Willow Road/U.S. 101 interchange

Willows Neighborhood traffic changes 


To help alleviate additional congestion experienced in the Willows neighborhoods due to the Willow Road/U.S. 101 interchange construction, City Council directed staff to implement the following temporary turn restrictions in December 2017:
  • No right turns from Chester Street, Durham Street and O’Keefe Street to Willow Road, 3-7 p.m. weekdays (Except SamTrans and school buses)
  • No left turns from Woodland Avenue to Baywood Avenue, 3-7 p.m. weekdays
Additionally, the City Council directed staff to conduct an “after” study to evaluate the effectiveness of the temporary turn restrictions and to return with a recommendation to remove or keep these turn restrictions permanently.

Since the completion of the interchange in late September 2019, staff has collected relevant transportation data and retained a transportation consultant to initiate the “after” study. 

As part of the “after” study, staff is sought community feedback on the effectiveness of the temporary turn restriction through an online survey. Staff anticipates to return to the Complete Streets Commission and City Council in spring 2020 with a recommendation based on findings from the “after” study and the online survey.

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Willow-Road-US-101-interchange-landscape-meeting---nextdoor

Interchange replacement project


The City of Menlo Park is a project sponsor of the Caltrans project to update the interchange of U.S. 101 at Willow Road. This project was awarded to a contractor in February 2017, construction began in May 2017 and is expected to be fully completed in July 2019. The previous "full cloverleaf" style interchange has been replaced with a "partial cloverleaf" which eliminated the short merge weaves both on Willow Road and on the freeway. This creates a more efficient way for all modes of traffic, including bikes and pedestrians, to get across the freeway at Willow Road. The project replaced the existing interchange with a new, wider bridge; added sidewalks on both sides, bike lanes and protected bike paths along both sides; and added two signalized intersections. View a map of the Willow Road/U.S. 101 final interchange layout.

Landscaping phase


The City has hired a landscape architect to develop concept ideas for the landscaping of the interchange.

A community meeting was held on Thursday, September 26, to share concept ideas and gather community input.
The team presented to the Environmental Quality Commission in fall 2019 and will report to the City Council in early 2020.

​Remaining items


  • Minor traffic signal wiring work
  • Minor pavement and sidewalk repairs
  • Miscellaneous striping and signage throughout project area
  • Removal of all stored materials and construction trailers
Last updated on January 2020