Photograph by Kathy De La Torre
Heavy seasonal rains eroded this portion of Bohlman Road in the hillsides, leaving crumbling rock and a sharp drop down into the valley in its place. The county has committed to start repairing the drop-off this year.
County commits to repair water-damaged road soon
Supervisor urges action
By Kara Chalmers
The Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors has made repairing a portion of Bohlman Road a priority for 2001. The road winds though Saratoga's hillsides, but the part of it to be repaired is in unincorporated county land, located past the intersection with Orbit Lane.
Ron Jackson, the bridge design manager in the county's department of roads and airports, does not know for sure what caused the sheer drop-off, but he assumes it was storms.
"We had some rain that kind of just deteriorated that slope there and cut away that roadway," Jackson said. He said that the county has hired a geotechnical consultant and a design consultant who will be able to determine the cause of the damage.
"We want to make sure we won't have problems in the future, so any drainage issues, we'll try to resolve while we're out there," Jackson said.
Supervisor Liz Kniss, who represents District 5, pushed for the road repairs to be made a priority when the department of roads and airports presented their list of 2001 construction projects to the board on Feb. 27. A plan to repair Bohlman Road was not one of the almost 100 projects, but, partly due to Kniss' urging, the repairs were added to the list, which the supervisors then approved.
This means that the county has committed to start the project this year, Jackson said. "We're pushing for this year, but it's not a sure thing yet," Jackson said. "The idea is to put back some road that was there, but put in a retaining structure to support the existing road width."
A retaining wall would be placed under the side of the new road to support it, according to Jackson, so there won't be such a steep slope that can be worn away again. Retaining walls are sometimes made of wood or concrete, and he is not sure which type will be installed on Bohlman Road.
"It's definitely not a supersafe situation right now," Jackson said. "We'll proceed as quickly as we possibly can."
Kniss, from Palo Alto, was elected District 5 supervisor in November 2000. District 5 includes Saratoga. On the board, Kniss is the chair of the county public safety and justice committee.
Saratoga, California Since 1955
