Lane reductions and left-turn bans on El Camino Real will stretch into 2029 as Caltrans pushes ahead with a $173 million rebuild of the corridor through Burlingame, Hillsborough, San Mateo and Millbrae.

The El Camino Roadway Renewal Project broke ground in January and has already narrowed long stretches of State Route 82 to one lane in each direction. Burlingame Public Works Director Chris Lamm said most of the project's remaining phases will keep those lane reductions and left-turn restrictions in place, The Burlingame B reported Sept. 27.

A Caltrans advisory issued Sept. 22 added a new headache: both northbound lanes between Grove Avenue and Broadway are closed daily from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for roadway, sidewalk and tree-replanting work. That closure is expected to last roughly four months, through winter 2026. Northbound drivers must detour right on Broadway, left on California Drive, left on Grove Avenue and right back onto El Camino Real.

Left turns are banned 24 hours a day in active construction zones, including the Floribunda Avenue intersection near Hillsborough Town Hall, according to a Hillsborough town bulletin. SamTrans said in a June 12 post on X that Routes ECR and 397 are on extended detours through all four cities for the duration of the project.

Students say the disruption is real.

"It's just a lot harder to go to school now. It's a lot harder to go to the mall," Burlingame High School senior Jamison de Jesus told The Burlingame B. "I feel like a lot of people, including myself, just dodge El Camino because of all the setbacks it has on it."

Senior Joseph Silk said Broadway, the main alternative route, is now jammed during school drop-off and pickup hours.

Mayor Michael Brownrigg defended the project, pointing to impassable sidewalks and the need for the overhaul. He told The Burlingame B that after construction, residents will be able to walk and push a stroller on new sidewalks under a restored tree canopy, calling it "worth every ounce of inconvenience."

The project will remove 418 eucalyptus trees in two phases: 182 on the northbound side during Phase I and 236 on the southbound side later, according to a February 2026 Hillsborough bulletin citing Caltrans. Replacement species include Emerald Elm, Triumph Elm, Lemon-scented Gum and Mountain Gum. Caltrans says a biologist will inspect every tree before removal to check for nesting birds or other animals.

The tree rows were added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2012. Burlingame Historical Society President Jennifer Pfaff acknowledged the loss stings but said the end result should justify the disruption. The trees are "very special, and Burlingame identifies with them," Pfaff told The Burlingame B, adding that the city has "never really been like everyone else."

According to the City of Burlingame, the project runs from East Santa Inez Avenue in San Mateo to Millbrae Avenue in Millbrae. No upcoming public meeting or comment deadline tied to the project has been announced.