The Sun Sunnyvale's Newspaper Photograph by Skye Dunlap Pedestrians may someday be able to make their way across routes 101 and 237 now that councilmembers have agreed to look into building two footbridges along Borregas Avenue. The project could cost between $4.7 and $5.5 million. Bridge proposal moves forward Council concerned over high cost By JUSTIN BERTON Bicycle advocates applauded the Sunnyvale City Council's unanimous vote Nov. 17 to move forward with an ambitious plan to build two pedestrian bridges over routes 101 and 237 along Borregas Avenue. The council approved launching a study to weigh public opinion on the proposal, and to begin the search for funding the project that could cost between $4.7 and $5.5 million. If all goes as planned, the city would provide roughly $1 million of the cost--a figure that kept some councilmembers cautious. Jack Witthaus, transportation planner for the city, said the study should be completed within six months. "Now we're going to go out, bounce the idea off the neighborhoods and the community in general to see if they think the project is a good idea," Witthaus said. Members of the city's Bicycle Advisory Committee said the bridges, if constructed, would provide the safest links between the northern and southern parts of the city. At present, bicyclists wanting to go from one part to the other use either Fair Oaks or Mathilda avenues. "But these routes are uncomfortable and unsafe conditions for bicycling," Witthaus told the council. Kevin Jackson, a bicycle commuter who lives in south Sunnyvale and works in Moffett Park, said the bridges would provide a safe alternative for current and future bicycle commuters. "If they can make it safe and user- friendly, it will be the best way to convince people that driving is not their only transportation method," he said. Jackson added that he expected some residents to oppose the plan. "People always approach this as, 'You're just trying to do something for yourself.' But this is a great, central location for everybody." Measuring the need for the bridges, and the amount of use they would sustain is one of the most difficult challenges facing the study, said city traffic engineer Ray Williamson. Williamson said it is difficult to accurately gauge how many pedestrians and bicyclists would use a bridge that does not yet exist. Witthaus added that the latest figures on the number of bicycle commuters in Sunnyvale are outdated because the data comes from the 1990 census. As directed by the council, Witthaus and his staff will now begin holding public forums in the potentially impacted neighborhoods. Councilmember Jack Walker suggested Witthaus proceed with caution: "Projects like these tend to alienate neighborhoods because people simply don't want these types of things in their neighborhoods," Walker said. "Money is secondary to the public will of a neighborhood." Vice Mayor Pat Vorreiter said although the bridges are a good idea, she is concerned over the cost. Vorreiter said recent council approvals of other city projects, such as the $22 million senior center, would lead to tough fiscal decisions down the road. "We can't always be the Santa Claus council," Vorreiter said before casting her vote. Mayor Manuel Valerio echoed Vorreiter's hesitance, and said he would remain, "cautiously optimistic" on the proposal. Witthaus said the city will pursue transportation funding through money made available in Measures A and B, and federal grants. He said that if the city was successful in its pursuit of outside funding, the city would likely be asked to match 10 to 20 percent of the cost. Sunnyvale's share could be as much as a million dollars, making the bridges the most expensive of the five bike/pedestrian bridges now in the city. Jackson said construction of the bridges would encourage more, safe bicycling in Sunnyvale. "Everything about bike commuting might be great," Jackson said, "but you just can't get over 101 or 237." [ Back to Contents Page | Sunnyvale Sun Home Page | Archives ] This article appeared in the Sunnyvale Sun, November 25, 1998. ©1998 Metro Publishing, Inc. All rights reserved.