Project Description

The Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway is a Council-approved project that is in final design and is anticipated to be constructed in Summer 2018. The project was identified as priority project in the Trails and Shared Use Pathways element of the City’s 2012 Bicycle + Pedestrian Transportation Plan (BPTP). Two community meetings were held to gather input from the community and strong support was expressed for this project which is located along the frontage of Palo Alto Hugh School. A design charrette was conducted, and various alternatives were considered before the final concept was selected. The public process for this project included review and consideration by the Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee (PABAC), City/School Traffic Safety Committee (CSTSC), the Planning and Transportation Commission, and final approval by the City Council.  

The project includes the construction of an 8’wide asphalt shared-use path, with a 2’-wide decomposed granite shoulder, which will connect the existing Caltrain Railroad pathway with the Stanford Perimeter Trail on the far side of El Camino Real. The project includes traffic calming and safety features along Churchill Ave, such as a raised crosswalk with pedestrian activated flashing beacons (at Madrono Ave), a large curb extension at Castilleja Ave, and an overhaul of the intersection at Churchill Ave and El Camino Real. The channelized right turn, also known as a “pork chop” will be removed, a new crosswalk of El Camino Real will be added, in addition to a new right turn lane for right turning vehicles from Churchill Ave onto El Camino Real. In addition, a protected crossing will allow path traffic to cross with bicycle signal heads, and path traffic will not conflict with any turning vehicles. 

This connection provides a comfortable off-street bicycle route linking the Stanford Perimeter trail, PAUSD, the Castilleja-Park-Wilkie bicycle boulevards to downtown Palo Alto and Caltrain, these connections are of local and regional significance. Completing a missing link in a shared-use path will invite new bicycle travel, with associated reductions in greenhouse gas emissions, and traffic congestion.

The Churchill Avenue Enhanced Bikeway Project is funded through design and environmental assessment in the Fiscal Year 2014 Capital Improvement Program.

Contact us!

Transportation Division
Transportation@CityofPaloAlto.org
(650) 329-2520