Recently, Apple spent more than half a billion dollars to acquire two office campuses it had already been leasing. Now, it shelled out a few million more to avoid a potential traffic disaster in its own backyard.
A long-planned overhaul of the Interstate 280 and Wolfe Road interchange, the junction between Apple Park and a massive upcoming housing development called The Rise, was on the brink of being canceled due to a funding shortfall.
But Apple has stepped in with a $4 million contribution to close the gap and keep the $124 million project on track.
As reported by the San José Spotlight:
“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 revamp will be aimed at easing congestion in a part of Cupertino that’s only getting denser.
The Rise alone will bring nearly 2,700 new apartment units to the former Vallco Mall site, and city officials say the current 1960s-era interchange is already at the end of its useful life.
The upgrade will reportedly 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.”
In a statement to the San José Spotlight, Kristina Raspe, Apple’s VP of global real estate and facilities, said the following:
“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.”
The overhaul project kicked off in 2016, when voters passed a half-cent sales tax increase. Construction is scheduled to start in 2026 and wrap up in 2029.
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