By Khalida Sarwari
A two decade-old pedestrian bridge at Wildwood Park recently underwent a $90,000 renovation just in time for long autumn walks and afternoons spent crunching leaves. But this is just the start of many more changes to come in the area over the next few years.
The rehabilitation of the bridge took place over the summer months and entailed the removal and replacement of existing wood walking deck on the bridge and ramps, as well as the removal and replacement of stairs, wood railing, and all light fixtures on the bridge and ramps. The bridge’s electrical service was also upgraded, according to Iveta Harvancik, Saratoga’s senior engineer.
“The bridge was built in the early 1990s and it needed some renovations,” Harvancik said. “The structural elements of the bridge are still in good condition, just the decking and the railing needed to be replaced.”
The Wildwood Park pedestrian bridge renovation was a single-phase project that was funded through the city’s capital improvement project budget. The bridge reopened in August.
“I think it was a very smooth project; it didn’t take long to replace,” said Harvancik. “We didn’t get any complaints during the construction.”
But the improvements don’t stop at the Wildwood Park pedestrian bridge. Another project in the pipeline aims to enhance the Village and provide the public with more trail opportunities. Once complete, the Village creek trail construction project will connect the Saratoga Creek to businesses in the Village.
“It’s a really nice area near Saratoga Creek, so we would like people to see the creek from sections of the trail and also to bring more foot traffic to the Village; provide lunch break opportunities for people working in the Village,” said Harvancik.
The plan calls for the implementation of a trail starting on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road near the Saratoga Creek and continuing along the creek behind the 76 parking lot and all the way to the bridge leading to Wildwood Park.
A small section of the trail has already been installed behind the parking lot near the creek.
This would be a two-phase project. The city is currently in the middle of the first phase, which requires the preparation of an environmental document and design of the Village creek trail. Both documents should be completed by next summer, according to Harvancik. The cost of this phase is about $36,000 and funding was provided by the Santa Clara Valley Water District and matched by the city.
The second phase of the project is pending additional grants from the SCVWD. Harvancik estimated that the construction of the trail would start in spring of 2016 and take about three years to complete.
“We’ll be applying next month and hoping to get funding for the construction of the trail,” she said. “It will be decided next year whether we get a grant or not for the construction phase.”
As usual, the city will hold public meetings to solicit input from residents.
Link: Pedestrian bridge at Wildwood Park gets a $90,000 renovation
