The Willow Glen Resident

Council Watch

Pothole on creek trail creates nuisance for joggers, cyclists

City officials say repairs should begin in a few months

By Cecily Barnes

For the past six months, hikers and bikers using the Los Gatos Creek Trail under the Leigh Avenue bridge have had to steer clear of a 3-foot-by-10-foot pothole. While trail-users complain the hole is a safety hazard and should be fixed immediately, city officials say it's not that easy.

"It's been incredibly complicated," said Michelle McGurk, aide to District 6 Councilman Frank Fiscalini. "The solution to fixing this pothole turns out to be this huge thing rather than just putting some asphalt down."

According to Judy Salvano, assistant landscape architect for the Department of Public Works, when this portion of the Los Gatos Creek Trail was constructed in 1990, a storm drainage pipe was severed, sending water across concrete to reach the trough which led to the creek. Recently water intended for the trough has begun leaking into the asphalt and eroding the trail--hence, the pothole.

"How to rectify it is to take out the asphalt and put in concrete because water won't penetrate concrete," Salvano said. "We're also going to increase the slope and place boulders up against the wall."

Fixing the pothole requires restructuring the entire drainage system in that area, not just patching a hole. "They have to correct the drain to fix the hole," said Parks Planning Manager Carla Ruigh. "There has to be design and engineering work done, and permits must be obtained from the water district."

This complicated re-engineering effort will cost about $11,000. Residents unaware of the complications and cost say they're astounded that the large hole has remained for so long.

"It's dangerous," Willow Glen resident Dominic Conte said. "That walkway is approximately six feet wide, and the hole itself encompasses about one-third of that, if not more."

Up until a month ago, Conte says, the hole was unmarked and a serious hazard to passersby. Just recently, after Conte wrote a letter to the Willow Glen Resident, he noticed the hole had been covered by two pieces of plywood, nailed together and surrounded by protective tape.

"The city is very fortunate no one has ever fallen into that hole. It's very serious," Conte said. "If they can think about extending the trail into downtown, something that's going to cost millions of dollars, why can't they think of fixing things?"

According to McGurk, the city has been working seriously to get the hole fixed.

"We've made this a very high priority," McGurk said. " We've put a lot of pressure on the various city departments in order to find a solution as quick as possible. This unfortunately has not been something where they could just go out and patch it up. They need to do some pretty major work there."

According to Salvano, the pothole will be repaired soon. "General services is looking into getting contracting bids," Salvano said. "We have the permits from the water district, and I'm hoping [repairs] will start in a couple of months."

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