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Jefferson Avenue, which sees an average of 20,000 cars per day, is getting a redesign at a cost of $8 million, after the Redwood City council on Monday voted to include new features such as bike lanes and a new traffic signal.
“It’s a fact of American life that almost nobody in this country is more than one or two degrees away from a serious injury or a road death,” said Council member Isabella Chu. “I am very excited about this change, and I think it’s so gratifying to see so much engagement from the community.”
Reconfiguration for the final engineering and construction of Jefferson Avenue is expected to begin in late 2027.
Since 2017, the road has had over 100 collisions, including 15 crashes involving pedestrians and four involving bicyclists, according to Tanisha Werner, the city’s director of engineering and transportation. For this reason, San Mateo County has identified Jefferson Avenue as part of its “High Injury Network,” prompting the city to draft up a road redesign.
The staff recommended this plan largely because it “aligns” with the city’s commitment to “Vision Zero,” a road safety initiative that aims to eliminate traffic-related fatalities and serious injuries. In September 2025, a Vision Zero presentation before the City Council said that Redwood City has the third-highest number of collisions among California cities of its size, according to the California Office of Traffic Safety.
The project features include the removal of one travel lane in each direction, a new traffic signal at the Valota Road intersection, an ADA curb ramp, pavement overlay, and pedestrian beacons at Ruby Street, Adams Street, Topaz Street, King Street and St. Francis Street. As for bicyclists, bike lanes will be added on both sides of the street, plus a protected bike facility by Orion school and bike sharrows at King Street and Iris Street.
Community input has been central to the development of the design. Beginning in March of 2025 at the Orion Alternative School, “walk audit,” community engagement has included a myriad of meetings, informational mailers and surveys. Of the nearly 430 respondents to a survey about road engineering concepts, 74% supported the plan that the staff ultimately recommended to council, which it approved Monday.
Council member Diane Howard said she was “shocked” by how many members of the public attended the Jefferson Avenue road rewrite meeting she went to, and said the engineering and transportation department “hit a home run” in terms of community engagement.
Howard noted she’d like to increase education about pedestrian beacons because she believes not everyone knows how to use them, and she’s “afraid somebody will get hurt.” The council member offered to run some information on the screen before City Council meetings, or weave such education into the council’s e-newsletters.
Council member Chris Sturken suggested staff look into adding “wayfinding signage” so bicyclists can navigate safely without using their phones.
The project is projected to cost $8 million, with over $5.5 million covered in grants that will fully fund it through next year, Malahat Owrang, the city’s principal transportation planner, said. The city has been awarded Measure A and Measure W highway program grants, as well as a federal grant through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission.
The project’s timeline, per Owrang’s presentation, shows the city will begin inviting contractors to review project documents and submit bids by the end of February. Permits will be sought from February through December, while construction bidding will take place in the winter of 2027. Construction is slated to begin at the end of 2027.
To learn more about the project and its status, visit the city’s webpage for the Jefferson Avenue project.
