Lloyd Lee/Palo Alto Weekly
Upload time: Saturday, November 20, 2021, 7:57 PM Reading time: about 4 minutes
When a coalition of bicycle groups, community members, city employees, and company representatives gathered on the East Belans side of the New Bridge on Highway 101, city, county, and state officials couldn’t help repeating what they had done before. A message in the speech. They opened the way by cutting the ribbon: finally.
"After a year and a half of construction, which included 13 million pounds of concrete, 1 million pounds of structural steel, and 7,000 feet of cables and fiber optic cables... we can now say with certainty that the bridge is tangible and real," Palo Alto Said Brad Eggleston, director of public works.
The new overpass will provide year-round access to Baylands, the new Adobe Reach trail and other outdoor facilities, and will open to a group of pedestrians and cyclists on Saturday the day after construction and cleaning are completed.
The bridge spans 1,400 feet in length, across the West Bay Road and East Bay Road platforms, and has a 12-foot-wide passage that replaces the Benjamin Lefkowitz underground passage, which is only used annually due to seasonal flooding. Open for 6 months.
"I have been looking forward to this since last year," said Jeff Shusterman, a Mountain View resident and long-time biker, who took his bicycle to the event.
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For former and current city council members, including former mayors Liz Kniss and Alison Cormack, who have come to witness the results of the city's ten-year work, this expectation is ten times greater.
He pointed out that Mayor Tom Dubois admitted in his speech that planning and fund-raising have been going on for many years-so much so that the bridge has gone through several city council transitions.
"We actually approved this four years ago, and next week, when we finally give it the final approval," Du Bois said on Saturday. "That was when we had nine board members."
From left to right, State Senator Josh Becker, former Palo Alto Mayor Liz Kniss, Palo Alto Mayor Tom Dubois, Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian, and representatives of other agencies involved in the bicycle bridge project cut the ribbon for The new overpass will be inaugurated on November 20, 2021. Photography: Lloyd Lee.
For Eggleston, he recalled that when she was mayor, Kniss, a staunch supporter of the project, called the overpass a "mythical bridge."
State Senator Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian also shared their own anecdotes, jokingly about the 10-year timetable for the bridge. Simitian proposed to extend the time frame for another 10 years because the county provided a $5.5 million grant from the Stanford Entertainment Mitigation Fund in 2000.
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"You've heard that this is described as a 10-year effort," Simitian said. "What I want to say is that this is actually a 20-year effort, because these mitigation funds have been traced back to 2000, and they were reserved for purposes that were undetermined at the time."
The final price of the bridge was 23.1 million U.S. dollars, which became a pain point for some residents and the editorial board of "Weekly". Funding came from multiple sources, including a $1 million grant from Google and an expected $4.35 million investment from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Bay Area Grant Program.
The new bicycle flyover that will open in Palo Alto on November 20, 2021 will provide access to Baylands, the new Adobe Reach trail and other outdoor facilities throughout the year. Photo by Lloyd Lee.
In addition to higher-than-expected costs, some residents have also begun to view the bridge as another symbol of the bureaucratic nightmare that many developers are looking forward to in Palo Alto. In 2015, the city cancelled the designs of Moffatt and Nichol and eventually formed a new company, Biggs Cardosa Associates Inc.
Even for Megha Bansal, who has been a senior engineer and bridge project manager in the city since 2015, some of these frustrations may be obvious. Recently, she had to deal with construction delays caused by material transportation problems and supply shortages caused by the pandemic.
"Before COVID, the only thing we did was clear vegetation," she said.
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However, Bansal also stated that the overpass introduced many restrictions beyond the city due to the multiple jurisdictions involved. This was clearly demonstrated by the participants in the Saturday ceremony. As part of the building fell on the company's property, representatives from the county, California Department of Transportation, Santa Clara Valley Water District, River Valley Department of Transportation, and even Google employees appeared.
"All agencies have these requirements," she said. "This is a cross-jurisdictional process."
In broad daylight, the most notable feature of this bridge is the rust-brown steel truss above the highway and Adobe Creek. Roy Schanbel, managing director of Biggs Cardosa, said that this color can be attributed to self-weathering steel. He said the material will rust over time, forming a protective coating to prevent further rusting of the bridge.
"It should look like that, it should rust," Chambert said. "Very earthy."
But at night, the frame of the bridge blends into the night sky, mostly in the form of interlaced faint spot lights. Eggleston said that the way the LED lights are installed is to reduce light pollution and avoid disturbing the surrounding wildlife. For example, on the entire sidewalk, LED lights point downwards, so they only illuminate the path of pedestrians or cyclists, but not anywhere else, Eggleston said.
The overpass will become a convenient entrance to South Palo Altans, but its use will certainly extend to residents throughout the Bay Area. Bicycle groups including Bike Palo Alto, Western Wheelers Bicycle Club and Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition all witnessed the opening on Saturday.
