Monday, Jan 25, 2021
 by 
Michelle Durand
  • El Granada – An ambitious plan to help people get around San Mateo County’s coast by expanding options and improving roads is now up for public review.

    The plan – Connect the Coastside – has been in the works for seven years and subject to one of the area’s largest-ever community engagement efforts. A chief aim is to uncork notorious bottlenecks with a series of roadway, public transit and other improvements – while maintaining the coast’s unique character.

    “Transportation along the Highway 1 corridor has always been a challenge, especially as the population has grown,” said Don Horsley, a member of the Board of Supervisors whose District 3 includes the area.

    “The Connect the Coastside project is an ongoing effort to incorporate the overall community’s input, through comprehensive public engagement, into a long-range plan to address congestion, safety and access issues,” he said.

    The plan focuses on the areas surrounding Highway 1 and Highway 92 with a focus on the unincorporated communities of Montara, Moss Beach, El Granada, Princeton and Miramar.

    Connect the Coastside aims to improve transportation safety and mobility for Coastside residents by:

    1. Increasing transportation choices

    2. Making travel safer for pedestrians and cyclists

    3. Improving traffic flow at bottlenecks

    4. Increasing use of public transit

    CTC Study Area Map

    The Plan study area covers Highway 1 from just south of the Devils Slide Tunnel to the southern limits of Half Moon Bay and Highway 92 west from Highway 1 to Interstate 280. 

    The plan also attempts to ensure communities are better prepared to meet future transportation needs: as new development occurs, transportation improvements will be planned and constructed to address traffic impacts.

    Importantly, new land use policies will also help reduce traffic, protect natural resources and preserve coastal community character by limiting development.

    The plan proposes dozens of projects that range from improving signs on Highway 92 ($2,000) to a pedestrian crossing over Highway 1 ($4.8 million) to a multi-modal trail ($9.1 million).

    The total cost for recommended projects is nearly $77 million. A range of options, from state and federal grants to agencies that fund greenhouse gas-reducing projects, are recommended to explore.

    Where We Are Now
    Seven years in development, the Connect the Coastside draft is the result of input from local residents, environmental groups, transit advocates and public officials on both sides of Highway 35.

    The Connect the Coastside project team released a Final Administrative Draft, Executive Summary, and Appendices on Jan. 20, 2021.

    The team is taking feedback. Check out what the community shared during the 2020 outreach efforts in the 2020 Outreach Summary Report.

    Upcoming Public Meetings
    The project team will present an overview of the plan at the Jan. 27, 2021, meeting of the Midcoast Community Council. Find details at http://www.midcoastcommunitycouncil.org/comp-transp-mgmt-plan/

    The team will also present the plan to the San Mateo County Planning Commission at its Feb. 10, 2021 meeting. Find details at https://planning.smcgov.org/planning-commission

    “I appreciate all the work by so many people that has gone into developing the draft proposal, and look forward to continuing this important process,” Supervisor Horsley said.

    For all documents related to Connect the Coastside and an online feedback form, go to https://planning.smcgov.org/connect-coastside

    Posted by Michelle Durand on Jan 25th 2021