REPORT TO STATION AREA TASK FORCE
SUBJECT
Title
Public Hearing: Benton-Brokaw Multimodal Crossing Feasibility Study
Report
BACKGROUND
City staff and the City’s consultant HMH will introduce the Study to the Station Area Task Force (SATF), summarize work completed to date, present the preliminary crossing concepts, and seek SATF input through an interactive presentation.
Study Area and Existing Conditions
The project area is located in a highly urbanized portion of Santa Clara characterized by a mix of residential, commercial, industrial, and institutional uses and a heavily utilized multimodal transportation network. Benton Street and Brokaw Road serve as important east-west corridors but currently terminate at the Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) corridor, creating a gap in the local street network and limiting direct circulation between areas east and west of the railroad. The surrounding area includes several major destinations and activity generators, including Santa Clara University, the Santa Clara Transit Center, employment centers, emergency services, commercial areas, and residential neighborhoods.
The UPRR corridor is a wide, multi-track facility accommodating Caltrain, Amtrak Capitol Corridor, Altamont Corridor Express (ACE), and freight operations and represents a significant physical and operational barrier to east-west travel. Although sidewalks are generally present along Benton Street and Brokaw Road, pedestrian and bicycle connectivity across the railroad is limited and fragmented, requiring users to take indirect routes to existing crossings. The area's role as a regional multimodal hub is expected to increase with the future BART Silicon Valley Phase II station and planned transit-oriented development, further increasing the importance of safe and efficient multimodal access and connectivity within the station area.
Community and Stakeholder Engagement to Date
Virtual Community Meeting #1 - June 24, 2026
The project team held the first virtual community meeting to introduce the Study, present the study objectives and schedule, and gather initial community input on transportation needs and priorities. Participants represented a range of community perspectives, including nearby residents, commuters, business owners and employees, students, parents, and other users of the station area. Feedback generally supported improving connectivity across the rail corridor and access to the Santa Clara Transit Center, with participants identifying pedestrians, bicyclists, scooter users, and transit users as priorities for a future crossing. Participants also emphasized multimodal accessibility, compatibility with future development, and traffic operations as important considerations when evaluating potential alternatives.
BPAC Meeting #1 - June 29, 2026
The project team presented the Study to the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC) to introduce the project, review the study area and existing transportation challenges, summarize feedback received during the first community meeting, and gather input on priorities for developing and evaluating potential crossing alternatives. BPAC members generally supported prioritizing pedestrian, bicycle, and transit access and discussed the existing bicycle and pedestrian undercrossing, regional traffic patterns, and coordination with future transportation projects. Members also raised considerations related to bicycle and pedestrian safety, historic and archaeological resources, and the potential traffic and circulation effects of a new vehicular connection.
Stakeholder Walkshop - July 7, 2026
The project team conducted an on-site stakeholder walkshop with 23 participants representing VTA, BART Silicon Valley, the South Bay Historical Railroad Society, City departments, and the consultant team. Participants walked the east and west portions of the project area and reviewed existing conditions and potential opportunities and constraints related to rail infrastructure, utilities, property access and right-of-way, emergency response, historic resources, safety, and multimodal circulation. The discussion highlighted the opportunity to reconnect communities and improve access to BART, Caltrain, and VTA services, while identifying limited railroad clearances, utility conflicts, property impacts, historic-resource considerations, and multi-agency coordination as important constraints to consider as crossing alternatives are developed and evaluated.
Preliminary Concepts
The project team developed eight preliminary concepts to improve connectivity between Benton Street and Brokaw Road. Each concept exhibit includes a plain-language description, the travel modes served, and a preliminary screening of potential impacts. All concepts remain under consideration, and no concept is being recommended at this stage.
Concept 1 - Multimodal Undercrossing
This concept would provide a new undercrossing beneath the railroad corridor connecting Benton Street and Brokaw Road for vehicles and/or transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians, with bicycle and pedestrian facilities grade-separated from the roadway. The concept would provide a direct multimodal connection across the railroad; however, key impacts include eliminating current main access to the Santa Clara Police Department, City’s water tank and Silicon Valley Power facility, and disrupting VTA bus circulation around the Santa Clara Transit Center.
Concept 2 - Long Multimodal Undercrossing
This concept would extend the multimodal undercrossing beneath both El Camino Real and the railroad corridor, providing a continuous connection between Benton Street and Brokaw Road for vehicles and/or transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians. West of El Camino Real, Benton Street would transition into the tunnel. The primary impacts include eliminating traffic movements between Benton Street and El Camino Real and current access to the City’s water tank and Silicon Valley Power facility.
Concept 3 - Multimodal Overcrossing
This concept would provide an overcrossing above the railroad corridor for vehicles and/or transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians, creating a direct connection between Benton Street and Brokaw Road. All modes would generally be accommodated at the same grade. The primary impacts include significant reconstruction of El Camino Real, elimination of access to adjacent properties, including the Santa Clara Police Department, and disruption of VTA bus circulation around the Santa Clara Transit Station.
