City Council
Staff Report
From: City Manager
Report Type: ACTION ITEMS
Lead Department: Transportation
Meeting Date: December 10, 2025
Report #:2506-4895
TITLE
Review and Selection of the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) to proceed with 15% design and Prepare CEQA and NEPA Documentation for the Grade Separations at Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and Charleston Road Crossings; CEQA status – CEQA and NEPA will be conducted on this project as part of the upcoming scope of work.
RECOMMENDATION
Staff recommends that Council reviews and formally selects the Locally Preferred Alternatives (LPA) to proceed with 15% design for the grade separations at Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and Charleston Road Crossings.
Of the two options presented for the bicycle and pedestrian crossing at Seale Avenue under the Churchill Avenue Partial Underpass Alternative, the Rail Committee unanimously recommended advancing the Alma Street Ramp option and eliminating the Seale Avenue ramp option from further consideration to the City Council.
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
In coordination with City staff, Caltrain has refined the conceptual designs for the partial underpass alternative at Churchill Avenue, as well as the hybrid and underpass alternatives for the Meadow Drive and Charleston Road grade separation projects. Additionally, Caltrain has developed preliminary design concepts for the bike/ped crossing at Seale Avenue as part of the Churchill Avenue grade separation.
These updates reflect direction from the City Council to reduce right-of-way impacts and improve mobility as part of the Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Documentation phase of the City of Palo Alto’s Grade Separation Project. An initial review of the revised concepts was presented at the Rail Committee meeting on September 16, 2025. Two community engagement workshops were also held on September 30, 2025, with more than 300 comments from community members considered to further refine the conceptual designs. The Rail Committee reviewed updated materials on November 18, 2025 and recommended that, for
the Seale Avenue Undercrossing, City Council consider advancing the Alma Street Ramp option and eliminate the Seale Avenue ramp option from further consideration. The Rail Committee also recommended that City Council review both Hybrid and Underpass alternatives at Meadow Drive and Charleston Road and to select a Locally Preferred Alternative to advance to the 15% design phase. Previously, Council selected the partial underpass as the locally preferred alternative at Churchill Avenue.
BACKGROUND
The City of Palo Alto’s rail corridor planning efforts commenced in 2010 with the Palo Alto Rail Corridor Study, which was adopted by Council on January 22, 2013 (Staff Report # 34101). From November 4, 2013, the City developed preliminary grade separation alternatives as part of the Connecting Palo Alto project, which explored multiple options for the four at-grade rail crossing locations of Charleston Road, Meadow Drive, Churchill Avenue, and Palo Alto Avenue. This work resulted in a Rail Corridor Circulation Study and initial screening of ideas for various alternatives that was reviewed by the Council on May 29, 2018 (Staff Report # 92842). In April 2018, in-depth analysis of engineering options continued, with review by the Rail Committee and Rail Crossing Community Advisory Committee (XCAP). The XCAP completed its review and presented recommendation to Council on March 23, 2021 (Staff Report 11797)3.
Since 2022, staff have secured grants from the Federal Rail Administration (FRA), California State Transportation Agency (CalSTA) and Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Measure B program, and have continued to develop grade separation alternatives. In consultation with the community, Rail Committee and Council, the City has refined project alternatives for rail crossings at Charleston Road, Meadow Drive, and Churchill Avenue, while the Palo Alto Avenue crossing was put on hold.
On June 10, 2024 (Staff Report # 2402-2957
4) and June 18, 2024 (Staff Report # 2406-31695),
Council selected the following alternatives to advance into the Conceptual Development phase in preparation for Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Documentation:
• For Churchill Avenue, the Council selected the Partial Underpass as the Locally Preferred Alternative (LPA) with vehicle crossing at Churchill Avenue and pedestrian/bicycle
1 City Council, January 22, 2013; Item 7, Action Item, SR# 3410 https://www.paloalto.gov/files/assets/public/v/1/agendas-minutes-reports/reports/city-manager-reports- cmrs/year-archive/2013/railcorridor1_22.pdf
2 City Council, May 29, 2018; Item 7, Action Item, SR# 9284 https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=31118&repo=r-704298fc 3 City Council, March 23, 2021; Item 1, Study Session Item, SR# 9284 https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=99&repo=r-704298fc 4 City Council, June 10, 2024; Item 13, Action Item, SR# 2402-2957 https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=72813&repo=r-704298fc 5 City Council, June 18, 2024; Item AA3, Action Item, SR# 2406-3169 https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=73959&repo=r-704298fc
crossing at Seale Avenue / Peers Park. Additionally, the Council identified the Pedestrian/Bicycle Undercrossing at Churchill (aka Closure Alternative) as the backup alternative if needed in the future for this location. (As directed by Council, the backup alternative will not advance to preliminary engineering at this time.) • For Meadow Drive and Charleston Road, the Council identified the Hybrid Underpass and Underpass as the two alternatives to advance to Conceptual Design with refinements to minimize right-of-way impacts and improve mobility at each location.
