Highway 101 Interchange Project Breaks Ground

MENLO PARK, CA – Ground was officially broken this week on a long-anticipated construction project in the Menlo Park area. The U.S. Highway 101 and Willow Road Interchange Reconstruction Project, which sits on the border of Menlo Park and East Palo Alto, broke ground Tuesday.

Caltrans and the San Mateo County Transportation Authority, along with city officials from Menlo Park and East Palo Alto, began construction on the project that aims to reduce traffic congestion in the region.

Video: Groundbreaking for US 101/Willow Interchange Reconstruction Project @CaltransD4 @CityofMenloPark @City_EPA pic.twitter.com/FjwCKxYx2J
— TA (@PeninsulaMoves) May 17, 2017

"The design improvements will help all traffic - vehicle, bicycles, and pedestrians - to move through the interchange much more quickly and safely," Caltrans Director Malcolm Dougherty said in a statement.

According to a Caltrans news release, the $58 million project will:

• Reconstruct and reconfigure the interchange, including replacing the overcrossing to provide eight lanes, sidewalks and dedicated bike lanes
• Realign and widen the off and on ramps
• Modify and realign frontage roads adjacent to the overcrossing to accommodate the realigned ramps and reconstruct portion of the existing sound-walls.

The project is made possible by a $56.4 million Measure A allocation and a $10.4 million loan from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority.

Construction on the interchange project is expected to last about two years, according to Caltrans officials.

– Bay City News Service contributed to this report / Images via the San Mateo County Transportation Authority.