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The San Ramon City Council is set to receive an update Tuesday (Oct. 28) about the proposed overcrossings project for the Iron Horse Regional Trail intersections at Bollinger Canyon and Crow Canyon roads.
City staff and consultant firm Biggs Cardosa Associates, Inc., are working on the community engagement and preliminary design phase of the project, which aims to improve safety conditions and reduce delays for trail users and drivers.
The group will speak to council members about efforts completed thus far, including creating a project development team, conducting site evaluations, developing a public outreach campaign and holding public workshops this past spring.
Outreach tasks on the horizon include implementing an online citizen survey, installing signage along the trail asking the public to provide feedback, and reaching out to committees and commissions for input, according to city staff.
The phase — a collaborative effort between the city, Contra Costa County and the East Bay Regional Park District — is being funded through Measure J, the half-cent transportation sales tax approved by county voters in 2004.
The overcrossings update is among several open-session items scheduled for the council’s regular meeting, set to begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday at San Ramon City Hall, 2222 Camino Ramon.
In other business, council members will consider approving the conceptual design for the San Ramon Library expansion and renovation project.
The initial concept calls for the library at 100 Montgomery St. to receive an estimated $3.45 million in improvements such as increased square-footage, redesigned entrances, flexible meeting spaces, more study rooms, new décor, expanded “teen” areas, added power outlets and enhanced wireless Internet.
As part of their library discussion Tuesday, council members will consider appropriating $300,000 from City Hall construction proceeds to the library construction design phase.
City officials anticipate construction design could begin in January, with building work to get underway in September and wrap up by the end of 2016.
Also Tuesday, the council will discuss changing the appeal process for massage businesses whose permits are denied, revoked or suspended by the police chief.
The municipal code currently allows such appeals to occur in open session before the council, but city staff recommends an amendment to allow the appeals to take place before a designated hearing officer in closed session because of concerns about some testimony containing graphic details.
Later, the council will receive updates about the City Hall and City Center construction projects.
Following the open session, council members will convene in closed session to conduct the annual performance evaluation of City Manager Greg Rogers.
Tuesday won’t be the only day the council members meet this week, as they are scheduled to gather for a public retreat at the new Amador Rancho Center at 4 p.m. Thursday to discuss city priorities and goals.
A bridge crossing over traffic is a fabulous idea. Another key place for this safer alternative is Iron Horse at Sycamore Valley Road. While we’re at it, some speed bumps and stop signs at trail intersections would be beneficial. The safer the better.
The Iron Horse Trail overcrossings are long overdue. Walkers and drivers will benefit.
What is the proposed cost? How many users will benefit? Is this the best use of our tax dollars or just another nice idea to be paid for with “free” money?
Today’s SF Chron tells us that a Foster City bridge is for sale. If the size is right for the Sycamore Valley crossing, we could save time and money by buying a slightly used, ready to install model. Go for it!
I have a truly bizarre idea. How about walkers and bikers take their own safety into their own hands and look both ways before crossing and only cross when the light is green for them.
I told you it was a bizarre idea.
resident, what you don’t realize is that the primary beneficiaries of an overpass will be the drivers who currently have to stop and wait through the long stoplight which turns red every time a pedestrian or bicyclist hits the button to cross the road.
This is a fantastic idea! And it’s not about “not using our heads” I often bike to Danville from San Ramon and would really appreciate not having to stop FOREVER (Especially Bollinger, Crow Canyon and Sycamore) to wait to cross a street when on the trail. Also, the cars and flow of traffic would appreciate it. Before you make objectionable remarks, ask yourself, when is the last time you waited at the intersection of Bollinger on the trail for cars to stop or on the flip for peds to cross? Also–there are so many bad drivers around here I would love for children to have a safer alternative especially once this new “down town” San Ramon is built. The lights on those streets are bad enough for cars–the car traffic will also benefit from not having to wait FOREVER when the peds are crossing.
Very cool, Smith — great call! Crow Canyon has long run-ups on both ends — of course it would need to be carefully adapted, but it might.just.work.