The preferred alternative for each location will advance to 35% Design. Constructability concerns may require the City to implement grade separations in these two locations in a coordinated manner.
Caltrain is leading the Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Documentation phase and the City collaborates with Caltrain for project design and acts as the project sponsor. The City has successfully secured $6 million in FRA Rail Crossing Elimination (RCE) program funds towards completing Preliminary Engineering (35%) and Environmental Documentation for grade separations at Churchill Avenue, Meadow Drive, and Charleston Road. In addition, on December 9, 2024 (Staff Report # 2408-3322
6), City Council approved a Cooperative Agreement
with VTA for $14 million in Measure B Caltrain Grade Separation funding for this phase.
City Council also directed staff to refine the project concepts with a focus on minimizing property impacts and enhancing mobility. To facilitate durable decision-making and expedited refinement of the alternatives, the Project is divided into two steps:
• Preliminary Engineering Alternatives Design Refinements (15% Design), which is anticipated to progress through Summer-2026; and
• Preliminary Engineering (35% Design) and Environmental Documentation under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and the National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA), which is anticipated to conclude in Fall 2027.
Design refinement also includes estimation of project costs and evaluation of constructability issues to support the selection of an LPA at each location, prior to progressing with 35% design plans and environmental documents.
In consultation with City, Caltrain refined the alternatives for review by the Rail Committee on September 16, 2025. The following refined alternatives were developed to minimize private property impacts while maintaining and/or improving the traffic circulation and enhancing pedestrian and bicycle crossings were shared at this meeting:
• Churchill Avenue Partial Underpass Alternative including the following elements that have been further developed since June 2024 (as displayed in Attachment A):
o One northbound vehicular lane on the upper portion of Alma Street, which
6 City Council , December 9, 2024; Item 12, Consent Item, SR# 2408-3322 https://portal.laserfiche.com/Portal/DocView.aspx?id=113787&repo=r-704298fc
connects to Churchill Avenue east of Alma Street. This represents a reduction from the previously proposed 2-lane configuration.
o One northbound combined lane (northbound through and northbound left turn) that is depressed approximately 22.5 to 29 feet below the current roadway depending upon construction methods and bridge design, that connects with Churchill Avenue for motor vehicles only.
o Seale Avenue Pedestrian and Bicycle crossing to provide active transportation access across the tracks 1,800-feet (four blocks) south of Churchill Avenue. This crossing has two variants:
Seale Option 1: Seale Avenue Ramp
Seale Option 2: Alma Street Ramp
• Meadow Drive and Charleston Road Crossings include the following elements (as displayed in Attachment B and C for Meadow and Charleston respectively):
o Hybrid Underpass at Meadow Drive and Charleston Road, where the railway tracks are elevated by 17 -19 ft and the roadway is depressed 4-6 ft. o Underpass at Meadow Drive and Charleston Road, where the tracks remain at their existing elevation and Charleston Road or Meadow Drive is depressed 22.5 to 29 ft depending upon construction techniques and bridge design. The Charleston Road Underpass has two variants:
Charleston Underpass Option 1: 1-lane Roundabout where drivers traveling from northbound Alma Street to westbound Charleston turn right and make a u-turn at a new roundabout 630 feet east of the interchange to travel westbound on Charleston Road.
Charleston Underpass Option 2: Direct Access Ramp where drivers traveling from northbound Alma Street to westbound Charleston turn left at a new lower-level traffic signalized intersection connecting with the depressed portion of Charleston Road.
o Combination: Hybrid Alternative at Meadow Drive and Underpass Alternative at Charleston Road.
ANALYSIS
Staff conducted community engagement to gather feedback on the refined concept alternatives. In addition to in-person meetings, community members were invited to submit comments via the project website. Staff also conducted outreach to the Palo Alto Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee (PABAC) Grade Separation Ad Hoc Group and Palo Alto Unified School District (PAUSD) staff to provide project updates and collect their input.
