Mountain View plans to remove traffic lights at downtown intersection

Getting your Trinity Audio player ready... Mountain View is developing plans to remove the traffic lights at a major downtown intersection in favor of a roundabout that includes upgraded bike lanes and crosswalks. On Monday evening, the Council Transportation Committee unanimously backed a proposal to redesign the Castro and California street intersection, which is part of a larger project to make permanent the closure of three blocks of Castro Street to cars. Earlier this year, the City Council approved concept designs to add 21-foot-wide central crosswalks to the Villa and Dana street intersections. California Street is at the southern tip of the closed off portion of Castro Street. Currently, the intersection has a traffic circle and traffic signals for vehicles and pedestrians, as well as crosswalks. Bollards and railings at the north end of the intersection block vehicles from entering Castro Street. There is also an existing sewer manhole in the middle of the traffic circle. The proposed changes include a new roundabout without traffic signals, according to Joseph Cervantes, the city’s senior civil engineer. The concept design also includes protected bike lanes, providing the option for bicyclists to either use the circular roadway to get through the intersection or the bike lanes and crosswalks to get around it, Cervantes said. Other upgrades include high visibility crosswalks, raised landscape medians, enhanced lighting and “fortified” bollards at the Castro Street entrance, according to the staff report. Council member Alison Hicks described the layout as “efficient and clean,” agreeing with John McAlister that removing the existing signalized traffic circle would “reduce visual clutter” at the intersection. “Clutter I think can make us less safe with an information overload,” she said. Construction is estimated to cost roughly $1.7 million, according to a staff memo. Council members, public weigh in Council members generally favored the proposed concept design although had some questions about how the roundabout would improve road safety. Council member Ellen Kamei expressed concern about bicyclists sharing the road with drivers going through the intersection, noting that it was important to let the community know about the changes. On Oct. 28, the Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee had weighed in on the project, recommending adding raised crosswalks to slow down vehicles before entering the roundabout. read related articles Mountain View plans to add 21-foot-wide crosswalks to downtown intersections December 5, 2025 9:24 am December 5, 2025 9:24 am Construction project wraps up for Castro Street’s pedestrian mall in downtown Mountain View December 21, 2023 12:01 pm July 8, 2025 12:43 pm “Since the intersection accommodates several bus routes, staff do not recommend raising crosswalks, which will deteriorate ride quality,” Cervantes said at Monday’s meeting. Mountain View resident Silja Paymer, a frontrunner in the Mountain View City Council race , pushed back on that justification, describing pedestrian and bicycle safety as a higher priority. “I think safety is kind of more important than comfort,” she said. Council member McAlister voiced some concerns about the potential removal of parking spots to make way for the new street layout. Cervantes noted that two parking spots in front of 756 California Street may be removed, but said the city was still looking into it. A parking spot in front of 800 California Street could also be taken out to accommodate a loading zone and drop off area. “The intent of the design is to minimize the loss of parking,” he said. Cervantes added that the city is also looking into adding “vertical delineators” to prevent vehicles from blocking bicycle lanes. He described that as a problem on El Camino Real , which got bike lanes last year. The design for the Castro and California street intersection is expected to be completed at the end of next year, according to Cervantes. The design plan for the Villa and Dana street intersection improvements along Castro Street is anticipated to be finished next summer with construction to start at the end of 2027, he said. Most Popular Update: Poicon vaults into second place in Mountain View City Council race November 9, 2026 1:10 pm New housing project bolsters Palo Alto’s vision for future of San Antonio November 9, 2026 9:49 pm Google’s new AI ‘ultimatum’ sparks concern over tech giant’s power in California schools November 9, 2026 9:11 am