SUNNYVALE, Calif. – The City of Sunnyvale is set to create a new transit corridor on Frances Street that will provide new bus shelters, improved landscaping and new design features to update the look of the area.
Construction will force the closure of Frances Street between Capella Way and Evelyn Avenue from November 6 until summer 2007. The $1.5 million project cost is divided between the City of Sunnyvale, Bay Area Air Quality Management District and Federal Transit Administration funds administered by the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). The transit corridor will feature three new custom bus shelters, decorative paving of crosswalks, reinforced paving at the bus stops, new curbs, gutters and sidewalks on the east side of Frances, and new landscaping.
“This project is an important next step for our downtown,” said Mayor Ron Swegles. “The streetscape design for Frances Street will match design elements used at Plaza del Sol and the Sunnyvale Multimodal Transit Station. The result is that as travelers arrive on Caltrain and by VTA bus, they will be visually pulled into downtown. Not only will it be visually attractive, but it will also help draw customers to our businesses.”
The City will take advantage of the construction by also replacing an aging 8-inch water line that lies under Frances Street. The replacement is part of the City’s preventative maintenance program and is designed to replace older water service lines before they become a problem and will be paid for through the City’s Utility Fund.
Businesses will not be affected by the construction work and will remain open and accessible. The City will work to maintain access to parking lots in the area. The parking lot on the east side of Frances Street will be accessible during construction, and there will be no impact to the entrance ramps into the parking garage under Plaza del Sol.
Frances Street is currently a stop for many VTA bus lines that serve both downtown and the Multimodal Transit Station. Beginning November 6, VTA will relocate the affected lines onto Evelyn Avenue across from the Multimodal Transit Station. This will affect VTA Bus Lines 26, 32, 53, 54, 55 and 140. On November 6, when the bus lines are first moved to their temporary new stop, VTA will have ambassadors in the area to answer questions and to assist people in getting to their buses. For more specific information about VTA service, call VTA Customer Service at (408) 321-2300, or visit the VTA Web site at www.vta.org.