TO: HONORABLE MAYOR
AND CITY COUNCIL
FROM: John Ristow
SUBJECT: See Below DATE: November 24, 2025
Approved
Date:
12/3/25
COUNCIL DISTRICTS: 3, 4
SUBJECT: Second Amendment to the Consultant Agreement with HNTB Corporation for the US 101 / Mabury - Berryessa - Oakland Corridor Improvement Project
RECOMMENDATION
Adopt a resolution authorizing the City Manager or her designee to negotiate and execute the Second Amendment to the Consultant Agreement between the City of San José and HNTB Corporation for engineering consultant services for the US 101 / Mabury - Berryessa - Oakland Corridor Improvement Project to increase the total not-to- exceed amount by $1,800,000, from $9,000,000 to $10,800,000, and extend the term of the Agreement to December 31, 2028.
SUMMARY AND OUTCOME
This Second Amendment provides the additional funding and time necessary for HNTB Corporation (HNTB) to complete the environmental clearance and required documentation for the US 101 / Mabury - Berryessa - Oakland Corridor Improvement Project (Project) under the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) process.
The contract increase is driven by the need to implement Caltrans-led value analysis recommendations, revise the Project description in completed and ongoing environmental documents, and address the additional effort required to review and respond to public and interagency comments.
BACKGROUND
The existing freeway access and local circulation in the Mabury Road, Berryessa Road, and Oakland Road corridors are inadequate to support planned growth, including future development around the Berryessa BART station, the Berryessa Urban Village, and COUNCIL AGENDA: 12/16/25
FILE: 25-1324
ITEM: 2.25
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
November 24, 2025
Subject: Second Amendment to the Consultant Agreement with HNTB Corporation for the US 101 / Mabury - Berryessa - Oakland Corridor Improvement Project
redevelopment along Mabury Road and Oakland Road. Limited and indirect access to US 101, closely spaced interchanges, and gaps in bicycle and pedestrian connectivity contribute to congestion, safety concerns, and poor multimodal accessibility. Without improvements such as interchange modifications, enhanced local street connections, and upgraded active transportation facilities, the area cannot meet its long-term land use and mobility goals. In response to these deficiencies, the Project was incorporated into the City of San José (City) General Plan in 1985. The Project was identified in the Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Final Environmental Impact Statement (2010). The Project is listed in the Valley Transportation Plan 2040. The Valley Transportation Plan 2040 is Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority’s long-range planning document, adopted in 2014, that outlines regional transportation investments, policies, and projects through 2040 to improve mobility, safety, and multimodal access across Santa Clara County. Since then, the City has developed several policies that are linked to the Project. These policies are discussed in the City’s adopted General Plan, Envision 2040, and included in the North San José Area Development Policy (2005 and latest amended in 2015) and the US 101 / Oakland / Mabury Transportation Development Policy (2007 and latest amended in 2015). These policies facilitate the implementation of freeway improvements at US 101 / Mabury Road and US 101 / Oakland Road interchanges. In 2016, Santa Clara County voters approved the Valley Transportation Authority Measure B, a 30-year, half-cent countywide sales tax to enhance transit, highways, expressways, and active transportation.
The Project would improve access to the Berryessa / North San José BART station, planned Berryessa Urban Village, and North San José. The City Council adopted the Berryessa BART Urban Village Plan in June 2021, identifying the Project as one of the 20 infrastructure improvements key to achieving the area goals. The Project will alleviate traffic congestion at the nearby US 101 / Oakland Road and US 101 / McKee Road interchanges, improve local traffic circulation, and freeway access. The proposed multimodal improvements will enhance pedestrian and bicycle connectivity across US 101, which is currently a significant barrier for people walking or bicycling between neighborhoods and to the BART station.
