Construction for a long-awaited pedestrian and bicycle overcrossing at U.S. Highway 101 and University Avenue is underway and will include improvements to two highway ramps, the City of East Palo Alto has announced.

The U.S. 101/University Avenue Interchange Project will build a new, sweeping overcrossing stretching from Donohoe Street on the east side of University Avenue to Woodland Avenue on the west side. The new overcrossing will be located just north of the existing University Avenue bridge over Highway 101.

The overcrossing will link the east and west sides of East Palo Alto, which the highway has split for decades. Currently, pedestrians and bicyclists must cross a dangerous highway onramp on the University Avenue bridge using a narrow sidewalk.

The city has said the new overcrossing will help address access and equity issues and improve access to shopping, parks and other amenities for residents on the city's isolated westside. Residents living on the eastside of Highway 101 will also have improved access to downtown Palo Alto.

The California Department of Transportation will also make improvements to Highway 101 as part of this effort. The northbound highway off-ramp to University Avenue will be realigned. The southbound off-ramp will be widened at University Avenue to create two dedicated right-turn lanes and two dedicated left-turn lanes. Construction is scheduled to last until summer 2024, the city said.

Motorists will encounter lane closures both east and west on University Avenue near Woodland Avenue and on Woodland near the University Avenue intersection.

The project's $14 million funding comes from the San Mateo County Transportation Authority Measure A and Measure W, a Stanford Recreation Mitigation Grant, state SB1 / LLP funds, and federal HPP funds, the city said.