Traffic: The $2 Million Question

One of the first questions in many people's minds about a development project is "what about the traffic?" The Menlo Gateway team has taken a highly proactive approach to answering this critical question.

The assessment of traffic impacts begins with the City of Menlo Park's draft Environmental Impact Report, which is used to identify potential traffic impacts and ways to minimize these impacts. The Menlo Gateway team also has conducted an independent assessment and has incorporated its findings and mitigation measures into the project plan. Menlo Gateway's location along arterials designed for high traffic volume – Highway 101, Bayfront Expressway, Marsh and Willow Roads – eliminates the need to build new roads. Menlo Gateway’s assessment also found that approximately 90 percent of traffic from Menlo Gateway will flow along these major roads.

Only about 10 percent of traffic from Menlo Gateway is estimated to enter the City of Menlo Park, and the project team expects to spend about $2 million to improve traffic flow entering and leaving the project site. These projects include adding a traffic signal and re-engineering the intersections of Chrysler and Constitution and Chrysler and Bayfront Expressway, and adding a right turn lane at Willow and Bayfront Expressway.

The Bohannon Development Company is also developing a comprehensive Transportation Demand Management (TDM) plan, identifying and implementing opportunities for carpooling, van pooling, transit vouchers, and bicycling to reduce the number of single-occupancy vehicles utilizing the site. Part of the plan includes tripling shuttle service between Menlo Gateway and Caltrain, as well as connecting sidewalks and bike paths within the project itself.

With growth inevitably comes traffic, but in the case of Menlo Gateway, sustainable redevelopment will deliver the tax and job benefits needed by the city with negligible changes to existing traffic patterns.