A new vision is taking shape for Bascom Avenue! Community members are invited to join VTA as we share designs and discuss plans to transform Bascom Avenue into a better connected, safer, and more attractive corridor for all who use it – pedestrians, bicyclists, drivers, and transit users.
Bascom Complete Streets: I-880 to Hamilton Avenue Project Community Meeting
Wednesday, November 19 | 6 pm – 7 pm
Bascom Community Center (1000 S. Bascom Avenue, San Jose)
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Spanish interpretation will be provided. To request additional language services or accommodations, please contact VTA Community Outreach at (408) 321-7575/TTY (408) 321-2330, or email community.outreach@vta.org by Wednesday, November 12.
Background:
Included in the roughly 3-mile project area are parts of the cities of Campbell and San Jose, as well as unincorporated County of Santa Clara. The Bascom Avenue corridor spans multiple neighborhoods and features important community destinations such as San Jose City College and Valley Medical Center. It also provides access to several elementary, middle, and high schools, as well as senior housing. But today’s Bascom corridor is not a hospitable one and does not serve the adjacent neighborhoods well. The pedestrian and transit environment lacks complete sidewalks and offers little shade, bikeways are missing and average traffic speeds exceed posted limits. The Bascom Complete Streets: I-880 to Hamilton Avenue Project aims to rectify this.
Community members helped create a shared vision for the corridor as part of the initial Bascom Avenue Complete Streets Study, finalized in 2020. The vision reflected the community’s priorities and what they value most, including safety, comfort, and a sense of place along one of the South Bay’s vital corridors. Together, they came up with 12 characteristics they’d like to see represented in the new Bascom Avenue:
| Safe | Comfortable |
| Well-Connected | Efficient |
| Healthy | Sustainable |
| Context-Sensitive | Identifiable |
| Well-Signed | Well-Maintained |
| Community-Oriented | Business-Supportive |
VTA’s project team aimed to incorporate these values into their design. Features include new signalized pedestrian crossings, separated bikeways, improved sidewalks, upgraded street lighting, and new street trees and landscaping, among others.
What’s next?
The project has recently completed its environmental phase and continues its design and engineering work. Earlier this year, VTA received a $2 million federal grant from the U.S. Department of Transportation to help fund the right-of-way phase of the project. VTA continues to seek funding for construction. Once funded, construction should take approximately two and a half years to complete.
Stay involved as the project continues! Sign up for updates on the project page.