Residents discovered a pair of Cooper's hawks nesting on the project site and further evaluation of water flow needs to be done before construction begins.

The reconstruction of the bridge and its concrete box culvert is being done to prevent flooding. Water district officials are not certain if the delay will affect the creek's capacity to combat flooding because it is difficult to predict rainfall. But a low wooden floodwall installed on Bollinger Road along the backyards of several homes did prevent flooding in the area during the storms of December 2002.

In May of last year, residents found a pair of Cooper's hawks nesting in the middle of the project site. The hawks are listed as one of the California species of special concern, which means that they are biologically rare, restricted in distribution or at a critical stage in their life cycle.

A water district biologist is observing the hawks and the chicks. The information will be used to adjust the construction schedule to protect the birds.

Calabazas Creek is a seasonal stream that drains 21.8 square miles in northwestern Santa Clara County. The creek flows from the Santa Cruz Mountains to San Francisco Bay through the cities of Saratoga, Cupertino, San Jose, Sunnyvale and Santa Clara.

In Cupertino, Bollinger Road crosses Calabazas Creek between Miller and S. Blaney avenues. Two box culverts were installed beneath Bollinger Road. But the upstream culvert is smaller than the downstream one, and the difference has impeded the flow of floodwaters and caused localized flooding in the neighborhood six times in the past 30 years.

The water district and the city of Cupertino reached an agreement in March of 2001 to replace the upstream box culvert to match the downstream one so the water flow can freely pass through the entire culvert.

The water district will also extend the box culverts 21 feet downstream to create bicycle and pedestrian lanes. Right now, although bicycle lanes and sidewalks extend along Bollinger Road in both directions, the pavement is too narrow; bicycles must merge with automobile traffic and only one sidewalk exists on the upstream side. Other elements of the project include improving the wildlife habitat and demolishing the old Bollinger Bridge, which is about 100 yards upstream from the new one.

The project will cost $1.65 million.

Recently the staff finished the hydrolic water modeling. The water district board is expected to adopt the engineers' proposed design at its Aug. 19 meeting. Once the design is approved, the staff can finalize the plan and map out the construction schedule.

For more information about the project, contact Engineering Unit Manager Jason Christie at 408.265.2607, ext. 2702.