U.S. 101/Bailey Avenue Interchange Project Frequently Asked Questions

Questions Regarding VTA

Question: What is VTA?

Answer: The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special district responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations; congestion management; specific highway improvement projects; and countywide transportation planning in Santa Clara County. As such, VTA is both an accessible transit provider and multi-modal transportation planning organization involved with transit, highways and roadways, bikeways and pedestrian facilities.

Question: Who governs VTA?

Answer: VTA is governed by the VTA Board of Directors. The Board consists of 12 members and five alternates appointed by the jurisdictions they represent.

• Five Councilmembers and one alternative from the City of San Jose
  
• Three Councilmembers and one alternate from among the Cities of Los Altos, Mountain View, Palo Alto, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale and the Town on Los Altos Hills
  
• One Councilmember and on alternate from among the Cities of Campbell, Cupertino, Monte Sereno, and Saratoga and the Town of Los Gatos
  
• One Councilmember and one alternate from among the Cities of Gilroy, Milpitas and Morgan Hill
  
• Two members and one alternate from the County Board of Supervisors
  
• Two ex-officio (non-voting) members who are Santa Clara County's representatives to the Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC).

Questions Regarding the Project

Question: Who is the lead agency for the U.S. 101/Bailey Avenue Interchange Project?

Answer: The City of San Jose is the lead agency for the U.S. 101/Bailey Avenue Interchange Project and has requested VTA to oversee the construction.

Question: What are the benefits of the U.S. 101/Bailey Avenue Interchange Project?

Answer: The U.S. 101/Bailey Avenue Interchange Project will benefit the community by constructing a new full interchange that will provide a new access point to the freeway at Bailey Avenue between Bernal Road/Silicon Valley Boulevard in San Jose and Cochrane Road in Morgan Hill. The project will also improve traffic flow and local street connections. In addition, the new interchange will serve the future Coyote Valley industrial campus.

Question: What will the U.S. 101/Bailey Avenue Interchange Project include?

Answer: The project will include the following:

• Overcrossing at U.S. 101 including four lanes and a median shoulder
  
• New bridge over Coyote Creek including six lanes and a median shoulder
  
• At grade intersection at Monterey Road
  
• Off-ramps from northbound and southbound U.S. 101 to Bailey Avenue and Malech Road
  
• Loop on-ramp from eastbound Malech Road and westbound Bailey Avenue to northbound U.S. 101
  
• On-ramp from westbound Bailey Avenue and eastbound Malech Road to southbound U.S. 101.

Question: Will the new interchange meet current earthquake standards?

Answer: The new interchange will meet current earthquake standards.

Question: What is the construction schedule?

Answer: The project will begin construction in April 2003 and is expected to be completed in April 2005.

Question: What is the cost of construction and where are the funds from?

Answer: The total cost of the project is $29.2 million: $22.5 from the State Transportation Improvement Program (STIP) which includes $18 million from Caltrans, $4.5 million from local STIP through VTA, and $6.7 million from the City of San Jose.

Questions Regarding Construction Impacts

Question: Will there be closures on U.S. 101 during construction?

Answers: There will be minimal closures on U.S. 101 during construction. For the safety of the public and construction workers, traffic control measures (such as temporary lane closures) will be used when needed. Contractors will make every effort to maintain access and minimize disruptions.
The lane configurations for the U.S. 101 Widening Project will accommodate construction of the U.S. 101/Bailey Avenue Interchange Project, therefore minimizing traffic impacts to the community.

Question: Will the Coyote Creek trails be open during construction?

Answer: The Coyote Creek trails will be opened during construction.
If construction work is anticipated to affect access to the trails, flag persons will be on-site for pedestrian and bicycle traffic control.

Question: What are the hours of construction work?

Answer: In general, construction hours will be between 7 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday through Friday with extended hours as necessary for critical operations. Night work and weekend work will occur on an as-needed basis.

Question Regarding Notification of Upcoming Construction Impacts

Question: How will VTA inform the public of upcoming construction impacts?

Answer: VTA will make every effort to inform the public of upcoming construction impacts by news releases and posting information on the project website at www.vta.org. Interested parties are invited to contact VTA Community Outreach to be added to the project email or fax contact lists as well.

Questions Regarding Maintenance After Construction

Question: After this project is completed, who will maintain the U.S. 101/Bailey Avenue Interchange?

Answer: Upon completion, Caltrans will operate and maintain the new interchange. The City of San Jose will operate and maintain the local streets and bridge over Coyote Creek.

Question Regarding VTA Contacts

Question: Whom can we contact to obtain more information on the project?

Answer: For more information on the U.S. 101/Bailey Avenue Interchange Project or any other VTA Highway Projects, contact VTA Community Outreach at (408) 321-7575, TDD for the hearing impaired (408) 321-2330.

Go to top