Plans for a new 10th Street bridge over Uvas Creek that will connect homes on the city’s west side to the heart of Gilroy provide a glimpse into the city’s future.
The new bridge and associated roadway improvements will link residents of Glen Loma Ranch—Gilroy’s largest housing development at more than 300 acres and nearly 1,700 homes at full build-out (expected by 2020)—Eagle Ridge and other westside subdivisions to the center of the city and Highway 101.
“This is not the 10th Street of today,” said Mayor Perry Woodward, a native Gilroyan, at the Aug. 1 City Council meeting, where the council approved the final design contract for nearly $2 million to Bengal Engineering.
“When you open it up to 1700 homes in Glen Loma, and all the homes in Eagle Ridge and other developments to 101; it’s going to become a much more heavily trafficked corridor.”
Later, he added: “The bridge itself will create a new way for people coming down from Miller Avenue to get to Highway 101 and regional-serving businesses on Highway 152.”
In addition to a new 10th Street bridge over Uvas Creek, other major items in the multi-million dollar project—funded through developer fees paid into the city’s traffic impact fund—include two new roundabouts along 10th Street, one at Uvas Creek and the other at Orchard; the re-routing of the levee trail to accommodate the new bridge and allow trail users to pass under the new 10th Street roadway; two new airport-style drop-off zones along 10th Street at Gilroy High; and a center median that keeps cars and pedestrians from crossing the roadway.
The 10th street project has been under consideration for a long time. Councilmember Cat Tucker recalls discussing some variation of it in the early aughts during General Plan 2020 meetings.
“We know that something has to be done,” Tucker said, but she still has reservations about some aspects of the design, which was last presented to the council in February at a special joint session with Gilroy Unified School District.
At that meeting, Tucker and others expressed safety concerns about pedestrians and students walking to Gilroy High under the new 10th Street extension at Uvas creek.
Called a “breezeway” by Gilroy Public Works staff, because it is open at top, the pathway has also been called, somewhat derisively, a tunnel.
“My main question is, why create a tunnel?” said Tucker, recalling her days growing up in Los Angeles where she had to venture through graffiti-laden pedestrian tunnels.
David Stubchaer, senior engineer and operations manager for the city, told the council that after hearing those concerns at the February meeting, the design was amended and the pathway in question was widened to 23 feet. The overhead clearance, he said, was about 10 feet—or enough to ride a bicycle standing up and not hit your head. There will also be graded skylights, he said.
Tucker said she intends to keep an eye on the plan going forward and attend public meetings that are scheduled as the consultation process continues.
“This is not going to be taken lightly,” said Tucker. “People from all over the city need to be aware of this, not just those who live near [10th Street].”
Councilmember Roland Velasco said he wanted residents who lived off 10th Street by Gilroy High School to be consulted.
“I want to ensure they are aware of the project and there is reasonable accommodation made for them to get in and out,” he said.
To keep pedestrians and motorists from illegally crossing 10th Street, a divider (in this design, a wrought iron fence) will run along the median.
Councilman Daniel Harney was concerned about emergency responders who would not be able to cross.
“The length between the areas where you can make a U-turn is really long. How long will it take emergency responders to make a U-turn to make the call?” he asked.
While Harney worried the stretch of 10th Street in question would become a speedway, he liked the two new drop-off zones planned for Gilroy High School.
“Using the same approach as airports use for drop-offs is good,” he said.
Public works staff said they are in the process of firming up a community outreach schedule.
“It will take as long as it takes for us and the council to ensure that the bridge is being designed adequately,” said director of public works, Rick Smelser. “We don’t want to rush this.”
Overall, change is coming.
“It is a different street today from what it was in 1975,” said Woodward, who lived off 10th Street for a while when he was a boy. “Just as it will be different in 2035 from what it was in 2016.
“The future is going to be very different,” he added.
