San Mateo County transportation agencies offer planning help, $4M in mini‑grants and local project funding for San Bruno

Officials from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority and the County’s City & County Association of Governments briefed the San Bruno City Council on May 12 on cross‑jurisdiction planning and grant opportunities aimed at multimodal safety and mobility improvements.

Patrick Gelster, director of planning and fund management for the Transportation Authority, described the 101 Corridor Connect multimodal effort and a related Active 101 crossings study that prioritize projects such as San Bruno Avenue improvements and the SFO Bay Trail gap closure. Gelster said the Transportation Authority has dedicated $4 million to a new mini‑grant program to help move multimodal corridor studies and concept designs into the project pipeline, offering up to $750,000 per project with no local match required.

Kaki Chung, acting executive director of the City & County Association of Governments (CCAG), and consultant Noe Nogiola presented the Community Based Transportation Plan (CBTP) targeting equity‑priority communities. Chung said CCAG has a $28 million call for projects and has reserved about $1.2 million to advance projects identified in the CBTP from planning into design and construction readiness. Nogiola summarized community engagement and the plan’s 36 recommendations, noting priority themes of pedestrian safety, bicycle connectivity and improved transit amenities.

Council members expressed appreciation and brief questions; staff was encouraged to pursue technical assistance opportunities and apply for grants. Gelster said early technical assistance of $300,000 has been granted to San Bruno Avenue and that the Transportation Authority will offer a streamlined, letter‑proposal application due in July for the mini‑grant program.

Council members seeking to advance San Bruno projects were told the agencies will coordinate with city staff on concept development and community outreach and asked for a council champion to assist with sitewalks if a project is selected.