The Project includes:
• A new full interchange across US 101 at Berryessa Road and Hedding Street with modifications to the existing US 101 / Oakland Road interchange; • Multimodal bicycle / pedestrian connectivity improvements particularly on the Mabury Road and Taylor Street overcrossing, following the City's Better Bike Plan 2025, Berryessa BART Urban Village Plan, and Complete Streets Design Standards and Guidelines; and
• Local road access improvements to US 101 in the vicinity of the Project.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
November 24, 2025
Subject: Second Amendment to the Consultant Agreement with HNTB Corporation for the US 101 / Mabury - Berryessa - Oakland Corridor Improvement Project
In August 2018, Caltrans accepted the findings of the City-submitted Design Information Bulletin 77, which documented that the then-proposed US 101 / Mabury Road interchange met the design, safety, and operational standards of Caltrans and the Federal Highway Administration. However, Caltrans stipulated that specific operational improvements like auxiliary lanes must be included and studied in the environmental phase. In addition, Caltrans and the City agreed to study the local street network and other interchange improvements.
In tandem, the City examined the US 101 corridor from Mabury Road to Oakland Road and considered an interchange at Berryessa Road and East Hedding Street as a potential alternative. An interchange at US 101 and Berryessa Road and East Hedding Street would include modifications to the existing US 101 / Oakland Road interchange and improve the interchange spacing along US 101. The City coordinated with Caltrans to include the Berryessa Road and East Hedding Street alternative in the study and received concurrence from Caltrans in July 2019.
In December 2019, the City issued a request for proposals to evaluate the Project and allow for new perspectives on the Project. The request for proposals solicited engineering consultant services to prepare scoping, environmental studies, project reports, and potentially a final Project design. In October 2020, the City awarded the Project to HNTB.
The Project virtual scoping meeting was facilitated by the City, HNTB, and subconsultant staff on January 19, 2022. This scoping meeting provided information on the proposed Project and gathered initial public input.
In June 2024, a week-long Caltrans-led value analysis workshop identified and recommended three adjustments to the proposed Project improvements identified in the Project scoping. The value analysis proposed adjustments will help the Project improve traffic operations, reduce the need to acquire residential and commercial properties for right-of-way, and yield substantial construction cost savings.
Adoption of the proposed second amendment will allocate the necessary funds and time for the Project team to complete the Project approval and environmental document phase in full compliance with Caltrans’ development requirements. The recommended action will help the Project advance to the plans, specifications, and estimates phase and extends the agreement through December 31, 2028.
ANALYSIS
In June 2024, the Project team conducted a week-long value analysis workshop, which aimed to identify ways to reduce costs and optimize the project design features without compromising the Project’s performance, quality, and functionality. Value analysis
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
November 24, 2025
Subject: Second Amendment to the Consultant Agreement with HNTB Corporation for the US 101 / Mabury - Berryessa - Oakland Corridor Improvement Project
participants included Caltrans, the City’s Department of Transportation (Regional Highways Section), and HNTB (the Project consultant). The value analysis workshop successfully refined the proposed Project alternatives to minimize property impacts, address parking losses, and remove a low-use U-turn bridge, thereby reducing construction costs while maintaining acceptable traffic operations. In late 2024, Caltrans raised concerns with the proposed on-ramp design, leading the Project team to evaluate a revised two-lane configuration without a high-occupancy vehicle lane. This revised configuration was subsequently accepted by Caltrans, pending concurrence from the California Highway Patrol.
Currently, the Project development team is progressing through the Project approval and environmental document phase, which includes submitting a Project report and environmental impact report to Caltrans for their review. Caltrans’ approval of the Project report and environmental impact report are expected by late 2028. The amendment will extend the term of the agreement with HNTB to December 31, 2028.
The Project scope of work includes:
• Traffic analysis;
• Environmental studies to obtain National Environmental Policy Act / California Environmental Quality Act clearance;
• Project report;
• Environmental document;
• Preliminary (30% design) contract documents;
• Initial right-of-way analysis; and
• Engineer’s estimates.
The increase of the contract amount will help the Project team to implement the Caltrans-led value analysis recommendation alternatives, which includes:
• Revising Project description and updating all environmental technical documents; and
• Additional coordination and focus meetings with Project stakeholders and Caltrans for technical document reviews and approvals.
The additional funds will help the Project team complete the contracted scope of work and to supplement ongoing work under the contract to complete and seek Caltrans’ approval of the environmental phase and advance the Project to the plans, specifications and estimates phase.
