If you’ve driven through the De La Cruz Boulevard/Trimble Road area along the border of San Jose and Santa Clara recently, you’ve noticed the massive construction project adding to the congestion. Don’t worry, it will get better.
In late September, the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) announced that crews have completed one phase of the construction in the area, adding a second lane to the connector ramp from southbound Highway 101 to southbound Highway 87.
“The 101/87 southbound connector ramp was a sore spot as traffic leaving Highway 101 infamously backed up as vehicles attempted to exit on the way to the airport, downtown San Jose and points further south,” said VTA in a news release.
The widening project took about seven months to complete and was done in conjunction with other projects in the area. VTA is also working with the City of San Jose on the US 101/De La Cruz Boulevard/Trimble Road Interchange Project.
The interchange project is designed to improve congestion around the notorious on and off ramps as well as make it safer for bicyclists and pedestrians traveling in the area.
“The purpose of this project is to improve traffic and enhance safety for vehicles merging onto southbound US 101 from the De La Cruz Boulevard/Trimble Road interchange in the City of San Jose and improve mobility and enhance safety for bicyclists and pedestrians traveling across the interchange adjacent to the San Jose International Airport,” said the VTA’s project information page.
A key change will be the expansion of the Trimble Road overcrossing. Crews will widen the overcrossing to accommodate six travel lanes as well as two exit lanes to north and southbound Highway 101. During the expansion, part of the Trimble Road overcrossing will be replaced to “meet current seismic and geometric standards.”
De La Cruz will also be widened with additional lanes in each direction between Trimble Road and Central Expressway. Crews will reconstruct the southbound exit loop from Highway 101 to create a partial cloverleaf design that will incorporate a new intersection on De La Cruz Boulevard.
The work will also take into account bicyclists and pedestrians. The City of San Jose will add a Class IV bicycle and pedestrian path to connect the De La Cruz Boulevard/Trimble Road area to the existing Guadalupe River Trail. A Class I bicycle lane on the west side of De La Cruz Boulevard toward Central Expressway will also be added.
The plans also call for the reconstruction of the intersection at De La Cruz Boulevard/Trimble Road and Central Expressway to make things safer for bicyclists and pedestrians. The project will add through and turn lanes for vehicles.
The total cost of the project is approximately $75.9 million. It is funded through VTA and the City of San Jose. Crews are expected to complete the work in the Summer of 2025. That timeline includes finishing the first year of landscaping.
The latest milestone for the project was accomplished on August 29, when over a four-night period, workers lifted several concrete beams into place over Highway 101 to build the new De La Cruz Boulevard overcrossing bridge.