Long rainy season pushes back Monterey Streetscape project;
closure rescheduled for today
Gilroy – Dozens of trees have been torn down and a winding median, long the bane of Monterey Street drivers, is gradually vanishing as a major downtown overhaul inches forward during breaks in bad weather.
Officials originally hoped to begin the Monterey Streetscape project April 3, a week earlier than expected, but an unusually long season of rain has pushed back the start date several times.
A four-month closure of the historic main drag – between Fourth and Sixth streets – is re-scheduled for today, but could be pushed back once again because of inclement weather, according to City Transportation Engineer Don Dey.
“We are still trying to close the road (today),” Dey said. “It’s all conditional on the size of the storm coming in. If it’s light-type rain, then we want to close the road. If we’re looking at some big storms, then we’re not sure. The discussions are going on on a day by day basis.”
For more than a year, city officials have talked about the Streetscape project, which will bring a more spacious street with angled parking and wider sidewalks with new street lamps and trees. But first, they must weather seven months of traffic detours and closed walkways.
Not everything will happen at once, with road and sidewalk work spread across different parts of the year.
The first step involves blocking both lanes of Monterey Street through July so Golden Bay Construction, the San Carlos company hired to do the work, can tear up the asphalt and lay a new road. Once roadwork is complete, workers will re-open Monterey Street to drivers and close sidewalks incrementally for renovation.
On Tuesday, Golden Bay workers prepped the road by cutting down trees and removing the median just north of Fourth Street.
“Because they had this break in the weather, they said let’s start doing things that don’t require the closure of the road,” Dey explained.
He said the contractor plans to work weekends to make up lost time, and he expects the project will still wrap up by the end of October, as originally predicted.
“It’s hard to not have two or three weeks worth of rain not affect the timeline,” Dey said. “We will be working with the contractor to try and get everything done by the end of October and we believe it’s still doable, provided there aren’t any other unforeseen delays.”
Downtown business owners already suffered through a partial road closure between late January and March, as PG&E workers replaced gas mains in advance of the Streetscape work.
Dawn Guillen, owner of downtown children’s clothing store Dilly-Dally Alley, said the construction has already caused business to drop off 20 percent. She hopes to negotiate a lower lease rate for the construction period, but has yet to hear back from the landlord.
Despite the financial burdens of construction, Guillen remained upbeat about the downtown renewal now under way.
“Every time that there’s no rain, I’m seeing them out here doing stuff. It’s encouraging,” she said. “We’re glad to see that it’s going on. Yes, it’s going to be painful, but it’s going to be beautiful when it’s done, so I’m willing to endure the pain.”
