"There will undoubtedly be disagreements about what actions we should take, but by working together, we can combine enforcement, engineering and education," Assemblymember Marc Berman told more than 100 people at The Mountain Terrace on October 20, according to The Almanac. About 200 more people watched online. The disagreement he expected came up that same night, and it was about a stop sign.
The all-way stop at Skyline Boulevard and La Honda Road has now been in place for a month. It is the most visible part of Caltrans' fall work at Four Corners, and also the most temporary. The work that came first went into the curb and the crosswalk, next to the lots where people get out of their cars at Alice's Restaurant, Skywood Trading Post and The Mountain Terrace. The stop sign itself faces a review early next year.
The First Work Went Into the Curb
Before any new sign went up, Caltrans had already reworked the edges of the intersection. In August, crews painted the curb red in front of Skywood Trading Post. They also upgraded the north crosswalk between The Mountain Terrace parking lot and Alice's Restaurant and added "Keep Clear" pavement markings, as The Almanac reported in September.
The three properties that make Four Corners a destination sit right next to the pavement. Alice's is at 17288 Skyline Blvd. The Mountain Terrace, an event venue, is across the road at 17285 Skyline Blvd. Skywood Trading Post, a gas station, grocery and deli founded by the Khalaf family in 1972, completes the junction. On weekends, the lots at Alice's and Skywood fill with motorcyclists, cyclists, hikers and car enthusiasts. The Almanac's August profile of the scene described hundreds gathering there in recent years. Alice's co-owners Jamie and Andy Kerr told the paper they oppose reckless driving and discourage car meets in the restaurant's lots.
The crossings were already a sore point a year ago. In November 2025, The Almanac described one crosswalk between Skywood and Alice's and another leading to a small traffic island between the roads. Residents asked for a new crossing between Alice's lot and that island, which people use for parking. Caltrans answered that new crosswalks require costly accessibility work.
That cost explains the current approach. Caltrans is improving the crossing that already exists rather than adding one now. The project adds Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons at the pedestrian crossing on Highway 35 just north of the intersection. That is the crossing people use between The Mountain Terrace lot and Alice's. New pedestrian crossings are on Caltrans' list, but as longer-term work expected to take two years or more.
The Stop Sign Came Early, and It Has a Review Date
In late September, The Almanac reported that Caltrans planned to convert Four Corners to a four-way stop by the end of November. The conversion actually happened weeks ahead of that. The Town of Woodside posted that all-way stop control was in effect as of the afternoon of October 5, 2026, with drivers from every direction now required to stop completely.
Caltrans has said why it acted. Its project page says safety evaluations found collision rates at Four Corners above statewide averages for similar intersections, with many reported crashes involving improper turns.
Not everyone wanted a stop sign. Jamie Kerr was among those who said they would prefer a four-way traffic light, The Almanac reported in September. At the October 20 town hall, residents who oppose the four-way stop asked again for signals. Amjad Naseer, Caltrans' acting deputy for traffic operations, said the improvements are incremental and that Caltrans would install a signal if findings over the next few months show one is needed. Doanh Nguyen, Caltrans' acting District 4 director, added that signals bring their own maintenance and power issues.
That makes the stop sign a trial. Lester Lee of Caltrans said the agency plans to return early next year for an engineering and traffic study of how well the current changes work. Some residents raised a related concern back in November 2025. They worried an all-way stop could back up traffic on Highway 84 and push drivers onto Old La Honda and Kings Mountain roads.
What a Saturday Up the Hill Looks Like Through Spring
The Four Corners project is scheduled to run through spring 2027. Along the corridor, drivers can expect one-way traffic control, equipment staging, minor delays and reduced parking. Reduced parking matters most at the lots where people stop. Here's how a trip up from town lines up this season:
- Highway 84 below Skyline. Final striping on the micro-resurfacing between Foxhill Road and Memory Lane was scheduled for October 28 through 30, from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m., replacing temporary markings with permanent ones.
- Old La Honda Road as the alternate. The upper section is closed from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. during guardrail installation, cleaning and clearing. The work runs from Monday, September 28 through Friday, December 11, 2026, and the road reopens after work hours.
- The stop itself. Expect all-way stop control, new pavement markings, and eventually the flashing beacons at the north crosswalk.
- More patrol on weekends. On October 20, the San Mateo County Board of Supervisors approved a $125,000 grant for Woodside to hire additional CHP officers for weekend highway patrols. The money comes from Measure K, the countywide half-cent sales tax. Supervisor Ray Mueller said it will put one officer on highways 84, 35 and 9 on Saturdays and Sundays for a year.
- Lunch at the top. Alice's lists hours of 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday, with online ordering. Caltrans' advice for the stretch is to allow extra time to stop and proceed, and to watch for pedestrians and cyclists.
The Next Changes Reach the Vista Points and Turnouts
At the town hall, Caltrans laid out three tiers of work for highways 84 and 35. Here is what each tier covers:
| Timeframe Caltrans gave | What is on the list |
|---|---|
| About six months | Road safety audit, vegetation management, new traffic and speed limit signs, refreshed striping, turnout maintenance |
| Six to 18 months | Evaluating speed enforcement cameras, assessing speed limit reductions, turnout signage, location reference signs for emergency response, possible high-friction pavement treatments |
| Two years or more | Pedestrian crossings, access controls at Clouds Rest Vista Point and the Sempervirens parking lot |
The same focus on places where people stop shows up beyond Four Corners. Caltrans has described gates for Clouds Rest Vista Point and the Sempervirens lot to prevent illegal nighttime activity. It also plans safety signage at Kings Mountain Community Center, Portola Heights Road, Castanea Ridge Road, Clouds Rest Vista Point and Old La Honda Road. On the road itself, guardrail improvements are planned for a bend about a mile west of Four Corners known locally as the "Curve of Death," along with new "Turnout Ahead" signs and replacement mile markers to improve emergency response.
Taken together, the plan treats the ridge as a string of stopping places linked by two-lane highway. At Four Corners, the next scheduled step is the engineering and traffic study early next year, which will evaluate how well the all-way stop and the other current improvements are working. Caltrans has said it will install a signal at the intersection if its findings show one is needed.
The Four Corners changes will shape how people get to and from Skyline Boulevard well into 2027. The Doran Team follows Woodside's roads, closures and town decisions as closely as its home values. If you'd like to talk through what changes along the 84 corridor could mean for your property, we're glad to help.