Racial Equity Impact Analysis
The demographics of all census tracts within or directly adjacent to the proposed Project were compared to those of the City. Based on this comparison, all tracts qualify as
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
November 24, 2025
Subject: Second Amendment to the Consultant Agreement with HNTB Corporation for the US 101 / Mabury - Berryessa - Oakland Corridor Improvement Project
having minority communities, low-income communities, or both, and are environmental justice communities. As such, the Project will conduct a community impact assessment which includes an environmental justice community analysis.
The Project development team will employ a suite of communication tools for its proposed engagement and outreach to the surrounding community. These tools will build upon the team’s previous outreach for other relevant projects nearby. The approach will include leveraging tools available with the City and Caltrans, including hosting website content and social media posts. Best practices that have been identified include:
• Early engagement of elected officials and community stakeholders to vet preliminary design concepts;
• Leveraging existing communication tools and channels like building upon the Project development team’s previous engagement efforts on relevant projects such as BART Berryessa station;
• Performing targeted outreach to Equity Priority Communities and environmental justice communities, including multilingual noticing, translation and interpretation services, and coordination with existing / trusted cultural groups that already engage affected communities; and
• Providing Project information that is reflective of the dominant languages spoken in the Project area—Spanish, English, Chinese (Mandarin and Cantonese), Portuguese, and Vietnamese.
Climate Smart San José Analysis
The Project fulfills several of the Climate Smart San José goals by improving transportation infrastructure to better accommodate future growth alongside the development of the San José Flea Market site and Berryessa BART Urban Village. The Project also facilitates the expansion of mobility alternatives by closing the gaps in the existing bike network and improving safety elements, particularly on Oakland Road and Berryessa Road, which are identified in the City of San José’s Better Bike Plan 2025 as “high-stress” facilities that discourage bike ridership. Finally, the Project will address the limited pedestrian accessibility and connectivity in the Project area by bridging discontinuous sidewalks and bringing these facilities into compliance with Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
EVALUATION AND FOLLOW-UP
The status of the Project will be periodically reported to the Transportation and Environment Committee as part of the Regional Transportation Activities Reports.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
November 24, 2025
Subject: Second Amendment to the Consultant Agreement with HNTB Corporation for the US 101 / Mabury - Berryessa - Oakland Corridor Improvement Project
COST SUMMARY/IMPLICATIONS
The Project will be funded by Route 101 / Oakland / Mabury Traffic Impact Fees. The $1.8 million related to the increased contract amount will be expended in 2025-2026, and funds have been programmed as part of the 2025-2027 Adopted Biennial Capital Budget. Approval of the recommendation will have no significant operating and maintenance impact on the General Fund.
BUDGET REFERENCE
The table below identifies the fund and appropriations to fund the contract recommended as part of this memorandum and remaining project costs, including project delivery, construction, and contingency costs.
Fund
#
Appn.
#
Appropriation
Name
Total
Appropriation
Amount for
Contract
2025-2027
Adopted
Biennial
Capital Budget
Page
Last Budget Action
(Date, Ord. No.)
429 7334 Route 101 /
Mabury
Road Project
Development
$2,190,000 $1,800,000 953 10/21/2025
31252
COORDINATION
This memorandum and agreement have been coordinated with the City Attorney’s Office, the City Manager’s Budget Office, and the Planning, Building, and Code Enforcement Department.
PUBLIC OUTREACH
This memorandum will be posted on the City’s Council Agenda website for the December 16, 2025 City Council meeting.
COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION AND INPUT
No commission recommendation or input is associated with this action.
HONORABLE MAYOR AND CITY COUNCIL
November 24, 2025
Subject: Second Amendment to the Consultant Agreement with HNTB Corporation for the US 101 / Mabury - Berryessa - Oakland Corridor Improvement Project
CEQA
Not a Project, File No. PP17-003, Agreements/Contracts (New or Amended) resulting in no physical changes to the environment.
PUBLIC SUBSIDY REPORTING
This item does not include a public subsidy as defined in section 53083 or 53083.1 of the California Government Code or the City’s Open Government Resolution.
/s/
JOHN RISTOW
Director, Department of Transportation
For questions, please contact Florin Lapustea, Division Manager, Department of Transportation, at [email protected] or (408)975-3275.