Mountain View plans to widen crosswalks at downtown intersections - San Jose Spotlight

"Five years after Mountain View closed off three blocks of downtown Castro Street to vehicle traffic, the city is looking to add large, central crosswalks at two main intersections to create a continuous route for pedestrians walking down the center of the blocked off street. The first phase of the project, which city staff presented to the Council Transportation Committee on Tuesday, Dec. 2, would add 21-foot-wide crosswalks to the Villa and Dana street intersections, as well as new traffic signals and pedestrian push buttons."

"Currently, people walking along the middle of Castro Street need to move over to a sidewalk in order to cross the street at each intersection. Principal Civil Engineer Robert Gonzales told the transportation committee this week that the present configuration breaks the continuity of the downtown pedestrian mall. Installing the central crosswalks would allow community members to cross Villa and Dana from the center of Castro. The city also plans to retain the crossings that line up with the sidewalks on each side of the street."

"Mountain View closed the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Castro Street to cars during the pandemic to create space for outdoor dining. While originally intended to be a temporary closure, the city has since taken steps to make it permanent, including adding decorative fencing around the seating areas and striping along the middle of the street. Creating a centralized path through the intersections is intended to provide a more consistent "look and feel" to the pedestrian mall as people move through it, Gonzales said."

Mountain View plans to add large central crosswalks at Villa and Dana to create a continuous pedestrian route down the center of Castro Street. The first phase would add 21-foot-wide crosswalks, new traffic signals, and pedestrian push buttons while retaining sidewalk-aligned crossings. The current configuration forces people to move to sidewalks to cross, breaking the pedestrian mall's continuity. The 100, 200 and 300 blocks were closed to cars during the pandemic for outdoor dining and received decorative fencing and center striping. Designs are expected by the end of summer 2026, with construction to follow and an estimated cost of about $1.7 million.

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