Concept 4 - Long Multimodal Overcrossing
This concept would provide an elevated multimodal connection over both El Camino Real and the railroad corridor for vehicles and/or transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians. The longer structure would create a continuous connection between Benton Street and Brokaw Road; however, the primary impacts include eliminating vehicular connections between Benton Street and El Camino Real and affecting access to adjacent properties, including the City’s water tank and Silicon Valley Power facility.
Concept 5 - Multimodal Overcrossing with Separate Bicycle & Pedestrian Facility
This concept would provide an overcrossing above the railroad corridor for vehicles and/or transit, bicyclists, and pedestrians. Unlike Concept 3, bicyclists and pedestrians would use a separate shared-use facility on the bridge, accessed by spiral ramps at Benton Street and Brokaw Road rather than the roadway approaches. The primary impacts include significant reconstruction of El Camino Real, elimination of access to adjacent properties, including the Santa Clara Police Department and disruption of VTA bus circulation around the Santa Clara Transit Station.
Concept 6 - Bicycle and Pedestrian Undercrossing
This concept would provide a new bicycle- and pedestrian-only undercrossing beneath Benton Street and the railroad corridor, creating a direct connection between Benton Street and Brokaw Road without providing a new vehicular connection. The primary impact is the need for utility relocations along Benton Street and Brokaw Road.
Concept 7 - Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing
This concept would provide a new bicycle- and pedestrian-only overcrossing above the railroad corridor between Benton Street and Brokaw Road. The preliminary concept assumes a spiral ramp at Benton Street and a switchback ramp at Brokaw Road to accommodate the required elevation change. The primary impact is the visual effect of the elevated facility on the historic rail area.
Concept 8 - Modifications to Existing Facilities
This concept would improve the existing Santa Clara Transit Center plaza and bicycle and pedestrian undercrossing and provide a new ramp from Benton Street to the existing undercrossing, with bicyclists dismounting on the ramp. Improvements would address known issues and concerns with the existing facility. The primary impact is that the new ramp from Benton Street would affect circulation through the station plaza. Unlike the other concepts, this concept would not provide a new direct connection between Benton Street and Brokaw Road.
Concept Screening, Selection, and Evaluation
At the Community Workshop scheduled for October 14, 2026, the preliminary concepts described above will be presented for public review and feedback. Workshop participants will be asked to identify the concepts they favor for further consideration, and an online survey will launch. Input from the workshop, online survey, SATF, and BPAC, together with the preliminary concept screening, will inform selection of the two concepts to advance as project alternatives. The selected alternatives will then be further refined and evaluated using the following categories:
• Multimodal Use/ Access: How well does the proposed facility facilitate multimodal transportation, account for elevation and travel distance, and ensure strong bicycle and pedestrian connections to key destinations?
• Right-of-Way and Utilities: What are the preliminary property needs, including temporary construction easements, and how significant are the impacts of proposed improvements on existing utilities?
• Traffic and Transit Operations: How will the project impact traffic operations and transit circulation on existing roadways in the project area?
• Consistency with Future Development: How well do the proposed facilities align with the future BART station, the Station Area Plan, and planned transit-oriented development?
• Consistency with Historic Rail Area: How well do the proposed facilities preserve historic resources and respect the character of the historic rail area?
• Consistency with Public Input: How well do the proposed facilities align with public feedback and priorities?
• Estimated Project Cost: How significant are the anticipated project costs?
SATF Role and Requested Input
The project team is seeking SATF feedback on the following:
• Preliminary concepts and which concepts SATF supports advancing for further evaluation
• Evaluation criteria
• How the concepts align with the Station Area Plan and how they may support connectivity to the future BART station and surrounding Station Area
Next Steps
The project team will further develop the geometric layouts of the two selected alternatives to better define their alignments, configurations, and potential impacts. The refined alternatives will then be evaluated using the established evaluation criteria, including considerations such as multimodal accessibility, right-of-way impacts, traffic operations, compatibility with future development, and planning-level cost. The quantitative and qualitative results of the evaluation, including the benefits, impacts, and tradeoffs associated with each alternative, will be presented at future public outreach meetings to gather additional community and stakeholder feedback and inform selection of a preferred alternative.
There are multiple methods for staying up to date on the project and providing input:
• Webpage: <https://santaclaraca.gov/bentonbrokaw>
• Voicemail: 408-615-3048
• Email: Ajmal Puyehgar, Senior Civil Engineer with the Department of Public Works’ Traffic Engineering Division, apuyehgar@santaclaraca.gov <mailto:apuyehgar@santaclaraca.gov>.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation
There is no staff recommendation.
Staff
Prepared by: Ajmal Puyehgar, Senior Civil Engineer, Public Works
Reviewed by: Rebecca Bustos, Principal Planner, Community Development Department
Approved by: Lesley Xavier, Planning Manager, Community Development Department
ATTACHMENT
1. Project Study Area
2. Project Concept Exhibits