Cal High: Mangos Drive bridge closed to students amid repairs

Returning California High School students who plan on using the Mangos Drive pedestrian bridge to walk to campus when school starts Monday will have to find an alternate route due the walkways closure for large-scale repairs.

Construction began on July 30 and the work is expected to keep the bridge closed until an unspecified date in early September. The Mangos bridge, commonly used by students walking to school, extends over Coyote Creek and connects the Iron Horse Regional Trail with Mangos Drive east of the campus.

The bridge had originally been slated to open before the start of the school year, but the repair project was delayed due to manufacturing delays outside of the school’s control, according to San Ramon Valley school district spokeswoman Elizabeth Graswich.

Closure of the bridge will not only effect students who walk to school from the east side of town, but also those who park around the Mangos Drive area. School staff suggest students purchase a permit for Cal High designated parking areas as a possible solution.

“For those students who drive, have already registered and would like to purchase a CHS parking permit you may still do so by either completing the FutureFund registration or following this link to the store,” assistant principal Bob Spain wrote in a statement. “As a reminder, you must also attend a ‘Street Smarts’ class to receive your parking permit.”

The total scope of work on the bridge includes the removal and replacement of the wood decking, repairing the overall frame made up of the glued laminated timber — commonly known as glulam — as well as the cleaning and painting of the bridge’s new surface area.

According to the district, the project is estimated to cost $294,000, will be paid for through Measure D bond funds and is being managed by Daniel Hillman, the district’s director of facility development.

Mangos walkover bridge was previously closed for five days in March due routine maintenance.