Rushed commuters and bicyclists hardly see eye to eye, but both
parties will likely appreciate the addition of bike lanes to part
of Hecker Pass Highway west of Gilroy.
Also with this story: a map of the proposed expansion and
improvement projects.
Rushed commuters and bicyclists hardly see eye to eye, but both parties will likely appreciate the addition of bike lanes to part of Hecker Pass Highway west of Gilroy.
Last week the city council told CalTrans representatives that when the state transportation agency replaces the Uvas Creek Bridge and widens the roadway on either side, they might as well add bike lanes.
For this to happen, the city will need to update its bicycle master plan to incorporate the part of the state highway that lies within the city limits, according to Facilities and Parks Development Manager Bill Headley. That way, he said, CalTrans can just paint a bike lane and install appropriate signs when they essentially move Highway 152 one lane to the north.
“With this road improvement opportunity, that’s what we’re doing,” Headley said. “Let’s at least get a safer bike lane and shoulder.”
The stretch of road improvement – which requires wrapping a 1,136-foot retaining wall along the northeastern intersection of the scenic highway and Burchell Road – will extend from about Gilroy Gardens to the western border of the Gilroy Golf Course. The northern bike lane will also turn onto Burchell Road before continuing over the new bridge.
Connecting the eastern edge of the bike lanes – where CalTrans improvements leave off – to Santa Teresa Boulevard will occur as residential development planned for both sides of the highway occurs.
Development up to this point is what triggered state requirements for additional turning lanes, wider shoulders and other safety improvements to Highway 152.
Once Transportation Engineer Don Dey amends the city’s bicycle master plan, CalTrans will make the slight bike lane changes to their plans and then send the $10-million project out to bid, according to CalTrans Project Engineer Francis Mensah. The construction and demolition of the bridge will take about two years, but working in the creek can only occur between June and October, Mensah said.