The project received a total of approximately 335 comments through community meetings, email submissions, and project website. All feedback comments were compiled in a spreadsheet for review. The following themes were identified from the comments:
• Property Impacts
• Traffic Impacts
• Cost and Funding
• Safety for Students and Access to Schools
• Active Transportation
• Construction Impacts
• Aesthetics and Visual Impacts
• Equitable Engagement
The top themes identified via community engagement for each alternative are described below:
Churchill Avenue
• Churchill Avenue Partial Underpass
o Active Transportation: Respondents suggested prioritizing walkability, bikeability and school access by providing landscaped buffers, and direct, accessible routes for pedestrians and cyclists, especially to schools. Respondents also requested ADA- compliant ramps, improved lighting, and high visibility crossings to enhance safe, convenient travel for all users.
o Traffic Speed and Volume: Respondents desired design measures to discourage speeding and increased traffic volumes on Alma Street, including lane reductions and new or adjusted traffic signals to improve safety and access. Some community members expressed concern that widening Alma may increase traffic volumes, while others noted that changes to this major corridor could affect walkability. o Access to Schools: Respondents desired expressed a desire for direct school routes.
Respondents expressed concern that longer or more complex paths may lead students to use roadways with cars such as Alma.
• Seale Avenue Ramp
o Active Transportation: Respondents suggested green markings where the bike ramp meets Seale, raised crosswalks, ADA compliant slopes and lighting. Respondents also asked to keep bikes and pedestrians separated and to slow cyclists on ramps. o Parking and Traffic Impact: Respondents expressed concern about parking impacts on Seale as well as implications of the ramp on route choices to and from Alma for abutting residents in terms of potential detours, one-way movements and U turns. o Property Access: Respondents expressed concern about loss of on-street parking for residents, driveway maneuvering space, and requested information on the number of dwellings affected—not just parcels (since this street has many multi-dwelling parcels); and ripple effects on visitors, deliveries, and seniors/ADA access along Seale.
• Alma Street Ramp
o Active Transportation: Respondents asked for clarification on how the Alma Ramp would work for bicyclists and pedestrians including level of visibility at conflict points, lighting, ADA grades, mirrors, and overall comfort.
o Traffic Impact: Respondents expressed concern about intersection operations such as the ability to make turns to and from Alma Street
o Safety for Students: Respondents were concerned that students may dislike tunnels, and that unsafe facilities could push families toward driving—increasing traffic volume and safety concerns; they also requested attention to lighting and consideration of student travel patterns.
Meadow Drive
• Hybrid
o Construction Impacts: Respondents requested more information on construction impacts for residents along Alma Street including duration and extent of night work and detours, and mitigation planned to address construction impacts. o Aesthetics and Visual Impact: Respondents expressed concern about a new retaining wall including visual quality, height, and design treatment. o Active Transportation: Some respondents favored this option based on a preference for direct routes for bike and pedestrian facilities and routes but requested more specifics on lane width, buffers, crossing treatments, and how grades and turns affect comfort.
• Underpass
o Active Transportation: Some respondents favored this option based on a preference for more protected bicycle and pedestrian routes.
o Traffic Impacts: Respondents expressed concern about inconvenience and delays to motorists, particularly regarding lane configuration, turn restrictions, and detours that impact traffic on surrounding streets.
o Property Impacts: Respondents requested information on the number of dwellings affected by property impacts, and not just the number of parcels. o Construction Impacts: Respondents were concerned about construction impacts such as road closures, noise, and disruptions to daily life, and they requested information on the duration of construction impacts.
Charleston Road
• Hybrid
o Property Impacts: Respondents generally expressed a preference for this option relative to the Underpass due to the lower level of potential property acquisitions. o Cost and Funding: Many respondents noted that this option has lower construction costs.
o Traffic Impacts: Respondents also noted that this option minimizes traffic disruptions and preserves neighborhood circulation.
o Active Transportation: Some respondents expressed support for the direct routes for the bike and pedestrian facilities and routes but requested more specifics on lane width, buffers, crossing treatments, and how grades/turns affect comfort. • Underpass – Roundabout
o Traffic Impacts: Respondents expressed concern about the circulation of traffic including increased traffic volume and lower convenience for motorists associated with circuitous maneuvers through the intersection.
o Active Transportation: Respondents requested additional information on bicycle and pedestrian routes, including connectivity, facility design, usability and comfort. o Property Impacts: Respondents expressed concern about property impacts and requested more detailed information on the number of dwellings affected and size of partial acquisitions needed (in terms of a percentage of property footprint). • Underpass – Direct Access Ramp
o Construction Impacts: Respondents expressed concern about construction duration, road closures, noise, and disruption to daily life.
o Active Transportation: Respondents expressed an interest in safe, direct, and accessible bicycle and pedestrian routes.
