Local and state officials are working to give a major makeover to the Highway 17/9 interchange in Los Gatos, upgrading the roads to reduce traffic congestion and improve bike and pedestrian mobility.
Residents can offer input and suggestions at a virtual public scoping meeting on the State Route 17 Corridor Congestion Relief Project on Thursday, May 19, at 6 p.m.
The town of Los Gatos is working with the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and the state Department of Transportation to make the $40-$50 million in proposed construction improvements.
Traffic on Highway 17 has been an ongoing issue in Los Gatos. A recent survey commissioned by the town showed that 40% of residents were either dissatisfied or very dissatisfied with traffic congestion in town, specifically the beach traffic that grows over the summer.
“As council knows, we’ve been working on traffic flow for about the last six or seven years in different forms,” town manager Laurel Prevetti said. “We’ve invested quite a bit on beach traffic, trying a number of different techniques. This is not a solvable problem, which I know is very frustrating for our residents.”
Officials said the project will modify the on- and offramps of the Highway 17/9 interchange in Los Gatos, and widen Highway 17 to eliminate bottlenecks between Lark Avenue and the interchange.
They will also put in traffic signals, traveler information systems and “complete streets” features for bike and pedestrian travel.
Construction could start as soon as 2026, according to the VTA. Funding for the project comes from the 2016 Measure B sales tax in Santa Clara County.
Residents have until June 6 to submit public comments to sr17-corridor@vta.org.
For details and to RSVP to Thursday’s meeting, visit http://sr17corridor.eventbrite.com.
Source: www.mercurynews.com