The plan to transform parts of Bascom Avenue into a major thoroughfare serving all modes of transportation received a multi-million dollar boost from the State of California.

A $39 million grant was made available by the California Active Transportation Program with the help of local public support to build a new vision for the Bascom corridor. 

In 2017, VTA partnered with the City of San Jose, the City of Campbell, and the County of Santa Clara, to look at ways to improve Bascom Avenue. The goal is to enhance pedestrian and bicycle mobility and safety, improve bus and light rail transit accessibility and reliability, and improve the streetscape.

This study evaluated 5.9 miles of Bascom Avenue from I-880 near the Bascom-Forest and Rose Garden neighborhoods in San Jose, past Valley Medical Center, the Pruneyard in Campbell, and down to the Farnham and Ponderosa neighborhoods near SR-85. The study area includes unincorporated areas of Santa Clara County along the corridor.

The planning study identified opportunities along Bascom Avenue to demonstrate and advance Complete Streets improvements that are designed and operated roadways that offer safe mobility for all users including pedestrians, bicyclists, motorists, and transit users of all ages and abilities. The study also evaluated transit travel times, signal coordination, signal timing modifications, multimodal access, safety, and connectivity.

What does this mean?

The $39 million is to be used for construction after the current design work is complete. Construction is expected to begin 2025, after the preferred design of the project is refined. The community will have numerous opportunities to engage with VTA planners as the design is completed.

Local business and community members are encouraged to subscribe to updates and receive notifications of scheduled in-person and virtual public meetings to share the preferred design for this project. Subscribers will receive updates through each phase of the project.

 What's next?

VTA is working with the City of San Jose, the City of Campbell, and the County of Santa Clara on the prefered design for the first phase of corridor improvements starting from I-880 to Hamilton Avenue along Bascom Avenue. This southern half of Bascom Avenue consists of 6-lanes with a center turn lane and occasional landscaped median islands. The roadway serves approximately 27,000 to 37,000 vehicles daily and provides several stops for VTA Bus Route 61 along the corridor. This phase of the project will result in community-supported street designs for improving Bascom Avenue. The plan will help VTA and its partner agencies pursue funding to implement street improvements identified in the 2020 Final Report Study.

In the more immediate term, the City of San José is also working on changes to Bascom Avenue. They have begun repaving the street and you can expect to see new protected bike lanes, better crosswalks, and improvements to help slow cars and make the street safer for all. These changes are the first round of improvements, and we welcome comments based on those changes.

Thanks again for your support!

For more information on this project, please call VTA’s Community Outreach at (408) 321-7575, (TTY) 408-321-2330, or email community.outreach@vta.org.