By Sarah Lombardo
Saratoga may soon get to decide if it wants to take over Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, from Route 9 to Prospect Road.
Caltrans has received $2.4 million in the 1997 State Highway Operation and Protection Program for use in repairing the road from Highway 9 in Saratoga to Highway 280 in Cupertino, according to a report to the City Council from Saratoga Director of Public Works Larry Perlin.
The report states that the work on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road is scheduled to take place next summer, and that when the work is completed, Caltrans plans to relinquish the road to the cities through which the road runs.
According to Perlin, the advantage to taking over the road from Caltrans is that the city would have jurisdiction over the road. Perlin said the advantage to that would be obtaining local control over the road and what happened with it.
"We would no longer have to seek permission [from Caltrans]," Perlin said. But the disadvantages of taking over the 2.5-mile stretch of road include the high costs of maintenance, drainage problems, storm drain cleaning, pavement management and weed control. Perlin also pointed out that if the city took over Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, it could open itself up to many liabilities.
"We may very well not want this road," Perlin said. "We would have to weigh the costs and benefits of having this road. In my opinion, I have a very difficult time seeing how the benefits outweigh the costs and the liabilities."
Saratoga Mayor Paul Jacobs questioned whether refusing the road would affect any future plans the city may have for projects on Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road. But Perlin said that refusing the road would have no effect on any future plans; the city would just have to continue to go about projects as they always have, by submitting plans to Caltrans and obtaining the necessary permits.
"I haven't heard any advantages to getting this road," Jacobs said.
Perlin said he expects that Caltrans will present the city with an agreement on the conditions of accepting relinquishment some time in the next few months.
Perlin said that although the city can't take any action now with regard to the possible relinquishment of Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road, he wanted to make Caltrans aware of the concerns the city had about the plan.
"At this point, I would like to send a letter off to Caltrans saying, 'I know you're putting plans together, and I think it would be wise to put a call through and meet with us,' " he said.
Council members authorized Perlin to write the letter to Caltrans.
Councilwoman Karen Tucker said the city should not refuse the road at this point in time, but instead wait and see what kind of an agreement Caltrans presents.
"We can always say, 'We want [Saratoga-Sunnyvale Road],' but we can never say, 'We want to give it back to you,' " Tucker said.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, November 6, 1996.
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