Additional stretch of Serra Street to be closed to vehicular traffic
Cars will no longer be permitted on Serra Street between Galvez Street and Campus Drive East beginning July 23 as part of an ongoing effort to transform the street into a bicycle and pedestrian mall.
A portion of Serra Street between Galvez Street and Campus Drive East is becoming primarily a bicycle and pedestrian thoroughfare and will permanently close to car traffic on July 23.
A portion of Serra Street between Galvez Street and Campus Drive East is being converted to a bicycle and pedestrian mall. The area shown in red is the section of Serra Street that will close to vehicular traffic; areas in green are vehicular access routes to the area that will remain open. (Click to enlarge.) (Image credit: Kelly Rohlfs)
This is the fifth phase of development for the Serra Mall project that has been taking shape since 1994 and is designed to improve safety by eliminating conflicts between cars, bicyclists, pedestrians and parking zones in a busy part of campus. Serra Mall currently runs across the front of the Main Quad and ends at Galvez Street, where it is open to cars and becomes Serra Street.
In addition to enhancing safety, closing the additional stretch of Serra Street to car traffic will help create a more campus-like environment for the Graduate School of Business, which is located on both sides of the street; a safer bike route to the central campus from Escondido Village; and a clear cross-campus travel route for the Marguerite shuttle and emergency vehicles, according to Cathy Blake, university landscape architect and director of campus planning.
Features of the newly extended stretch of Serra Mall will include generous sidewalks, lighting and a two-way thoroughfare open only to bicycles, the Marguerite shuttle, carts and emergency vehicles.
Vehicles traveling along Galvez Street will be able to turn around in the Burnham Pavilion parking lot. To support the transition, a new passenger drop-off zone is being constructed in front of the Schwab Residential Center. Additional projects will remove the parking and access needs from Serra and create alternative service routes for individual buildings along Arguello Street between Escondido Road and Crothers Way.
The extended Serra Mall will connect to a new roundabout being constructed at the intersection of Serra and Campus Drive East, which is expected to be complete in September.
The next phases of work on the long-term Serra Mall project will include extending it westward from Via Ortega to the School of Medicine entry in conjunction with the opening of the new Stanford Neurosciences Institute and ChEM-H research complex in 2019, along with the development of additional bicycle circles at major intersections along Serra Mall.
More information about campus construction activity can be found on the Heads Up website. Parking and Transportation Services has posted information about designated pick-up and drop-off locations, parking impacts and temporary changes to Marguerite shuttle service through September.