Two major projects aimed at easing traffic congestion and reducing freeway noise along a busy South San Jose thoroughfare broke ground this month, transportation officials announced.
The Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority announced the projects along Highway 85 in a news release Friday in conjunction with Caltrans and local leaders.
The projects include Phase Four of VTA’s Express Lanes Program, which will convert 6.5 miles of carpool lanes on State Route 85 and U.S. Highway 101 into Express Lanes. There is also a pilot Noise Reduction Program featuring specially treated pavement through neighborhoods including Mountain View, Cupertino and South San Jose, officials noted.
“As the Congestion Management Agency for Santa Clara County, VTA seeks to reduce congestion at a regional scale through a multimodal approach,” said VTA General Manager and CEO Carolyn Gonot during an event to celebrate the start of construction. “We are trying to make it easier to get around our valley, whether by personal vehicle, public transit, or bicycle.”
Construction on both efforts is underway and will proceed in phases.