Het verhaal
After more than a decade of design work, Palo Alto is approaching a September City Council step on 15% designs for grade separations at Churchill Avenue, East Meadow Drive and Charleston Road, so the city can seek grants. Chief Transportation Official Rita Hutabarat Lo said that after 15% design, staff and Caltrain consultants would move to 35% design (late 2027 if the schedule holds), then environmental review.
Caltrain figures shared Wednesday put all three crossings at $1.5–1.6 billion if East Meadow and Charleston are built concurrently, and $1.7–1.8 billion if they are done in sequence (Charleston first). The city is more than a billion dollars short; Charleston is the likeliest to go first. Current plans assume construction starts in 2032 and takes four to nine years. A Tuesday community meeting at Mitchell Park Community Center drew more than 50 people; residents raised property impacts, bicycle access and temporary shoofly tracks.