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Executive SummaryThe US 101 South Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan (CMCP) presents a holistic approach formanaging congestion, improving safety and maximizing flow for all modes and incorporates measures toreduce air pollution and greenhouse gases. Key strategies include the addition of managed/express lanesto maximize the efficient use of the existing highway for motorists, the development of express busservices, rail and local transit improvements and improved bicycle/pedestrian facilities.The CMCP was developed pursuant to the statutory mandate for Caltrans to conduct long-range corridorplanning, as well as in response to the Road and Repair Accountability Act of 2017, also known as SenateBill 1 (SB 1), that was passed in April 2017. Among the multiple programs established by SB 1 is theSolutions for Congested Corridors Program (SCCP). This program provides 250 million annually on acompetitive basis to Caltrans and regional agencies for projects designed to achieve a balanced set oftransportation, environmental, and community access improvements within highly- congested travelcorridors throughout the State. Eligible projects should make specific performance improvements andmust be included in a CMCP. The program also identifies the “Route 101 and Caltrain corridor connectingSilicon Valley with San Francisco” as an example of the kind of congested corridor intended for fundingfrom the SCCP.In response to the significant changes within the Corridor recently and the SCCP requirements, Caltransin coordination with stakeholders along US 101 determined that the US 101 South Corridor is a priorityroute in the region, and that the CMCP should be developed to capture all the anticipated changes,identify multimodal needs and recommend improvement projects and strategies. The US 101 South CMCPcorridor limits are from US 101 from the San Benito/Santa Clara County line to the end of the CentralFreeway in San Francisco. It also includes Interstate 280 (I-280) from the US 101/I-280 Interchange to theend of I-280 in San Francisco. With input from the stakeholders, the CMCP includes eight corridor goals:1.2.3.4.5.6.7.Provide a safe transportation system to all users within the CorridorReduce recurring freeway congestion and improve freeway efficiency in moving peopleImprove trip time reliability within the CorridorSupport an accessible and inter-connected multimodal transportation system within the CorridorReduce pollutants and GHG emissions within the CorridorSupport economic prosperityEfficiently manage transportation assets within the Corridor to protect existing and futureinvestment8. Efficient Land Use improving Job/Housing imbalanceThe US 101 South Corridor is a major south-north connector between Silicon Valley in the South Bay andSan Francisco, two Bay Area centers of great significance to the State’s economy. The portion of theCorridor running through Santa Clara, San Mateo, and San Francisco Counties is home to some of theworld’s most innovative and fastest-growing companies that contribute economic strength to the Stateand national economies. Land uses along the Corridor include State/regional parks, agricultural lands,residential uses in urban and suburban communities, commercial uses in dense urban centers and officeparks as well as industrial uses and a number of institutional uses and sports venues. The Corridor serveslocal, regional, interregional and even international traffic of people and movement of goods. US 101 isi

the main access route to the San Francisco International Airport and the Norman Y. Mineta San JoseInternational Airport.In addition to demographics and a list of major trip generators along the Corridor, the US 101 South CMCPincludes a place type analysis based on Caltrans Smart Mobility Framework and recommends appropriatetransportation strategies for each place type within the Corridor. The CMCP also documents PriorityDevelopment Areas and communities of concern within the Corridor as identified in Plan Bay Area 2040(2017), the San Francisco Bay Area’s Regional Transportation Plan (RTP) and Sustainable CommunitiesStrategy (SCS).As a multimodal transportation corridor, the US 101 South Corridor serves the movement of people andgoods with a variety of transportation modes. This CMCP describes public transit services, Park and Ridefacilities, private commuter shuttle services, and bicycle and pedestrian facilities as critical transportationmodes within the US 101 South Corridor. It identifies programmed, planned and in some cases proposedprojects within the Corridor. In addition, it summarizes the Transportation Systems Management andOperations (TSMO) strategies and equipment that are currently deployed within the Corridor andexamines the networks and major trip generators for freight movement.US 101 South is among the most congested corridors in the Bay Area. According to the San Mateo CountyEconomic Development Association (SAMCEDA), an estimated 5.4 billion in economic productivity is lostdue to traffic congestion along the Corridor. Figure ES-1 shows the congestion locations on US 101 forMarch 2016 (Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays). Eight locations within the US 101 South Corridorwere listed in the Top 50 Congested Locations of 2017 as reported by Metropolitan TransportationCommission’s (MTC) Vital Signs, and they are shown in Table ES-1.Figure ES-1. US 101 South Congestion March 2016Source: INRIX, accessed by Caltrans December 18, 2019ii

