Campbell Pitches in $50K to Neighboring San Jose to Improve Shared Intersection

Back to school will be a little safer for students and less stressful for parents.

The city of San Jose is moving forward with its Leigh Avenue and Dry Creek Road Intersection Improvement plan and has asked Campbell to contribute funds to complete the project, which is located in both cities' jurisdictions.

For Campbell City Council members, approving the $50,000 helps ensure that the intersection is safer for students and pedestrians in the area.

Because the Cambrian School District can no longer afford a transportation budget, said Matthew Jue, Campbell traffic engineer, "students who once were bussed to Bagby Elementary School" are now "forced to walk, and that includes walking across this intersection."

Many Campbell students attend schools in the neighboring Cambrian School District. The district begins the school year on Aug. 22.

The project plans to make the intersection safer by narrowing the roadway to compel drivers to reduce their speed, Jue said, and also by shortening the distance of crosswalks.

Campbell plans to pay its portion of the project by allocating funds from a recently canceled federally funded project and from the city's construction tax reserves. If Campbell receives its federal funds for another pending Leigh Avenue project, according to a City Council report, the city will be reimbursed for all project expenses.