- and off-ramps on the east side of Highway 101 along Amphlett Boulevard. Alternative 1 is estimated to cost $61.5 million and would have a smaller footprint by keeping the ramps tighter against the highway, therefore potentially requiring less right-of-way acquisition. However, that option may require Caltrans to provide exemptions to its design guidelines. Alternative 2 would involve spreading the ramps out a bit further from the highway, but would meet more of Caltrans’ standards and could potentially add capacity for more cars. That option also includes potentially widening the overpass bridge and could cost $76.4 million, according to city staff and consultants.

Sounds like it will be on the Dec 5th Bgame Council agenda.

Update: To save you the trouble of driving to see it in the rain, here is the construction as of the day of the original post

Comments

[Bruce Dickinson]

Fellas, Bruce Dickinson is intrigued by the following quotation from the newspaper article:

"A large office complex just east of the highway has been proposed in Burlingame and could bring thousands of new workers to the vacant former drive-in site just north of Coyote Point. Now, some are wondering whether the already problematic ramps at Poplar Avenue can handle the increased load."

I'm sorry but is this large office complex a done deal? Have they broken ground yet? Or are we putting the cart before the horse again? Only in government would they plan for things that people wonder may happen versus things that are almost certainly going to happen.

The polar opposite of how things are done in the private sector!

[Laura]

That is why the Peninsula overpass on ramp/off ramp is back and will be presented to Burlingame City Council on December 5th, 7p.m. at City Hall. This will wipe out all those businesses on Rollins Road as well as the apartment complex to the south in San Mateo.It will also forever change, for the worst, the Lyon Hoag area in Burlingame.

[Jennifer]

The General Plan is going in a direction that is not going to have residential complexes out by the Bay, and with sea rise, it isn't clear how much development (office or other) will happen out there. I think the newest version of the office is supposed to be underway (?) yet it seems pretty quiet out there. With winter coming and all, I don't get it, either.

The first version of the office complex (the Millennium version) was approved much earlier than the Broadway overpass construction, though using traffic studies assuming that funding for the construction would happen; as we can can see, it was constructed with considerable width (for stacking) as well as a more convenient way to get on 101 southbound.

[fred]

The lack of freeway access is why the office development is going slow. Without the access the construction costs rise as well as the ability to lease out the space.

[Ian]

I don't see how a southbound Peninsula off-ramp would make that much of a difference to traffic from the new office complex. If you worked there and lived in the Lyon Hoag or Victoria Park neighborhood you'd most likely go over the Broadway overpass and come along Rollins. If you lived in San Mateo you'd maybe use 101 and exit at Poplar.

[Joanne]

Basically it would be moving all traffic coming off and getting on at Poplar onto Peninsula.

If southbound and northbound ramps are at Peninsula then Poplar ramps would be closed. I can imagine the lineup of traffic heading west off of Peninsula since that side of Peninsula
(Burlingame side) is only one lane.
Really will it be worth it to eminent domain over 30 service commercial properties not to mention the other quality of life issues that will affect surrounding neighborhoods??

[fred]

30 commercial properties? Are they landing jets?

[Jennifer]

For your reading pleasure...Not sure about the jets, but close...
http://www.cityofsanmateo.org/DocumentCenter/View/46090
Attachment "N" Right of Way Acquisitions, between 26-50 parcels. Attachment "O" pages 2-3, accident data at Poplar.

Apparently, the new (albeit, "temporary") barrier is up, I need to go try it out. Humboldt has managed to get several intersections outfitted with bulb-outs- these are very expensive, so I'm curious if SM got a related grant for this project, and/or is just paying for it, because it's the right thing to do.

[Bruce Dickinson]

Fellas, Bruce Dickinson is no traffic engineer, but I gotta tell ya, this report doesn't make much sense. First of all, the conclusion is that the Poplar interchange has about the same accident rate as the state accident average, but what about compared to other freeway interchanges, which is a more relevant comparison? Secondly, the interchange data is six years old while the state average data is 10 years old.

Seriously, decisions are being made on very outdated data which will uproot businesses and homes in Burlingame? Sorry, but unless you show me conclusive, relevant, comparative, and up-to-date data to render a proper decision, this report pretty much belongs in the paper shredder and fails to establish 1) the existence of a problem 2) the benefit to public safety by building a new interchange on Peninsula 3) justification to spend millions of dollars to do this while destroying millions of dollars in private property and tax revenue generative businesses?. Not seeing evidence of a worthwhile cost/benefit tradeoff.

Would love to put this up for a vote to Burlingame residents, who will bear the cost of the eminent domain, and I would bet a majority would resoundingly vote it down even though it affects one neighborhood. For most people who use the interchange, it adds maybe 5-7 minutes to a commute on the worst of days and like I said in my other post, Timmy and Fred, you can wait 5 minutes for your trips to Denny's and IHOP, respectively. By the way, Denny's is open 24 hours a day and I'm really not knocking it...Denny's is where several meetings in a booth occurred with Google and YouTube execs to seal the purchase of YouTube by Google!

If Bruce Dickinson, in my 70's, driving one of my Ferraris, feels the Poplar interchange is pretty safe (and now a tad safer with low cost barriers) and doesn't mind taking a bit more time to conduct some pretty important business (to put it mildly), I would say most shouldn't mind either!

[Jennifer]

Bruce, this is all (so far) taking place within the San Mateo border, which is kind of kooky down there by Nini's. But these businesses are definitely part of the Lyon & Hoag neighborhood and its fabric. In their place, we'll get a freeway exit, probably an auxiliary lane, and a blight zone. The residential units mentioned are (also) in San Mateo- that huge rental complex south of Peninsula Avenue, in San Mateo-- yes, those low income ones--

[hillsider]

Where's Cynthia Cornell and her lawyers when your neighbors need em?

[Bruce Dickinson]

Ha, talk about the cadre you DON'T want helping you. Bruce Dickinson said this from the very get-go: the measure R activists went about the campaign in exactly the wrong way. Basically they did everything to turn public opinion against them resulting in a humiliating defeat that not only prevented the measure from getting passed, but likely torpedoed the chances of any rent control measure passing in Burlingame for probably 20-30 years..

Mounting a defense against eminent domain and fighting the juggernaut of Caltrans, MTA, ABAG etc for a proposed freeway interchange? Let's just say I wouldn't trust 'em to wage a campaign of playing a Battleship board game, ya know what I mean?

Talk about calling out "H-6" on your opponent's Battleship grid board and pretty much sinking their chances of doing anything effectively!

Bruce Dickinson must admit, I do crack myself up sometimes!

[Joe]

I just added a photo of the barrier under construction that I didn't have handy when I made the post.

[local motion]

This intersection is already 100% better. They should just let everyone get used to the new routes before they mess with it.