Diana Crumedy, a member of the Silicon Valley Cycling Alliance and a San Jose resident, described that after participating in a closed-road bicycle marathon or protecting it, “retraining” the brain not to be afraid of overtaking is always a spiritual feat. . bicycle lane. But with this new bridge, she and many other cyclists from San Jose will have a safe route in Palo Alto to look forward to.
"This is an opportunity for people to get the same experience-to feel the safety of riding a bicycle without worrying about being hit by a car," Krumidi said.
With the hustle and bustle of the opening ceremony and free ice cream, the bridge was crowded with pedestrians. Many cyclists have to resort to walking. Robert Neff, chairman of the Palo Alto Pedestrian and Cycling Advisory Committee, said that the real test will be July 4th, after the Mountain View fireworks show.
But as the afternoon approached, the crowd gradually subsided, and the bridge became a peaceful destination for pedestrians to admire the beauty of Berenz and for cyclists to quickly cross the highway.
A toddler on a bicycle leads the way for his family—including the father and his daughter in the carriage in front—he walks along the entrance ramp from west to east. Even Cormac took advantage of the bridge on that Saturday and happily rode a bicycle down the bridge from east to west.
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Lloyd Lee/Palo Alto Weekly
Uploaded: Saturday, November 20, 2021, 7:57 PM As an alliance of cycling groups, community members, city employees, and company representatives, they gathered on the New Bridge East Baylands side of U.S. Highway 101, From the city, county and state could not help repeating a message in their speech, and then they opened the way with the ribbon cutting: finally. "After a year and a half of construction, which included 13 million pounds of concrete, 1 million pounds of structural steel, and 7,000 feet of cables and fiber optic cables... we can now say with certainty that the bridge is tangible and real," Palo Alto Said Brad Eggleston, director of public works. The new overpass will provide year-round access to Baylands, the new Adobe Reach trail and other outdoor facilities, and will open to a group of pedestrians and cyclists on Saturday the day after construction and cleaning are completed. The bridge spans 1,400 feet in length, across the West Bay Road and East Bay Road platforms, and has a 12-foot-wide passage that replaces the Benjamin Lefkowitz underground passage, which is only used annually due to seasonal flooding. Open for 6 months. "I have been looking forward to this since last year," said Jeff Shusterman, a Mountain View resident and long-time biker, who took his bicycle to the event. For former and current city council members, including former mayors Liz Kniss and Alison Cormack, who have come to witness the results of the city's ten-year work, this expectation is ten times greater. He pointed out that Mayor Tom Dubois admitted in his speech that planning and fund-raising have been going on for many years-so much so that the bridge has gone through several city council transitions. "We actually approved this four years ago, and next week, when we finally give it the final approval," Du Bois said on Saturday. "That was when we had nine board members." For Eggleston, he recalled that when she was mayor, Kniss, a staunch supporter of the project, called the overpass a "mythical bridge." ". State Senator Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian also shared their own anecdotes, jokingly about the 10-year timetable for the bridge. Simitian proposed to extend the time frame for another 10 years because the county provided a $5.5 million grant from the Stanford Entertainment Mitigation Fund in 2000. Said. "What I want to say is that this is actually a 20-year effort, because these mitigation funds go back to 2000, and they are reserved for purposes that have not yet been determined at the time." The final bid for the bridge was $23.1 million. This has become a pain point for some residents and the editorial board of "Weekly". Funding came from multiple sources, including a $1 million grant from Google and an expected $4.35 million investment from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Bay Area Grant Program. In addition to higher-than-expected costs, some residents have also begun to view the bridge as another symbol of the bureaucratic nightmare that many developers are looking forward to in Palo Alto. In 2015, the city cancelled the designs of Moffatt and Nichol and eventually formed a new company, Biggs Cardosa Associates Inc. Even for Megha Bansal, who has been a senior engineer and project manager in the city since 2015, some of these frustrations may be obvious bridges. Recently, she had to deal with construction delays caused by material transportation problems and supply shortages caused by the pandemic. "Before COVID, the only thing we did was clear vegetation," she said. However, Bansal also stated that the overpass introduced many restrictions beyond the city due to the multiple jurisdictions involved. This was clearly demonstrated by the participants in the Saturday ceremony. As part of the building fell on the company's property, representatives from the county, California Department of Transportation, Santa Clara Valley Water District, River Valley Department of Transportation, and even Google employees appeared. "All agencies have these requirements," she said. "This is a cross-jurisdictional process." In broad daylight, the most distinctive feature of the bridge is the rust-brown steel truss above the highway and Adobe Creek. Roy Schanbel, managing director of Biggs Cardosa, said that this color can be attributed to self-weathering steel. He said the material will rust over time, forming a protective