Willow Glen Resident

News

Willow Glen Way Bridge may not be completed on schedule

By Laura Rheinheimer

Work on the Willow Glen Way Bridge will be extended to evenings and weekends to make up for a delayed start, dam leaks and equipment problems. Construction workers will be out from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. in order to meet a mandatory deadline set by the Fish and Game Department.

If the deadline is not met, the project could span two seasons, said project manager Todd Inman. Channel work will stop around Oct. 15, during the rainy season, and restart June 1.

Graniterock Pavex Construction, the contractor for the bridge replacement project, is fighting to make up the more than two weeks lost because of unforeseen problems that occurred in May.

Two "portadams" were flown in behind schedule, which caused a delayed start in river work to divert the water. Once the portadams were in place, the dams and tubes used to contain the river flow had several leaks. To address the problem, the contractor used a settling tank, which was not part of the original plan, to redirect the excess water from the river back into water flow without depositing large amounts of debris into the stream.

The construction must conform to rules set by two regulatory agencies--the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board and the Fish and Game Department.

The San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board mandates the river be redirected so water quality is not impacted by construction debris. In addition, the Fish and Game Department requires all work in the river channel be completed prior to the rainy season, so construction doesn't affect the fish and other wildlife.

The pile-driving work on the project was completed Aug. 4, according to Inman. The work was interrupted July 28, when workers discovered water leaking from a storm drain that was plugged up, Cheong said. Emergency weekend work was required to drain the water before pile driving could resume Aug. 1.

Workers are using a hydraulic hammer to drive a 30-foot pipe into the ground in order to stay under noise and vibration limitations for pile-driving work. This is in place of a more powerful, noisier diesel hammer, which would have completed the work more quickly. The less strenuous hammer caused the project to fall behind by a week, despite the contract's specification that the hydraulic hammer be used.

Cheong said no heavy equipment will be used on Saturdays, and the district has received no complaints about noise so far. Just yards away, however, CalTrans workers on Highway 87 have been using a diesel hammer, which has created noise in the area.

Cheong said the district will work with the community throughout the project, especially those most affected by the work. Two community meetings were held July 31 at Willows Senior Center and Aug. 7 at the Village senior housing complex on Willow Glen Way to update residents on the process.

"All in all, it's been much more pleasant than I expected it to be," said Ryan Murphy, whose front lawn on Willow Glen Way has been impacted by the work.

Murphy said the district assured him the lawn would be repaired, but he is concerned about street parking and increased traffic after the work is completed.

Other area residents had similar concerns about what will happen once the bridge reopens.

"What bothers me is when the traffic comes back again," said Creek Drive resident Rosaline Benzo.

The new bridge will have a wider span and allow for better traffic and pedestrian flow.

The next steps are to finish the bridge abutments on each side of the river, lay formwork and build the bridge. The bridge should open March 2007.

The bridge replacement project is part of the larger Upper Guadalupe River Flood Protection Project, a joint venture of the water district and the city of San Jose. A voter-approved Clean, Safe Creeks and Natural Flood Protection Plan and a federal grant administered through CalTrans funded the $3.2 million contract that include the replacement of the bridge, as part its flood protection projects.

The project aims to protect 2,300 acres in the county, including 7,500 businesses and houses, according to the Santa Clara Valley Water District.