The Cupertino Courier

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Cost-sharing dispute now is water under the bridge

By Cody Kraatz

The Santa Clara Valley Water District avoided further negotiations with the city of Cupertino by going with the city's proposed cost-sharing agreement for renovating the Bollinger Road bridge over Calabazas Creek.

"We were hoping we wouldn't have to amend the contract and now we don't, happily," said Ralph Qualls, Cupertino's director of public works. He brought the item before the city council, but said he withdrew it when the water district agreed.

Cupertino will pay $638,000 toward the bridge renovation, 20 percent of its total cost. The city has already spent about $370,000 on the design phase. The water district recently accepted a $2.7 million bid, and the project's total cost is now about $3.5 million, a significant increase from earlier estimates.

The renovations include widening the bridge to add a bike lane and building a larger culvert, the tunnel that carries water under the bridge. Bicyclists currently have to veer into the roadway to cross the creek, posing a hazard.

Also, the water district is focused on preparing for a "100-year flood," a heavy flow with a 1 percent likelihood each year. It plans to widen the culvert on the south side of Bollinger Road.

"The city wants flood protection because residents have been flooded by the creek several times," said Qualls.

"As we've gone through the design process, some things have changed in six years," said Bill Springer, a senior engineer with the water district who is managing this project.

If the water district board approves the bid on May 8, Springer said the widening for the bike lane would be done by the end of 2007, with work starting in June. The work on widening the culvert would begin in April 2008 and take about six months.

For more information go to www.valleywater.org and search for Bollinger Road.