I-280 and Wolfe Road Overhaul Changes Commute

Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority and Caltrans broke ground April 28 on the I-280 and Wolfe Road interchange rebuild in Cupertino, launching a project that will reshape a key Apple Park commute route. (vta.org) (nbcbayarea.com) The project carries an estimated cost of $115 million to $124 million and is scheduled for construction from 2026 into 2029, with plant establishment work extending into 2030 or 2031. (vta.org 1) (vta.org 2) Crews will replace the Wolfe Road overcrossing with a wider bridge, build new on- and off-ramps, and upgrade bicycle and pedestrian facilities through the interchange. (vta.org 1) (vta.org 2) VTA says the rebuilt bridge will carry three lanes in each direction, with protected bike lanes and wider sidewalks added to a corridor that now funnels drivers, cyclists and pedestrians through a tighter crossing. (nbcbayarea.com) (vta.org) Construction starts with tree removal, temporary restriping, lane shifts, barrier installation, vibration monitors and pile driving for the new bridge foundation. (vta.org) VTA told residents most heavy work will happen overnight, with daily lane closures kept limited and no full Interstate 280 shutdown planned. A mid-April advisory already warned of nightly ramp closures with detours at the interchange. (nbcbayarea.com) (vta.org) The interchange sits beside Apple Park and the former Vallco site, where Cupertino has been planning large new development and a different street network around Wolfe Road and Perimeter Road. (nbcbayarea.com) (apps.cupertino.org) The funding was not settled until last year. Cupertino said in June 2025 that Apple redirected $1.4 million in unused grant funds and added up to $2.6 million more, covering a $4 million shortfall that had threatened construction. (cupertino.gov) (sanjosespotlight.com) Some residents told NBC Bay Area the money should have gone to public transit instead of road expansion, while VTA and Caltrans are pitching the rebuild as a safety and traffic-operations project for drivers, cyclists and pedestrians alike. (nbcbayarea.com) (vta.org) For Cupertino commuters, the immediate change is not a new traffic pattern but a long construction window: lane shifts, ramp work and overnight activity now, and a rebuilt Wolfe Road crossing promised near the end of the decade. (vta.org) (nbcbayarea.com)