*This article was edited on 7/6/20. The estimated opening date is February 2021.

If you drive Montague Expressway through Milpitas on a regular basis, you may have noticed three giant pieces of steelwork that came on the scene lately. The metalwork currently staged off to the side in the westbound lanes constitutes the new pedestrian overcrossing that will connect the Milpitas Transit Center and BART Station to the Great Mall at Piper Drive. The span will be hoisted above the roadway later this summer, most likely in late July or early August. Essential construction crews for this public works project have been preparing pillars on either side of the expressway, along with a staircase and elevator shaft on the north side. The truss itself was manufactured in Washington state, and was shipped here on three oversized loads through Oregon, Idaho, Nevada and southern California – a trip that was painstakingly choreographed and delayed due to various state DOT staff being away from the office during the pandemic.

Now that the truss is here, Act 2 will bring to the stage several very large cranes to hoist the pieces into place. VTA is planning to set up a time-lapse camera for this scene so everyone stuck at home can watch it, not just the lucky few near Piper Drive with balcony seating overlooking the site. The same audience members who are graciously enduring the noise and lane closure disruption will have front row access to the overcrossing on a regular basis. Crossing Montague in this location is currently a long and unpleasant pedestrian journey down to the light at Great Mall Parkway/Capitol Avenue, and across 12 lanes of traffic at-grade. The pedestrian overcrossing will be a welcome addition to the neighborhood, and for all the new BART passengers on their way to the Great Mall. BART passenger service beginning June 13, with the overcrossing making its approximate opening debut in February 2021.

The Montague Pedestrian Overcrossing is a $19.33 million project funded by Senate Bill 1 (SB1), One Bay Area Grant Program Round 2 (OBAG 2), the City of Milpitas, and MTC. For more information, visit vta.org/montagueped