A significant West Valley interstate project was about to be abandoned. Then a tech giant stepped in with millions of dollars.
Cupertino, in collaboration with VTA and Caltrans, can move forward with the Interstate 280 and Wolfe Road interchange improvement project thanks to a roughly $4 million donation from Apple to bridge the remaining funding gap. The $124-million project was nearly canceled this month due to a funding shortfall. The city and transit agency had exhausted state and federal grant opportunities. But with Apple’s contribution, Cupertino can save the project and mitigate traffic gridlock as hundreds of homes come online.
The interchange lies between Apple’s headquarters and The Rise, a housing development designed for 2,669 apartments at the former Vallco Mall site.
The project is primarily funded by VTA’s Measure B, a 30-year, half-cent sales tax increase voters passed in 2016. Planned improvements to the interchange include a new structure that carries Wolfe Road over Interstate 280, on and off ramps, sound and retaining walls and upgraded bicycle lanes and pedestrian walkways at existing street intersections. Construction is anticipated to begin in 2026 and is slated to finish by 2029.
Kristina Raspe, Apple vice president of global real estate and facilities, said the company is happy to back the project’s plans for an interchange adjacent to its headquarters. Some of the Apple money was originally intended for other projects, including the McClellan Road protected bikeway improvements, but the tech titan reallocated it to fund the interchange after the city deemed the previous projects no longer feasible.
“We are proud to call Cupertino home, and to support projects that strengthen this community and make it a great place to live and work,” Raspe told San José Spotlight.
The project began nearly 10 years ago. The interchange is at the end of its useful life as a product of the 1960s, according to city reports. It’s often congested with significant delays. City officials expect it will worsen as more people move into Cupertino to live in housing developments like The Rise. Developer Sand Hill Property Company has supported the interchange project since it’s been in the works.
Councilmember Sheila Mohan has been stuck in the gridlock at the interchange many times. She said the interchange improvements will help anyone who travels Cupertino’s streets.
“It’s a really win-win, not just for Apple, but for the entire community,” Mohan told San José Spotlight. “It’s, in my opinion, the best example of public, private partnership.”
VTA was unavailable for comment.
The transit agency is also working on traffic improvements to other West Valley roadways including Highway 17 near Los Gatos.
Seema Lindskog, board chair of pedestrian and bicycle safety group Walk-Bike Cupertino, is looking forward to the project because of how dangerous the existing intersections are. She often advises high schoolers walking or biking to school to avoid Wolfe Road, but said she doesn’t want that to be the case.
“It’s been kind of on the shelf for a long time, so the fact that we’re now finally able to move forward with it is really great,” Lindskog told San José Spotlight.
Contact Annalise Freimarck at [email protected] or follow @annalise_ellen on X.
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