SMCTA outlines 101 Corridor Connect priorities and a $4 million mini‑grant pilot

The San Mateo County Transportation Authority told the Brisbane City Council on May 21 that its 101 Corridor Connect planning program has produced four planning documents and a set of prioritized projects intended to reduce congestion along U.S. 101.

"It is a collaborative program to identify and prioritize projects that can help to relieve congestion on US 101," said Sue Ellen Atkinson, manager of planning and fund management at SMCTA. She said the multimodal planning effort looked beyond the freeway itself to the surrounding transportation network and drew on community engagement across North, Mid and South County.

Atkinson said the multimodal strategies produced 20 priority projects in each of three subareas — 60 projects in total — and SMCTA used locally adopted plans and community feedback to select projects it deems regionally significant and community supported. She described an "Active 101" plan focused on walking, biking and rolling within a quarter‑mile of the freeway and a multimodal approach that includes transit, bicycle and pedestrian improvements.

The authority has set aside $4,000,000 for a pilot mini‑grant program aimed at moving priority projects from map lines to early design and outreach. Under the pilot, single projects identified in any of the four plans are eligible for funding; Atkinson said SMCTA can award up to $750,000 for multijurisdictional projects and up to $1,000,000 for projects that involve one or more cities. She added the pilot requires no local match and uses a streamlined application: a short letter of interest and confirmation of staff availability.

"The funding is intended to fund the very initial stages of a project — doing a corridor study, developing conceptual alternatives, doing community engagement to get initial feedback," Atkinson said. She said SMCTA will open the call for projects on June 3, accept applications through July, and aim to notify selected projects by August.

Atkinson flagged technical assistance and a new community‑based organization (CBO) bench to help local jurisdictions with engagement, and she encouraged Brisbane staff to reach out about the local priority projects identified for the city. She noted that two priority projects from the multimodal strategy and three Active 101 segments lie within Brisbane's jurisdiction and are potential candidates for mini‑grant funding.

Council members asked clarifying questions about whether large sites or mobility hubs were the focus (Atkinson said project types vary), whether the Baylands projects were included among the top priorities (she deferred to the city's public works director for confirmation), and whether jurisdictions must have completed environmental review before applying (Atkinson said projects at various stages of design are eligible to apply).

Next step: SMCTA will release the mini‑grant call for projects on June 3; interested jurisdictions should prepare a brief letter of interest and may request SMCTA technical assistance.