Here’s the sfgate article: http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/No-joke-This-guy-has-a-quaint-gently-used-5851485.php
and the specific promo link: http://svdisposition.com/buy-assets/auction_details/auction_details2.php?hl=en_US&event=ThermoFisherBridge&CLIENT_ID=45
I agree 100% with the ease of traffic issue. I was just commenting on the safety of bikes and walkers. Safety needs to be in your own hands.
I am all for the over crossings!I also like Smith’s idea about adapting the used bridge for use @ Sycamore Valley. Better traffic flow and safety for sure.
Here’s a true story for you Resident:
The last week of July, on a Wednesday evening, a friend and I were on Sycamore aimed west. We were in the middle lane, headed into the Livery, and the light at Camino Ramon just went green. The light in front of us was red, but about to turn.
As you know, everyone in the far right lane has to turn onto the northbound 680 on-ramp. Those in the next lane over can also turn right onto the ramp, or go straight toward San Ramon Valley Blvd.
A woman who was walking westward was at the short crosswalk that crosses the northbound on-ramp. When the overpass light went green, she looked over her left shoulder (I guess you would call that “taking safety into her own hands”) to make sure the cars turning onto the ramp were stopped. The cars in the far right lane did so, waiting as the law dictates you do for pedestrians. She begins to cross. Then, some idiot (a younger male – we saw him as he passed us on the right) in the next lane goes blazing by the right-lane cars, not bothering to ponder why they were stopped. He makes a fast right turn at about 20 m.p.h. and almost splatters this woman.
Now this was a lady probably in her 30’s or early 40’s, who looked to be in decent physical shape. The reason she wasn’t seriously injured was NOT because this pinhead driver swerved or locked his brakes. It was because the lady quite literally leaped out of his way. And before you say “well, duh, she should have looked again”, the car she had just emerged from behind was the typical giant Danville SUV, so visibility was limited for her.
Had she been elderly, or a younger child paying less attention, or disabled, or heavy set and less athletic, or blind in her left eye, etc etc, my friend and I would have witnessed a horrific accident.
I am the first one on these message boards to crab about any construction project that uglies up our town but there have been too many fatalities and serious injuries on Crow, Sycamore, and Bollinger. I am willing to live with a few pedestrian bridges. Every parent whose child crosses these streets will breathe a little easier.
To say “How about walkers and bikers take their own safety into their own hands and look both ways before crossing and only cross when the light is green for them” isn’t bizarre. What it is, is breathtaking in it’s simple-mindedness.
Very well put and 100% right on, Derek!
The bridge for sale is supposed to have a 260′ span. Google earth tells me that Bollinger is about 200′, and Crow Canyon less. This is a good idea!
The one for sale is VERY UGLY. I don’t want to look at that bridge for decades. We can do better.
Saving several million dollars of taxpayer money is a be-yoo-ty-full thing! So is re-using stuff instead of scrapping it. And I give it a 6.3 on the 10-point scale of footbridgly pulchritude.
Besides, I know I’d use that bridge several times/week. How often, pray tell, will you even see it, on Crow Canyon or Bollinger?
I would see the bridge at least twice per day. So would thousands of San Ramon residents that live east of the Iron Horse Trail or live in Dougherty Valley. I don’t need beautiful, but I REALLY don’t want rusting steel ugly. If they want it in Danville or Alamo – go for it. We can do better.
The bridge for sale from Foster City is 442 feet long not 250 feet. Way too long for this application. You can’t just shorten this kind of bridge.
Besides there is still a lot of staff work to be completed including EIR and approvals from the City, County (they own the right of way) and the EBR Park District (they manage the Iron Horse Trail). Currently there is no money allocated for the purchase or construction of a bridge.
Go to the San Ramon website to provide input on a possible design. http://www.ci.san-ramon.ca.us/
Assuming San Ramon isn’t hiring a really big helicopter anytime soon, this outfit called Dokken Engineering seems to have done some nice pedestrian bridges for amazingly little money (though I am not clear how long ago these were built)-
http://www.dokkenengineering.com/projects/vtown.html
Personally I think this design might be a bit overwhelming for the needs of San Ramon, but it shows what is possible with a little creativity. You know, that quality that all our local architects seem to be lacking in?