Traffic congestion may be lighter since the start of pandemic-related shelter-in-place orders, but we all know it’s going to come back someday. With that in mind, VTA and Caltrans are working to make the trip through the interchange at Highway 101 and State Route 25 south of Gilroy easier.

While VTA and Caltrans are leading the project, the Counties of Santa Clara and San Benito are also working together to improve mobility within the larger State Route 152 Corridor, in a union referred to as The Mobility Partnership. It’s a complex and wide-reaching job, to be paid for with 2016 Measure B and SB 1 funds, which is why it will be delivered in phases. The 101/25 interchange is the first to get started…currently being designed.  

The interchange is over 30 years old, and not built for the volume of traffic it's seen, especially in recent years. The various kinds of traffic: commercial, commuter, and recreational vehicles, paired with high rates of speed have resulted in above-average accident rates near that interchange, and if you have ever driven in that area at commute times, you know tremendous backups can occur.

The first part of this interchange project, referred to as “Phase 1,” will include:

• Replacing the State Route 25 (SR 25) bridge with a four-lane overcrossing and widening the span across US 101.
• Increasing the length of the southbound US 101 off-ramp to SR 25 to decrease traffic back-ups onto US 101.
• Upgrades to the northbound US 101 on/off ramps to improve exit and merging operations.
• Installing new traffic signals at the on/off ramp intersections to improve traffic flow.
• Realignment of SR 25 just north of the existing SR 25, connecting to the current alignment of SR 25 just west of the Union Pacific Railroad crossing.

For updates on this congestion management work, sign up for the US 101/SR 25 Interchange - Phase 1 project webpage. Or contact VTA’s Community Outreach team: (408) 321-7575, (TTY) 408-321-2330, community.outreach@vta.org.