Table ES-1. MTC Top 50 Congested Locations for US 101 South in 2017DailyDelay inhoursCongestionDuration14,66012:20 PM–10:30 PMCesar Chavez to Treasure Island Tunnel7,2602:10 PM–8:25 PMFair Oaks Avenue to Oakland RoadNB4,2302:40 PM–7:55 PMWhipple Avenue to East Hillsdale BoulevardSanta ClaraNB3,9706:25 AM–11:00 AMStory Road to North Fair Oaks AvenueSan MateoSB1,5907:00 AM–10:55 AMBroadway/Airport Blvd to Hillsdale Blvd31Santa ClaraNB1,5906:25 AM–9:30 AMBlossom Hill Rd/Silver Creek Vly Rd to Tully Rd41San FranciscoNB1,3406:50 AM–11:15 AMThird Street to Cesar Chavez Street46San MateoSB9607:20 AM–10:35 AMSR 84/Woodside Road to University Avenue50Santa ClaraNB8705:35 AM–8:25 AMSan Martin Avenue to East Dunne AvenueRankCountyDirection1San Francisco3Santa ClaraUS 101 NBand I-80 EBSB13San Mateo1530LocationDue to time and resource constraints, this CMCP utilizes a “hybrid” approach as described in the CaliforniaTransportation Commission’s (CTC) 2018 Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan Guidelines. As such,the CMCP is primarily based on the US 101 South Comprehensive Corridor Plan (2018), but also integratesexisting plans, studies, reports and project-specific information with limited new analysis. Some examplesof the existing plans/reports being integrated include MTC’s Plan Bay Area 2040, Caltrans District 4 BikePlan, countywide transportation plans from the three counties along the Corridor, project-leveldocuments for the managed lanes projects within the Corridor, as well as local development plans andstudies.The freeway performance analysis mainly focuses on bottleneck locations, queue length and changes insome of the network performance measures such as travel times, vehicle occupancy rate, personthroughput and vehicle miles traveled, as a result of implementing the three managed lanes projects listedabove. The recommended strategies include highway and transit projects, active transportation projectsand maintenance and operational projects. See Chapter 7 for short, medium and long-term highway andtransit projects, bicycle and pedestrian projects and State Highway Operation and Safety Program (SHOPP)projects. Chapter 7 also includes a qualitative evaluation of short-term highway and transit projects, withrespect to how they would contribute to the corridor goals.This CMCP will help fulfill Caltrans statutory responsibility of identifying deficiencies within and proposingimprovements to the US 101 South Corridor and serve the purpose of supporting funding applications forthe SCCP.The US 101 South CMCP was developed during the COVID-19 pandemic. Future travel patterns, modepreferences, and transportation needs may change as a result of modified behaviors directly linked to thispandemic.iii

Chapter 1: Introduction1.1 Caltrans Policy DevelopmentSystem Planning is the long-range Transportation Planning process for the California Department ofTransportation (Caltrans). The System Planning process fulfills Caltrans statutory responsibility asowner/operator of the State Highway System (SHS) (Gov. Code §65086) by identifying deficiencies andproposing improvements to the SHS. Through System Planning, Caltrans focuses on developing SystemPlanning products that address integrated multimodal transportation system needs and help advanceCaltrans Mission, Vision and Goals. Over the past several years, especially with the passage of county-levelsales tax measures for transportation funding, Caltrans has worked closely with local agencies such as theAlameda County Transportation Commission (Alameda CTC) and the Metropolitan TransportationCommission (MTC) to conduct system planning for the SHS.This Comprehensive Multimodal Corridor Plan (CMCP) was developed in alignment with the goals,objectives and performance targets outlined in Caltrans Strategic Management Plan 2015-2020.1 It isconsistent with recommendations from the System Planning to Programming (SP2P) study and thePlanning for Operations (P4Ops) Strategic Work Plan, both developed in 2017 by Caltrans Headquartersto help redefine System Planning’s roles and products. It also follows the corridor planning processdescribed in Caltrans Corridor Planning Process Guide, adopted in 202021.2 Senate Bill 1 and the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program 3The Road and Repair Accountability Act of 2017, also known as Senate Bill 1 (SB 1), provides the firstsignificant, stable, and on-going increase in State-directed transportation funding in more than twodecades. SB 1 presents a balance of new resources and reasonable reforms to ensure efficiency,accountability, and performance from each dollar invested to improve California’s transportation system.Among the multiple programs established by SB 1 is the Solutions for Congested Corridors Program(SCCP). This program provides 250 million annually on a competitive basis to Caltrans and regionalagencies for projects

in coordination with stakeholders along US 101 determined that the US 101 South Corridor is a