The Cupertino Courier
News
Cupertino is asking Sunnyvale to bridge funding gap
By Cody Kraatz
Cupertino is facing a $300,000 shortfall on the project to build the Mary Avenue bicycle and pedestrian bridge, a small portion of the total $10.8 million cost.
David Knapp, Cupertino city manager, hopes Sunnyvale will chip in more than the $110,000 its city council has already promised for the project.
"Since it's such an expensive project and they are going to get so much out of it, we would hope that they could at least split that with us," said Knapp.
When completed, the Mary Avenue bridge will be suspended from 85-foot-tall white towers and connect Cupertino and Sunnyvale over Interstate 280.
The bridge's "signature design" reflects the amount of money going into the project and the importance of it to regional transportation goals, said Terry Greene, Cupertino's city architect.
The Valley Transportation Authority has put $7 million into the bridge, covering about 66 percent of the budget.
"The whole thing is to continue the long-term effort the VTA has been behind to establish a bicycle trail system. The whole idea is to get out of your car and use a bicycle or walk," said Greene.
Cupertino will send a letter from Cupertino Mayor Kris Wang to Sunnyvale Mayor Otto Lee and Sunnyvale's city council asking them to consider increasing their contribution.
The letter is the same as the one Knapp sent to Amy Chan, Sunnyvale's city manager, but will be signed by Wang on Chan's recommendation, said Carol Atwood, Cupertino's director of administrative services.
Cupertino will pay about $3 million from various transportation and capital improvement accounts, almost 30 percent of the total, while Sunnyvale's contribution amounts to about 1 percent.
If Sunnyvale decides not to increase its contribution, Cupertino will find another source of funding within its own budget, said Knapp.
"We're not going to let $300,000 stop us," he said.
Councilwoman Dolly Sandoval, who originally went before the Sunnyvale City Council requesting $250,000, hopes Sunnyvale will give a little more.
"It would be nice if our neighboring city would help bridge the gap," she said.
The landscaped north end of the bridge will back up on Sunnyvale homes and benefit residents there, said Kevin Jackson, a member of the Sunnyvale Bike and Pedestrian Advisory Committee. Soil ramps have been built on either side of 280 in preparation for construction.
In 2001, Jackson served on an eight-person impact study committee set up by Cupertino and split between residents of both cities.
"They totally went out of their way to make sure that everybody would be happy with this," said Jackson. "This one had some very unique challenges, and I just wish all the projects could be managed this well."
