The towering—mostly empty— Mozart buildings block out much of their sunrise view and reflect blinding sunset light into their living rooms. In four months, construction begins on the downtown redevelopment project, less than a block from their street. And a year into the downtown construction, the Mathilda over-crossing above the nearby Caltrain tracks is set to be renovated and updated. The 18-month project could bring more noise, dust and detoured traffic onto their street. But the residents on Charles Street think this one might be worth all the trouble if the city keeps its promise and stays in touch.

Transportation and Traffic manager Jack Witthaus said the project will widen acceleration and deceleration areas on the overpass's onramps to prevent fender-benders, improve pedestrian, bicycle and handicapped access to the structure, and widen the lanes to make them safer. The project, which will probably cost between $14 and $17 million, includes $10 million in federal funds for the rehabilitation of outdated roadways.

The city of Sunnyvale is holding a series of meetings throughout the development of the project to gather public comments and keep residents abreast of the changes to their roadways. The latest meeting—on Aug. 25—brought more then two dozen residents to the Murphy Park building to look at renderings of the project and discuss their concerns.

Many of those who were in attendance live on Charles Street, just west of Mathilda Avenue. Charles Street 100 President Monica Draganowski-Davis was there with her husband to hear about the latest change coming to their area. She said her neighborhood has suffered since the Mozart construction began.

"The Mozart experience was just horrific. We had construction traffic on our street night and day, and the dust level, especially when they dug out the underground parking, left us blanketed with a layer of dirt," Draganowski-Davis said.

But Davis said that if the city keeps communication lines between residents and workers open, the project could go as smoothly as the Downtown Plaza construction. In addition, her neighborhood may get safer for pedestrians, because the street—now a popular route for drivers looking to bypass Mathilda Avenue—will become a cul-de-sac.

Witthaus said the project is roughly 35 percent complete, but construction will not start before 2006. As it stands now, construction on the overpass should overlap construction on the downtown—not even a block away—by almost a year. Draganowski-Davis said that as long as communication is strong and the city works with local citizens, she is not worried about either project, because of the positive effects they could have on her neighborhood.