Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements along E. Hillsdale Boulevard and Beach Park Boulevard
Location
E. Hillsdale Boulevard (from westerly City limit to Gull Avenue); Beach Park Boulevard (from Gull Avenue to Foster City Boulevard)
City or County Responsible for Project
City of Foster City
Category
Complete Streets Projects
Author
Vivian Ma
City of Foster City
610 Foster City Blvd., Foster City, CA 94404
(650) 286-3277
Project Description
Foster City recently completed the “Bicycle and Pedestrian Improvements along East Hillsdale Boulevard and Beach Park Boulevard” project. As part of the City’s annual street resurfacing program, the project utilized multiple funding sources to construct improvements for all road users in a cost effective manner, including a TDA grant, SB 1, Measure A, Measure M, and Gas tax. The project consisted of bicycle and pedestrian improvements along two major corridors throughout the City – E. Hillsdale Blvd. and Beach Park Blvd. The improvements allowed an east-west bicycle connection from the City of San Mateo to Foster City, and a continuous bicycle network within Foster City. The goal would be to encourage the use of an alternative transportation method and lessen traffic congestion. The project also included street resurfacing, lane width reduction, new crosswalks, ADA ramps, bicycle and pedestrian signage. The project helped in creating a Complete Street consistent with the City’s policy, in which the City is committed to creating and maintaining a balanced, multimodal transportation network that meets the needs of all users. E. Hillsdale Blvd. and Beach Park Blvd. are designated as bicycle facilities in the San Mateo County Comprehensive Bicycle and Pedestrian Plan, as well as Foster City’s General Plan. E. Hillsdale Blvd. serves as a gateway between the City of San Mateo and Foster City. Prior to this project, Class II Bike Lanes were striped on both sides of E. Hillsdale Blvd. at the San Mateo city limit. However, the bike lanes terminated without any transition or connectivity coming in and out of Foster City. As recommended by Foster City’s Bicycle, Pedestrian, and Intersection Evaluation Study, this project provided the “missing link,” and upgraded the section of E. Hillsdale Blvd. in Foster City from a Class III Bike Route to a Class II Bike Lane facility. E. Hillsdale Blvd. transitions to Beach Park Blvd. at Gull Avenue. Due to limited roadway width, Beach Park Blvd. could accommodate a Class III Bike Route facility with Sharrows implementation. While the Bay Trail is to the east of Beach Park Blvd., the Sharrow implementation would provide not only a direct route to many City’s destinations, it would also aim to create a traffic calming effect to reduce vehicular speed. The project terminated on Beach Park Blvd. at Foster City Blvd., where bicycle improvements had already been constructed previously for the remaining portion of Beach Park Blvd. As stated above, the project corridor is within walking and biking distance to many City’s destinations, including parks, library, Civic Center, Chamber of Commerce, levee, schools, Samtrans and AC Transit bus routes, and Caltrain station in San Mateo. As part of this project, new crosswalks accompanied by ADA ramps and pedestrian signage were installed at Beach Park Blvd. & Teal Street and Beach Park Blvd. & Halibut Street to provide better access to the Bay Trail and adjacent parks.
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