Elena and Taaffe Roads in Los Altos Hills, California, represent a significant thoroughfare for the Los Altos Hills Community in the case of emergency evacuation.

Interstate 280 (I-280) is a primary evacuation corridor for Los Altos Hills. Connectivity of primary and secondary thoroughfares from residential roads to the interstate are critical for ingress and egress if emergency evacuation becomes necessary, The Elena – Taaffe Evacuation Route Project is one of four frontage roadways being treated to provide alternative connectivity to the I-280 access ramps and the I-280 under passages.

From the intersection of Altamont Road, Taaffe Road provides an easterly, downhill directed evacuation route, roughly midway between the two I-280 access ramps at Page Mill and El Monte Roads. Taaffe Road terminates as Elena Road.

Elena Road is a frontage road to I-280 that distributes traffic to both the Page Mill and El Monte Roads access ramps. Additionally, Elena Road provides access to the Robleda and La Barranca Roads I-280 underpasses as well as its own underpass. Elena Road has previously been treated from its terminus at Purissima Road to La Barranca Road, an I-280 underpass.

To secure egress for all people along this evacuation route in the event of wildfire, the Los Altos Hills County Fire District (LAHCFD or District) and Santa Clara County Firesafe Council (SCCFSC) propose a roadside treatment of hazardous fuels.

Schedule

  • The project is tentatively scheduled to start August 4, 2025
  • Postcards were mailed to homeowners along the route on June 13th.
  • Cover letters and permissions forms were mailed on June 20th.
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Project Updates

Project Site

The Elena – Taaffe Evacuation Route Project intends to treat all or portions Taaffe Road and the remaining untreated portion of Elena Road.

  1. Taaffe Road in its entirety is approximately 0.88 miles long, meaning 1.76 miles of roadside to be treated, from Altamont Road and Taaffe Road – 37°21’40.3″N 122°09’05.9″W to Taaffe Road and Elena Road – 37°21’59.3″N 122°08’24.3″W
  2. Elena Road is approximately 1.55 miles long from the intersection of Elena Road and La Barranca Road – 37°22’09.7″N 122°08’46.0″W to the intersection of Elena Road and Moody / El Monte Road – 37°21’30.5″N 122°07’46.9″W meaning 3.1 miles of roadside to be treated.

The total length of roadway in this project is approximately 2.4 linear miles.

How you can participate in the project (Please select an option):

1. Voluntarily grant SCCFSC access to your property for removal of hazardous vegetation.

You can provide directions to SCCFSC on what portion of your property may be accessed for vegetation removal that is beyond the right-of-way but not more than 50-ft from the road’s centerline. For example, if you have specific trees or vegetation you wish to omit from the vegetation removal, we can flag them with pink flagging to avoid cutting or trimming.

If you choose to grant access, please complete, sign, and submit the enclosed Right of Entry Permit (ROE), using one of the methods below.

 

Submission Instructions – Ways to confirm your participation:

Participation is voluntary; please follow the steps below to join this project.

  • Fill out, sign, and submit the enclosed Right of Entry Permit (ROE)
    • Complete, sign, and mail the paper copy of the ROE, using the self-addressed, stamped envelope, also enclosed to:
      Santa Clara County FireSafe Council
      Attn: Elena – Taaffe Evacuation Route

      14380 Saratoga Avenue
      Saratoga, CA 95070-5953

OR

OR

    • Download an electronic copy of the ROE, sign via certified electronic signature, which includes time and date stamp, and return via email to bgonzalez@sccfiresafe.org

If you request, a representative will be available to meet with you at a mutually convenient time to identify and explain the removal of the brush, grasses, tree limbs, and vegetation hazards on your property.

You will be notified when project work will begin in the vicinity of your property.

Check www.lahcfd.org for Project description and updates.

 

2. As a property owner, cut, trim, and remove your own hazardous vegetation to create defensible space on your property. If you stack the cut brush along the roadside, it can be chipped and removed if you register for the LAHCFD Defensible Space Brush Chipping and Debris Removal Program. Register at www.LAHCFD.org/dsbcregistration.

 

3.  Take no action. Vegetation will be treated and removed only from the roadside public right-of-way. Width and area of the right-of-way may vary based on applicable agency permits.

 

If you choose option 1 to participate in the project, a representative can meet with you, at your request, to discuss the specific work to be conducted on your property.

 

To review project details specific to your property, please contact:

Barbara Gonzalez
SCCFSC Project Manager
bgonzalez@sccfiresafe.org
(408) 444-0711

 

Andrew Harmon
LAHCFD Field Manager
aharmon@lahcfd.org
(757) 409-0042