Winchester Boulevard Class IV Bikeway Project 

The Winchester Boulevard Class IV Bikeway Project is designed to improve safety for people walking, biking, and driving along the corridor. The Class IV bike lanes will provide a buffer and a physical separator between bicyclists and automobiles. The design will help transform Winchester Boulevard into a street that is safer and more comfortable for all users and connecting bicyclists to more destinations. 

This Project Will:

• Install protected bike lanes (Class IV) between Blossom Hill Road and Albright Way;
• Remove one of the northbound lanes;
• Construct ADA curb ramps at multiple intersections;
• At the Blossom Hill Road intersection, add a green bike box and two-stage bike left-turn box for cyclists turning left from southbound Santa Cruz to BHR. Remove the westbound free right-turn from BHR to Santa Cruz. Add shark teeth yield markings and new crosswalks;
• At the Daves Avenue intersection, remove the southbound right turn lane to allow the bike lane to continue through the intersection. Add a raised median to lower vehicle speeds for right turns;
• At the Lark Avenue intersection, remove travel lanes, tighten right turn radius, add new crosswalk and pedestrian markings, add buffer bike lanes, and improve signage;
• Add a two-stage bike left-turn box at Wimbledon Drive.

For a more in depth look into proposed design strategies at the four key intersections, click on the link below:

Existing versus proposed intersection improvements - Updated 2/1/21

Construction Update – Street Repair and Resurfacing/Winchester Class IV Bikeway

For the Annual Street Repair and Resurfacing Project, all the rubber cape seal and slurry seal work for the year was completed on Monday, October 12.  Work items remaining are permanent striping and raising/adjusting of utilities to grade.  Temporary pavement markings were installed until the permanent thermoplastic striping can be installed after seven days of the resurfacing work. 

Along Winchester Boulevard from Blossom Hill Road to Albright Way, where new Class IV bikeways with green bollards will be installed, the Town will allow the contractor to install the permanent striping at night between 9 PM to 5 AM on Sunday, October 17 to Friday, October 22.  Due to the complexities and large quantities of thermoplastic striping involved for the Class IV bikeway, nighttime work is being authorized to faster installation (five to six work days at night versus ten work days during the day).  Nighttime work will also minimize traffic delays and impacts for the public.  Minimal noise interruptions could be anticipated with the striping work. 

 The Winchester Class IV Bikeway project is part of the Connect Los Gatos program and will improve safety for people walking, biking, and driving along the corridor.

Construction Schedule and Update

The construction of the bikeway project is incorporated into the Town’s FY 2020/21 Street Repair and Resurfacing Project. The project plans are available here: https://www.losgatosca.gov/DocumentCenter/View/26773/20-811-9901_Appendix-E-Plans

• Construction contractor, “Pavement Coatings” completed isolated asphalt repair work on Winchester Boulevard the week of August 16.
• Crack seal was completed on Monday Sept 13.
• Resurfacing work is anticipated to take place between Tuesday, Sept. 21 to Friday, Sept. 24, and Thursday, Sept. 30 to Tuesday, Oct. 5. 
• Installation of the Class IV bikeways will begin in early October.
• All construction activities are expected to complete by the end of October.

Traffic Analysis for Winchester Boulevard Class IV Bikeway Project

This analysis evaluated the impact to auto level of service and delay from the Winchester Boulevard Class IV Bikeway Project on three intersections in the Town of Los Gatos. The analysis considered the effect of the intersection geometry changes planned as part of the Winchester Boulevard Complete Streets Plan.

Please click here to view the Traffic Analysis!

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 Additional Frequently Asked Questions - Updated 1/21/21

Frequently Asked Questions

September 24^th, 2020 Community Meeting Presentation

Project Background 

The Winchester Boulevard Class IV Bikeway Project is a precursor to the Winchester Boulevard Complete Streets Project. Both projects propose improvements to transform Winchester Boulevard to improve safety and connections for motorists, bicyclists, and pedestrians, in an effort to encourage more bicycling and walking trips as part of the Town’s overall Connect Los Gatos Program.

The current scope of the Winchester Boulevard Class IV Bikeway Project consists of the installation of protected bicycle lanes and minor pedestrian safety improvements on Winchester Boulevard between Blossom Hill Road and Albright Way, focusing primarily on improvements that can be implemented using pavement striping and signage which can easily be incorporated into the Town’s upcoming 2021 Annual Street Maintenance – Winchester Boulevard Resurfacing Project.

This project will be designed during summer/fall 2020, and the improvements will be incorporated into the Town’s Annual Street Maintenance Project – Winchester Boulevard Resurfacing Project for construction in Spring/Summer 2021. The Winchester Boulevard Complete Streets Project requires a much longer design and construction process, with construction of the larger project potentially slated for 2028.

The Winchester Boulevard Class IV Bikeway Project is included in the Town’s Fiscal Year 2020-21 Capital Improvement Program with a total budgeted amount of $982,455. This includes a Transportation Fund for Clean Air  (TFCA) grant of $293,900 from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District.

At the June 16, 2020 Town Council meeting, Council approved an amendment to the existing consultant services agreement with Kimley-Horn and Associates to include the design of the Winchester Boulevard Bicycle Lane Project. As Kimley-Horn is also completing the design work for the overall Winchester Complete Streets Project, the amendment will allow for the work of the two projects to be integrated and compatible.

Project Milestones

This project was funded in part from a grant from CalRecycle. 17,245 California waste tires were diverted from the waste system by using recycled tires for this project

Community Engagement Report

Community engagement for this project began the summer of 2019. Town staff delivered a verbal report on bicycle and pedestrian improvements as part of the Winchester Boulevard Complete Streets Project, to the Bicycle & Pedestrian Advisory Commission. In addition to the public outreach efforts in the past several years, the Town has conducted intensified community engagement since the kick-off of the design phase in the summer of 2019. 

Winchester Community Engagement Report

Existing Conditions Report

One of the early deliverables of the design project is the Winchester Boulevard Existing Conditions Report. The report describes the corridor in its current condition and how people use it today. It also identifies the following deficiencies:

•  Sidewalk gap between Lark Avenue and Creekside Court
• Lack of designated pedestrian crossings between Daves Avenue and Lark Avenue No ADA access or wait area at bus stops
• No sufficient sense of safety with current striped bike lanes No bike lane north of UPRR tracks

Existing Conditions Report

The Report will serve as the informational foundation for the conceptual designs and final recommendations for improvements. The feasibility of implementing improvements of this nature will be further explored and identified as part of subsequent study and design efforts. The Town is actively pursuing funding for the final design and construction of the improvements.

How to Stay Informed 

We encourage interested parties to subscribe to the “NOTIFY ME” service located on the left hand side of this page in order to be notified when the project page is updated.

 Any questions regarding the project design can be referred to Janice Chin at jchin@losgatosca.gov.