Abel Street Streetscape & Utility Improvements,
Includes Three New Parks
Great Mall Parkway to Serra Way
Project 8157

It may have looked like a dead end last year, but Abel St. is ready to flourish!  At 95% completion, Abel St.’s landscaped medians, decorative lighting, sidewalks and bike lanes provide a continuous gateway into Milpitas from the Great Mall Parkway to Calaveras Blvd.

Abel St., a primary north-south artery, is newly constructed to relieve thoroughfare traffic from Main St., thereby reserving Main St. as a destination for drivers looking for places to “Stop & Shop.”

Funding for public improvements came from the north corner of Corning Ave. to Great Mall Parkway came from requirements of KBHome South Bay, Inc. during construction phases of the Terra Serena development.  In addition, the City of Milpitas designed and completed “betterment” improvements beyond what was conditioned for KBHome. 

Utility infrastructure upgrades such as moving overhead electrical underground, water and sewer piping, and installation of pedestrian-friendly street lighting are some of the improvements.  New features include sidewalks from Machado Ave. to Great Mall Parkway on the west side of Abel St. and median landscaping from Corning Ave. to Great Mall Parkway.

Future plans include extending this streetscape north from Corning Ave. to Weller Ln. and south from Great Mall Parkway to Montague Expressway.

Abel St. Fast Facts:

• Funding & Development:  City of Milpitas Redevelopment Agency & KBHome South Bay, Inc.
• Cost:  $26 Million
• Size:  3,350 linear feet from Corning Ave. to Great Mall Drive
• Construction time frame:  Just over two years, December 2005 – January 2008.

Three New Parks
KBHome also constructed three new neighborhood parks as a condition of development.

Tom Evatt Park – This linear park with pedestrian walkways follows the Hetch Hetchy underground pipeline from Thompson St., past Abel St. to Main St.

John McDermott Park – Set-back from Penintencia Creek just north of Machado Ave., this park runs along the west side of Abel St. and is crossed by Alvarez Ct.

O’Toole Elms Park – Nestled between Abel and Main Sts., this park reflects local history with new elm trees in the setting of a country path.

For more information, please contact:
Robert Wang
Acting Principal Civil Engineer
rwang@ci.milpitas.ca.gov