Milpitas is finally getting ready to close a stubborn gap in its transit neighborhood. The South Milpitas Boulevard extension is slated to bring a short clear-span bridge over the Penitencia East Channel, tying Tarob Court to Sango Court and setting the stage for a new public park. Construction is expected to kick off in June or July 2026, with the bridge and connector road taking about 12 to 18 months to build, and park work following after that. City officials and developers say the project should help knit together the Great Mall, the Milpitas BART station and nearby housing into a more walkable, transit-focused district.
What’s being built
According to the City of Milpitas's environmental review, the plan calls for a roughly 40-foot-long, 48-foot-wide clear-span bridge across the Penitencia East Channel, plus a new connector street between Tarob Court and Sango Court. The bridge is designed to carry an 11-foot vehicle lane in each direction, flanked by separate six-foot bicycle lanes and six-foot sidewalks, and to support both potable and recycled water lines. The review notes that the structure would span the channel without placing permanent supports in the waterway, and that related work will add sidewalks, curbs, gutters and stormwater bio-retention features along the new connection.
Funding and schedule
The project carries a roughly $15.7 million price tag, funded mainly through Transit Area Specific Plan (TASP) development impact fees and a $3 million federal Community Project Funding grant. The House appropriations committee report lists that $3,000,000 Community Project Funding allocation for the South Milpitas Boulevard Extension Bridge on Congress.gov. City staff and developers cited by Milpitas Beat say construction is expected to begin in June or July 2026, with the road and bridge taking about 12 to 18 months to finish and park construction following afterward, wrapping up around 2029.
Land deals and permitting
The city has been working with the Santa Clara Valley Water District to secure land and easements for the bridge site. Valley Water's agenda memo details a proposed conveyance of parcel APN 086-37-018 for the project. The district reviewed the city's Mitigated Negative Declaration for the bridge as a responsible agency, and its Board considered findings tied to the conveyance and easement agreements. Those steps cleared a key procedural hurdle, allowing the bridge to be placed into the public right-of-way and helping move the project closer to actual construction.
Park and local amenities
The bridge is just one piece of a larger push to add open space in the Tango subdistrict. The city's capital program outlines a roughly five-acre park next to the new connector that could feature a playground, tennis courts, a community garden, picnic areas and restrooms. Milpitas has already bought parcels at 1700 Sango Court and 1831 Tarob Court and plans to sync the park buildout with the completion of the road link. The capital plan shows design work running through 2026 and construction starting in 2027. Officials say the park and connector are meant to extend walkable amenities and tie into planned trails and bike routes identified in the Milpitas Metro Specific Plan.
Why it matters
The effort to close this gap traces back to the Transit Area Specific Plan, first adopted in 2008, and the Milpitas Metro Specific Plan update, approved in 2023, milestones local leaders describe as the long-term blueprint for this work, according to Milpitas Beat. City Engineer Michael Silvera told the outlet, "This is not something that was planned one day." Public works manager Lyhak Eam also told the Beat that the bridge railings will be installed in colorful metal, with curves that represent the hillsides of Milpitas, a design touch meant to give the crossing some local flair. City staff and developers say the relatively short construction window could deliver a quick boost for people walking and biking to transit, schools, and shopping in and around the Great Mall area.