Refinements to Alternatives
Based on community input and technical analysis, the project team clarified active transportation routes and design elements such as the height of walls or tracks. Updated alternative plans are provided in
• Attachment A for Churchill Avenue Crossing (including the Seale Avenue pedestrian and bicycle crossing),
• Attachment B for Meadow Drive Crossing (Hybrid and Underpass alternatives), and • Attachment C for Charleston Road Crossing (Hybrid and Underpass alternatives).
In response to questions from community members, the team also developed additional renderings (including a Hybrid variant for Charleston and Meadow with columns). A traffic study was also conducted and is included in Attachment D and initial estimates of potential property impacts are included in Attachment E. Updates to construction costs, more precise data on potential property impacts, and additional details on construction impacts will be addressed during the 15% design phase. Furthermore, detailed review of individual property title reports will occur during the 35% design phase and environmental documentation phase.
The updates to the preliminary designs reflect direction from the City Council to reduce right- of-way impacts and improve mobility that would inform Council further into the decision making for selection of Locally Preferred Alternative at each crossing.
Rail Committee Review and Recommendation
An initial review of the revised alternatives was presented at the Rail Committee meeting on September 16, 2025. Public outreach workshops were also held on September 30, 2025, with
strong community participation. The project received more than 300 comments from community members. These comments were compiled and used to further refine the alternatives.
Rail Committee then reviewed updated materials on November 18, 2025. For Seale Avenue Bicycle/Pedestrian Crossing, Rail Committee recommended that City Council consider advancing the Alma Street Ramp option and eliminate the Seale Avenue ramp option from further consideration.
For the Meadow Drive and Charleston Road crossings, Rail Committee also recommended that City Council review alternatives and select a Locally Preferred Alternative to advance to 15% design. Council has previously selected the partial underpass alternative at Churchill Avenue crossing as the locally preferred alternative.
FISCAL/RESOURCE IMPACT
The action requested—advancing the selected grade separation alternatives to the 15% design as part of the Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Documentation phase—is fully funded with $20 million in secured external funds. These funds consist of a $6 million Federal Rail Administration (FRA) Rail Crossing Elimination (RCE) grant and a $14 million Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) Measure B Grade Separation Funding Cooperative Agreement, which Council approved on December 9, 2024.
Appropriations for this work are included in the FY 2026 Adopted Capital Budget, with future costs programmed in the FY 2026-2030 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP), as capital projects PL- 24000 (Meadow Drive and Charleston Road) and PL-24001 (Churchill Avenue Rail Grade Separation and Safety Improvements). The secured $20 million is programmed to cover the costs of this 15% design phase as well as the subsequent 35% Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Documentation phase. Therefore, this item has no new fiscal impact.
STAKEHOLDER ENGAGEMENT
The Rail Committee meetings and City Council sessions are open to the public, offering community members an opportunity to share comments directly with Committee and staff.
Regular project updates are presented during these meetings.
Since the last presentation to Rail Committee, staff has hosted two outreach meetings on September 30, 2025—one focused on Churchill Avenue (including the Seale Avenue crossing) and the other on Meadow Drive and Charleston Road crossings—to gather community input and feedback. Updated plans, renderings, meeting materials, and videos are available on the project website. Community members were also invited to provide additional feedback through comment forms at the meetings and on the project website.
Staff also engaged and conducted meetings with the City’s Pedestrian and Bicycle Advisory Committee’s (PABAC) Rail Grade Separation Subcommittee on October 10, 2025, as well as PAUSD staff on October 16, 2025, to gather further input. PABAC will also review the project at its special meeting on December 2, 2025, for a formal recommendation to Council.
To reach a wide cross section and help spread awareness of these engagement opportunities, staff also used social media, onsite signage, digital ads, and other communication channels.
Meeting invitations were also sent to a range of stakeholders, including neighborhood groups, business associations, the school district, Stanford University, and various City committees Continued progress on refining and narrowing project alternatives will provide greater certainty for property owners throughout this multi-year planning process. For example, staff were recently approached by a property owner potentially impacted by a design alternative who expressed interest in selling their property to the City. However, the City is not yet able to use project funds for property acquisition at this stage in project development. Such an action would require approval from both Council and funding partners.
ENVIRONMENTAL REVIEW
This Preliminary Engineering and Environmental Documentation phase of the grade separation project includes environmental review in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Protection Act (NEPA). The environmental review is anticipated to begin in fall of 2026.
ATTACHMENTS
Attachment A - Churchill Avenue Crossing Plans and Renderings Attachment B - Meadow Drive Crossing Plans and Renderings Attachment C - Charleston Road Crossing Plans and Renderings Attachment D – Traffic Study Memorandum (LINK)
Attachment E - Potential Property Impacts
APPROVED BY:
Ria Hutabarat Lo, Chief Transportation Official