May 3, 2008

Project aims at widening Hwy. 101

Main entrance of Coyote Point Recreation Area to be closed

By Angela Hart / Bay Area News Group

Access to the main entrance of Coyote Point Recreation Area from Bayshore Boulevard will be halted for two weeks beginning May 12 as part of a construction project aimed at widening traffic lanes on Highway 101, according to the state Department of Transportation.

Caltrans is building a new elevated roadway connecting Bayshore Boulevard to a larger overpass on Peninsula Avenue, which is expected to be completed in late 2009.

Coyote Point will be accessible through Airport Boulevard during the closure, which will occur May 12-26.

"We need to match the elevated roadway on Bayshore to the new structure planned for Peninsula Avenue," said Gidget Navarro, public information officer for Caltrans. "In the end, the roads will be connected and even."

Caltrans, in conjunction with SamTrans, has allocated more than $150 million for the project to improve structures and create safer spaces for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians.

The goal is to reduce congestion by building auxiliary lanes for local commuters that allow more room for motorists to merge on and off the freeway. During peak travel times, metering lights will also help reduce traffic.

The Peninsula Avenue bridge is one part of this effort. Sidewalks will be expanded, and the overpass expanded from two to four lanes.

Pam Noyer, a park ranger for the Coyote Point Recreation Area, said that although the project could make the area safer for pedestrians and cyclists once it's completed, "it's also going to confuse people" during construction. "And it could add to the traffic on Airport Boulevard," Noyer said.

The auxiliary lane project began last spring and is scheduled for completion in 2011.