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    Home   Departments   Public Works   Hot Topics & Programs   El Camino Real Task Force

    El Camino Real Task Force

    Background

    The City of Burlingame and the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) share concerns about the state of conditions and safety issues associated with State Route 82 / El Camino Real in the City of Burlingame and Town of Hillsborough. Residents in the City of Burlingame are interested in maintaining the integrity of historic eucalyptus trees along El Camino Real. Others have expressed concerns about safety and maintenance issues related to the roadway, sidewalks, and infrastructure. As a result, the City of Burlingame has established a community group and a technical working group to closely work with Caltrans to discuss the outstanding issues and identify potential solutions to address the problems.

    Click here to read the full Staff Report regarding the formation of the ECR Task Force.

    Previous Meetings:

    ECR Task Force/City Council Study Session
    February 26, 2018
    Presentation
    Matrix of Issues and Criteria

    Thursday, January 18, 2018
    Click here for the meeting summary.

    Thursday, November 16, 2017
    Click here for the meeting summary.

    Thursday, September 21, 2017
    Click here for the meeting summary.

    Thursday, June 15, 2017
    Click here for the meeting summary.

    Thursday, May 18, 2017
    Click here for the meeting summary.

    Thursday, April 20, 2017
    Click here for the meeting summary

    Thursday, March 16, 2017
    Click here to view meeting presentation regarding the Howard-Ralston Eucalyptus Tree Rows

    El Camino Real Task Force Q&A 

    Why did the Burlingame City Council appoint an El Camino Real Task Force? 
    The City of Burlingame and Caltrans have agreed to participate in a collaborative stakeholder process to explore and develop mutually agreeable recommendations and/or potential proposals to address various traffic, pedestrian, infrastructure, safety and natural resources issues along the El Camino Real Corridor in the City of Burlingame and the Town of Hillsborough. 

    What will the El Camino Real Task Force do? 
    The task force has two important objectives: 

        1) Retain the character and health of trees along El Camino Real, and 
        2) Improve the safety and roadway infrastructure and sidewalks. 

    Who is on the El Camino Task Force? 
    The El Camino Real Task Force has two subgroups: 

        1) The Community Group includes stakeholders appointed by the City Council: 
            -Nearby residents and property owners 
                Bobbi Benson 
                Ed Neisman 
                Gaird Schlesinger 
                Michael Wiebracht 
            -Beautification Commission representative 
                Richard Kirchner 
            -Historical Society representative 
                Jennifer Pfaff 
            -Traffic, Parking and Safety Commission representative 
                Howard Wettan and Alternate Jeff Londer

        2) The Technical Group includes representatives from: 
                Burlingame, Hillsborough, and Caltrans staff. 

    The subgroups will meet both separately and jointly throughout the process. 

    What will the El Camino Real Task Force study? 
    The task force will study a pilot area (the east side of El Camino Real between Sanchez Avenue and Fairfield Drive) and recommend a design that addresses stakeholder concerns about the: 
            -Health and maintenance of trees along El Camino Real, 
            -Visibility at intersections, and 
            -Condition of the roadway, sidewalks, crosswalks, and storm drains. 

    The task force will also identify areas for additional discussion and whether or not the stakeholder process has been productive. 

    Is the El Camino Real Task Force part of the General Plan update? 
    A separate, multi-year community process, “Envision Burlingame,” is focused on updating Burlingame’s General Plan and Zoning Ordinance – the two documents that regulate all land use, environmental and transportation decisions made by city leaders. 

    Because El Camino Real is a state highway, the City has no jurisdiction over its long range planning. However, the El Camino Real Task Force can provide advisory information that could be incorporated into Burlingame’s General Plan update and also into Caltrans’ planning for El Camino Real. 

    Why is Caltrans involved in studying El Camino Real in the City of Burlingame and Town of Hillsborough? 
    State Route 82 / El Camino Real is a state highway and under the jurisdiction of Caltrans. 

    Will the El Camino Real Task Force make recommendations about the intersection of El Camino Real and Floribunda? 
    No. This intersection is part of a separate Caltrans study. 

    Will the task force be involved with the current tree trimming project on El Camino Real? 
    No. The trimming is a separate, previously planned Caltrans tree maintenance project to remove limbs that are diseased, dying, or dead due to continuing drought conditions. 

    Will the task force be involved with the current water main project on El Camino Real? 
    No. The New Water Main Line Project is part of the City of Burlingame's Capital Improvements Program to upgrade aging infrastructure by replacing the existing water main on El Camino Real. 

    Why is only a segment of El Camino Real being studied? 
    Because of the length of El Camino Real, the task force will focus on a segment of the roadway that is representative of a range of stakeholder concerns. The east side of El Camino Real between Sanchez Avenue and Fairfield Drive was chosen after City Council Subcommittee members Brownrigg and Beach, City staff, and Caltrans staff conducted a field inspection of the El Camino Real corridor. 

    How will the public be involved? 
    Community Group meetings will be open to the public and conducted in a “fishbowl” format that allows for public input before and after the group’s working session. Written questions and comments can be sent to Assistant Public Works Director Art Morimoto at ecrtaskforce@burlingame.org. 

    Will the City and Caltrans act on El Camino Real Task Force recommendations? 
    Task force discussions are non-binding, so there is no obligation by either the City of Burlingame or Caltrans to implement task force recommendations. Non-binding discussions give stakeholders the freedom to explore and evaluate solutions without creating expectations or other negative consequences. 

    Will the same task force study other areas of El Camino Real? 
    The El Camino Real Task Force is designed to create a collaborative stakeholder process for problem solving and planning by studying a specific area on a pilot basis. If the process is successful, it can be expanded and replicated to other blocks of El Camino Real. Future discussions about other blocks of El Camino Real would very likely involve related stakeholders. 

    When will the El Camino Real Task Force make their recommendations? 
    The Task Force process will take approximately 18 months to complete.