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Council agrees to extend Autumn to Coleman to relieve local traffic

By Monica Heger

Plans to extend Autumn Street along the Guadalupe River to Coleman Avenue are under way. Under Vice Mayor Cindy Chavez's recommendation, $400,000 from the redevelopment agency's budget was allotted toward the eventual extension of Autumn Street to Coleman Avenue and the possible rerouting of state Route 82 from The Alameda to Coleman Avenue.

The extension is intended to improve pedestrian safety and reduce traffic along The Alameda by making Autumn a downtown entry. The street currently dead-ends at the railroad tracks behind the new San Jose Market Center.

"Rerouting Route 82 from The Alameda to Autumn/Coleman will be the most significant improvement to pedestrian safety for the Shasta Hanchett neighborhood since the Hester Elementary School pedestrian tunnel was built in 1928 in memory of two schoolchildren killed on The Alameda," said Joe Bentley, president of the Shasta Hanchett Neighborhood Preservation Association.

The actual Autumn Street extension and rerouting is still several years down the road, and the $400,000 just lays the groundwork for the extension. That money will pay for the infrastructure study and the financial plan.

"This project is very important because it will reduce traffic and create safer neighborhoods," Chavez said. "The neighbors in that area have been calling for this project because they want an alternative to driving through the neighborhood streets."

Dennis Korabiak from the redevelopment agency said the Autumn Street extension fits into the city's larger plan for the downtown area.

"[Autumn Street] will be a critical access point to the downtown," Korabiak said. "It will connect to Coleman Avenue, which has an interchange with I-880."

Bentley agreed the Autumn Street extension will help the business district along The Alameda.

"I believe the business district is never going to take off until the traffic issue is resolved," Bentley said.

The extension of Autumn Street will run along the Guadalupe River Park and is expected to increase commercial development opportunities. Korabiak said that area would not be suitable for housing because of its proximity to the airport.

"The key issue is new development and keeping new development focused on the major streets," Korabiak said.

He said the Autumn Street extension will serve as an access point not only to downtown but also to the San Jose Market Center Project, where plans for a new Trader Joe's grocery store are in the works. New housing development is planned for the nearby area around the Diridon Caltrain station. Korabiak said if plans for a baseball stadium near Diridon do not pan out, the land there already has been zoned to allow for high-density housing.

Korabiak said construction of the extension is still about five years down the road. The preliminary engineering analysis and environmental analysis should be completed by next year, at which point the city will look at funding options.