By Khalida Sarwari
The Saratoga City Council took the first of what’s sure to be numerous steps toward a project to replace two 100-year-old bridges on Quito Road near the intersection of Old Adobe Road.
At its Nov. 6 meeting, the council reviewed the preliminary design for the project and addressed the concerns of residents who live in the Quito Road area.
The bridges cross the Los Gatos-Saratoga boundary and San Tomas Aquino Creek, so Saratoga, Los Gatos and the Santa Clara Valley Water District are entering into a cooperative agreement to facilitate the work.
The council meeting followed an Oct. 30 neighborhood meeting where about 50 area residents gathered to discuss their concerns about the removal of 24 old-growth trees during the widening process, disruption to the creek’s riparian corridor by the construction of retaining walls and utility relocations, and the straightening of Quito Road potentially resulting in more speeders.
Petra Jakobskrueger was one of 16 people who addressed the council during the public comment period on Nov. 6.
“There needs to be a detailed plan to secure the safety of pedestrians, cyclists and children walking down from Old Adobe,” she said, recommending the placement of speed reduction measurements, such as speed bumps.
A presentation by Saratoga public works director John Cherbone, which focused on the project timeline, budget and preliminary design, seemed to put some residents at ease. Cherbone indicated that efforts will be made to explore traffic calming recommendations and to remove as few trees as possible. “We feel very confident that we’ll be successful in doing that,” he said.
The main reason behind the project is that the bridges are so old they do not meet seismic safety or state design standards. The plan is to replace them with two two-lane bridges that meet current Caltrans safety standards. The project would include acquisition of necessary rights-of-way, demolition and construction of the bridges, construction of five retaining walls, relocation of utilities and habitat restoration.
The preliminary plans indicate that the project would require fair market value acquisition of additional right-of-way easements totaling approximately 10,800 square feet from portions of six adjacent privately owned parcels adjoining the existing right of way and 940 square feet from publicly owned parcels adjoining the existing right of way.
The bridges will have a width of about 34 feet with two 12-foot travel lanes and two 4-foot shoulders. One bridge will have a 4.5-foot sidewalk on the east side of the roadway to retain existing pedestrian access. The Quito Road approaches to the bridges will be widened as part of the project in order to facilitate the wider 12-foot travel lanes and 4-foot shoulders required by Caltrans.
The new bridges have a similar alignment to the existing bridges, although the approaches leading to the bridge structures will require slight roadway realignment.
Bridge replacement would require the closure of Quito Road and rerouting traffic during the approximately six- to 12-month construction period, Cherbone said. Construction equipment and materials would be staged on the closed portion of Quito Road, and construction would take place on weekdays between 7:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. Construction activities within the creek will take place between April 15 and Oct. 15 to avoid the rainy season.
Cherbone assured residents that the construction would include standard best management practices to minimize erosion, protect water quality and control dust.
The project is expected to cost about $4.9 million. The California Transportation Commission has agreed to allocate federal highway bridge replacement funds that will cover approximately 88 percent of the price tag. Saratoga, Los Gatos and the water district have each agreed to provide $276,000 in funding.
On Nov. 6, the council authorized the city manager to execute a $322,462 contract for consulting services with Mark Thomas & Company for the design work and approved a contingency of $75,000 to address ideas and concerns submitted by the public during the course of the design process.
The projected construction start date is spring of 2016 with an estimated completion date of 2017.
The council meeting marked the first opportunity for the public to comment on the project. City officials noted there would be further public outreach and correlating revision of the design over the next year.
“We just want to make this a project that everyone will be proud of in the end,” Cherbone said.
The Los Gatos Town Council is scheduled to discuss the issue on Dec. 16.
For more information, visit saratoga.ca.us and click on “What’s New,” then click “Current Projects” and look for the Quito Road Bridges heading.
Saratoga council first to discuss the plans for Quito Road project
