El Camino Corridor

The El Camino Bus Rapid Transit corridor (522) is an extension of the Alum Rock BRT line, traveling along The Alameda and El Camino Real from HP Pavilion in Downtown San Jose to the Palo Alto Intermodal Center. The corridor is currently served by lines 22 and 522, providing some of the most frequent and efficient bus service in Santa Clara County.

The El Camino Corridor will provide enhanced public transportation service to the cities of San Jose, Santa Clara, Sunnyvale, Mountain View, and Palo Alto including important destinations such as Santa Clara and Stanford Universities, Santa Clara and Sunnyvale’s government offices, downtown Mountain View and Palo Alto, and Stanford Shopping Center.

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Costs, Timeline, and Funding

The construction costs for the El Camino Corridor Bus Rapid Transit Project (Palo Alto Transit Center to HP Pavilion) are expected to total $216 million, with an additional $15.4 million for 14 new BRT vehicles. BRT service along the corridor is planned to start between 2015 and 2016, and funding is primarily expected to come from a combination of Measure A, Prop 1B, and a portion of funds designated for the Palo Alto Intermodal Center.

Opportunities to Spur Pedestrian-Friendly Development

The El Camino BRT project will help create more pedestrian-friendly communities along the El Camino corridor by reducing dependence on the automobile and decreasing demand for parking spaces and other automobile oriented uses. Cities along El Camino Real and the Alameda are planning for much of their future growth to occur along these arterials, and BRT will be a critical component of facilitating pedestrian friendly urban development while easing traffic congestion and helping to preserve quality of life. For more information, visit The Grand Boulevard Initiative’s website.

How to Get Involved

VTA will begin holding meetings to gather public input as part of their conceptual engineering for the El Camino BRT Corridor starting in 2010. Contact TransForm’s Silicon Valley Community Planner, Chris Lepe for more information and opportunities to get involved.