Gilroy
– City leaders are mulling over an earlier construction date for
a 10th Street bridge spanning Uvas Creek, in anticipation of
traffic increases from the biggest development in the city’s
history.
Gilroy – City leaders are mulling over an earlier construction date for a 10th Street bridge spanning Uvas Creek, in anticipation of traffic increases from the biggest development in the city’s history.
The possibility of completing the $4.5-million bridge as early as 2011 has come up in recent months during City Council discussions of the Glen Loma Ranch development, a project that over the next decade will bring 1,700 new homes to the city’s southwest area, just across Uvas Creek.
The 10th Street bridge would connect the new development with the road leading east past Gilroy High School.
Despite a traffic study suggesting the bridge proposal could wait until 2016 – the expected completion date of the Glen Loma project – some councilmen would like to see the bridge built well before that date. The ideal time, they say, is prior to the third and final phase of the project, when developers plan to construct a town center with high-density housing and a shopping center.
“Definitely, I think we should try to put (the bridge) in there before all the commercial and multi-family housing goes in,” said Paul Correa, a councilman with a degree in urban planning. “This is a large project and there is existing infrastructure, but there comes a point when there will be a need for that bridge – during the middle of the project, but definitely not toward the end of it. Of course, the earlier the better.”
The Filice family, which is responsible for the Glen Loma development, appears open to discussing the possibility.
“We have the alignment for a future bridge,” John Filice said of the Glen Loma group’s plans. “It’s a question of timing. If for some reason City Council wants to move it up five years, we’ll talk to them about that. We’re always open to discussion.”
But it remains unclear if a project requiring lengthy environmental and engineering studies can pass through the design and construction process quickly enough to meet council expectations.
Community Development Director Wendie Rooney said city staff would likely need four years to design the project and obtain state and federal permits, followed by at least two years of construction time.
“In a perfect world, we might be able to see it in about six years,” Rooney estimated. “Going through the federal process is never easy, but at least it will be designed and ready to go.”
The four-lane bridge is expected to cost about $4.5-million, according to City Transportation Engineer Don Dey, who explained that costs and construction time could increase if city leaders opt for an eco-friendly design that avoids pilings or other support structures in the creekbed.
“Environmental-wise, that might be a better choice, but that would drive up the cost,” Dey explained. “(For) those types of issues we would only start knowing the larger details once we get into the environmental study and design.”
City Administrator Jay Baksa said any decision to move up the bridge’s construction date must involve weighing the project against citywide infrastructure needs.
“We’ve been looking at the 10th Street bridge in terms of all the improvements needed for the Glen Loma project,” Baksa said.
But an environmental study of the development, he pointed out, only requires road extensions and other upgrades, as opposed to mandating the bridge. Connecting the 10th Street corridor with the future development is the responsibility of the city, which already has plenty of other projects on its plate.
“We are basically looking now at every project in town with a (building permit) and identifying what must be built as a result of those projects. Streets, water lines, that kind of thing,” Baksa said. “The 10th Street bridge has to compete against all the other issues.”
