Willow Glen Resident
News
Popular expressways may become property of San Jose, not county
By Eli Segall
Santa Clara County expressways need more than $2 billion in maintenance and repairs, but instead of fixing them, the county is exploring a different option: giving some away.
Capitol Expressway is already earmarked for relinquishment. By 2009, the entire 8.7-mile roadway will become city of San Jose property. The San Jose City Council, which approved the turnover in December, will hold more discussions on the matter later this spring.
Another possibility is Almaden Expressway, said Supervisor Don Gage. According to Lee Wilcox, chief of staff to Councilwoman Nancy Pyle, the expressway could come under city control in the next two to three years.
The county's 62-mile network of roadways was built in the late 1950s, and defrayed maintenance costs have been piling up ever since. An August 2003 report detailed the cost of repairs, and what is needed for each of the eight urban highways.
After the report was released, county officials talked with the city of Palo Alto about it taking over Oregon Expressway and with San Jose over Almaden, said Dan Collen, deputy director of the Santa Clara County roads and airports department. The discussions led nowhere.
"The county never should have had these expressways," Gage said. "We're in a deficit all the time, and there's just some things you can't do."
County budget shortfalls total more than $500 million for the next four years; according to city figures, it costs $800,000 per year to maintain Capitol Expressway alone.
Saving money is not the only reason for relinquishment. Residents and business owners want to transform the county's high-speed roadways into pedestrian-friendly boulevards, with sidewalks, lower speed limits and more retail options, said Jim Ortbal, assistant director of transportation for the San Jose Department of Transportation.
It's a task best fit for municipalities, which focus on these types of services, he added.
"The county's main focus is to have well-maintained, efficient, auto-oriented expressways," Ortbal said. "[County officials] don't focus on amenities."
To date, Capitol is the only confirmed expressway to be relinquished. Ortbal denied Almaden is up for consideration, yet acknowledged the topic has been discussed over the years.
San Jose first ventured into expressway real estate in 1997, when it acquired a 0.8-mile strip of Capitol Expressway and officially renamed it the Capitol Expressway Auto Mall. With 14 car dealerships dotting the strip, San Jose sought a name change to bring in more shoppers, Collen said.
The city first wanted signs on Highway 87 to read "Auto Mall This Way," but the state's transportation department prohibited that kind of advertising, Collen said.
San Jose then acquired the strip and renamed it to have "Auto Mall" exit signs on 87.
Another reason for Capitol changing hands is the new VTA light rail line that will run through the middle of the expressway. The train will occupy two of the expressway's eight lanes, increase pedestrian traffic and significantly slow Capitol's 300,000 daily vehicles, Ortbal said.
Construction is planned to start on the light rail next year and be finished by 2012, said VTA spokeswoman Jayme Kunz.
"Light rail will drastically change the character of Capitol Expressway," Ortbal said. "With that coming in, it's a natural turning point to turn it over."
