Decisions Near on Interchange of 101 and Holly

The interchange of 101 and Holly Street and possible changes to the area is on the agenda of Tuesday's Transportation and Circulation Commission meeting.

The meeting begins at 7 p.m. in the San Carlos Council Chambers and will determine modifications to the Holly/101 interchange area, which will cost $20 million and is expected to affect the area for nearly 10 years before completion.

Improvements for motorized traffic will be made, though will not be at the expense of bicycle  and pedestrian safety.

The current plan grew out of a hostile reaction from residents of the neighborhoods closest to the freeway access a few years ago. That plan called for the widening of Holly, which would have affected nine houses on the street, and a planned business area.

A study at the time showed no feasible alternatives were identified to add capacity at the intersection of Holly Street with Old County Road and El Camino Real.

Other findings included:

It is not necessary to widen Holly Street to avoid an unacceptable level of congestion at the intersection of Holly Street and Industrial Road.

The existing pedestrian/bicycle problems in the Holly Street corridor are significant and would be made worse by the PAMF mitigations, unless other solutions are developed.

A bicycle/pedestrian undercrossing at the southeast quadrant of the Holly Street/US 101 interchange is a feasible solution to address safety issues for bicycles and pedestrians at that location.

A full conversion of the Holly Street/US 101 interchange to a partial cloverleaf would reduce congestion, benefit traffic safety and enhance bicycle/pedestrian routes.

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