Palo Alto's Planning and Transportation Commission unanimously shelved both proposed El Dorado Avenue tunnel designs and directed staff to study other options. The vote leaves the broader effort to build a bicycle and pedestrian crossing under the Caltrain tracks south of Oregon Expressway unresolved, after months of objections from Midtown residents who said the street is too narrow for the proposed designs.
El Dorado Avenue had been selected as the city's chosen option for the crossing from a field of eight potential locations the city explored, according to San Jose Spotlight. The Planning Commission and City Council had approved El Dorado as the best option late in 2025, and the council went on to authorize staff to advance the location to 15% conceptual designs, as reported by Palo Alto Online. The council's December 2025 recommendation also expressed a preference for the more ambitious of two designs, known as A2.
Two Designs, One Rejected Street
The two El Dorado concepts differed in how they would meet Alma Street. A2 would pass under Alma entirely; A1 would go under the Caltrain tracks and end at a new traffic light on Alma. Neither concept would have changed the alignment of the railroad tracks or existing streets, according to the December report from Palo Alto Online.
Residents challenged whether either design could fit safely on El Dorado, citing the street's width and potential conflicts among bicycles, parked cars and vehicle traffic. Some argued that Loma Verde Avenue offered a better location; Annete Glanckopf said El Dorado was not the safest or most practical choice and would have greater effects on residents.
A Petition and a 'Vehicle Magnet' Warning
A petition organized by resident David Hung had collected 270 signatures by the commission's vote. Hung warned that the traffic signal in A1 could become a “vehicle magnet,” increasing congestion and delaying emergency response. Other residents also worried the signal could bring more vehicle traffic into the neighborhood.
Hung and other petitioners proposed a hybrid: a signal at Loma Verde and Alma, a tunnel under the tracks at El Dorado and Alma, and a protected bike lane on Alma between the two avenues. Glanckopf separately urged the city to consider a standalone crossing at Loma Verde.
Eminent Domain Looms Over Every Option
Land acquisition remains a concern in the location debate. Both El Dorado designs require some acquisition on the street's west side; A2 would also require full acquisition of an affordable apartment building and a single-family home east of the railway. Commissioner Bart Hechtman said eminent domain was the primary reason the council had not advanced Loma Verde options earlier, a concern that also applies to the hybrid proposal.
Commissioner Allen Akin said A2 was “not going to fly,” while leaving open the possibility of A1 if the city also made broader bicycle-network improvements. Resident Paul Goldstein supported El Dorado. Cost was another consideration: Palo Alto Online reported that the El Dorado design with a traffic light would cost relatively close to a Loma Verde version with a signal. City consultants had also estimated that El Dorado was among the lower-cost options and could take about 18 months to build.
Commission Orders a Fresh Look at Alternatives
The commission directed staff to return with conceptual designs for Loma Verde tunnels both with and without an Alma signal, and to explore an overpass and the petitioners' hybrid proposal. An overpass could be cheaper and quicker to build than a tunnel, but would have to rise three stories at its peak to clear Caltrain's electric-fleet infrastructure and include long ramps on both sides to meet ADA standards.
Commissioner Kevin Ji said the city should get the project right because it would last a long time. Staff must now study alternatives to the two shelved El Dorado designs; the commission's vote leaves the crossing's location and design undecided.
A separate regional bikeway study
A Peninsula Bikeway study addressed a different planning question, not the El Dorado rail crossing. According to Palo Alto Online, the study selected El Camino Real for its regional separated-bikeway concept, citing the route's cohesion and available right-of-way.