coating to prevent further rusting of the bridge. "It should look like that, it should rust," Chambert said. "Very earthy." But at night, the frame of the bridge blends into the night sky, mostly in the form of interlaced faint spot lights. Eggleston said that the way the LED lights are installed is to reduce light pollution and avoid disturbing the surrounding wildlife. For example, on the entire sidewalk, LED lights point downwards, so they only illuminate the path of pedestrians or cyclists, but not anywhere else, Eggleston said. The overpass will become a convenient entrance to South Palo Altans, but its use will certainly extend to residents throughout the Bay Area. Bicycle groups including Bike Palo Alto, Western Wheelers Bicycle Club and Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition all witnessed the opening on Saturday. Diana Crumedy, a member of the Silicon Valley Cycling Alliance and a San Jose resident, described that after participating in a closed-road bicycle marathon or protecting it, “retraining” the brain not to be afraid of overtaking is always a spiritual feat. . bicycle lane. But with this new bridge, she and many other cyclists from San Jose will have a safe route in Palo Alto to look forward to. "This is an opportunity for people to get the same experience-to feel the safety of riding a bicycle without worrying about being hit by a car," Krumidi said. With the hustle and bustle of the opening ceremony and free ice cream, the bridge was crowded with pedestrians. Many cyclists have to resort to walking. Robert Neff, chairman of the Palo Alto Pedestrian and Cycling Advisory Committee, said that the real test will be July 4th, after the Mountain View fireworks show. But as the afternoon approached, the crowd gradually subsided, and the bridge became a peaceful destination for pedestrians to admire the beauty of Berenzi and for cyclists to quickly cross the highway. A toddler on a bicycle leads the way for his family—including the father and his daughter in the carriage in front—he walks along the entrance ramp from west to east. Even Cormac took advantage of the bridge on that Saturday and happily rode a bicycle down the bridge from east to west.
When a coalition of bicycle groups, community members, city employees, and company representatives gathered on the East Belans side of the New Bridge on Highway 101, city, county, and state officials couldn’t help repeating what they had done before. A message in the speech. They opened the way by cutting the ribbon: finally.
"After a year and a half of construction, which included 13 million pounds of concrete, 1 million pounds of structural steel, and 7,000 feet of cables and fiber optic cables... we can now say with certainty that the bridge is tangible and real," Palo Alto Said Brad Eggleston, director of public works.
The new overpass will provide year-round access to Baylands, the new Adobe Reach trail and other outdoor facilities, and will open to a group of pedestrians and cyclists on Saturday the day after construction and cleaning are completed.
The bridge spans 1,400 feet in length, across the West Bay Road and East Bay Road platforms, and has a 12-foot-wide passage that replaces the Benjamin Lefkowitz underground passage, which is only used annually due to seasonal flooding. Open for 6 months.
"I have been looking forward to this since last year," said Jeff Shusterman, a Mountain View resident and long-time biker, who took his bicycle to the event.
For former and current city council members, including former mayors Liz Kniss and Alison Cormack, who have come to witness the results of the city's ten-year work, this expectation is ten times greater.
He pointed out that Mayor Tom Dubois admitted in his speech that planning and fund-raising have been going on for many years-so much so that the bridge has gone through several city council transitions.
"We actually approved this four years ago, and next week, when we finally give it the final approval," Du Bois said on Saturday. "That was when we had nine board members."
For Eggleston, he recalled that when she was mayor, Kniss, a staunch supporter of the project, called the overpass a "mythical bridge."
State Senator Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, and Santa Clara County Supervisor Joe Simitian also shared their own anecdotes, jokingly about the 10-year timetable for the bridge. Simitian proposed to extend the time frame for another 10 years because the county provided a $5.5 million grant from the Stanford Entertainment Mitigation Fund in 2000.
"You've heard that this is described as a 10-year effort," Simitian said. "What I want to say is that this is actually a 20-year effort, because these mitigation funds have been traced back to 2000, and they were reserved for purposes that were undetermined at the time."
The final price of the bridge was 23.1 million U.S. dollars, which became a pain point for some residents and the editorial board of "Weekly". Funding came from multiple sources, including a $1 million grant from Google and an expected $4.35 million investment from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission’s Bay Area Grant Program.
In addition to higher-than-expected costs, some residents have also begun to view the bridge as another symbol of the bureaucratic nightmare that many developers are looking forward to in Palo Alto. In 2015, the city cancelled the designs of Moffatt and Nichol and eventually formed a new company, Biggs Cardosa Associates Inc.
Even for Megha Bansal, who has been a senior engineer and bridge project manager in the city since 2015, some of these frustrations may be obvious. Recently, she had to deal with construction delays caused by material transportation problems and supply shortages caused by the pandemic.
"Before COVID, the only thing we did was clear vegetation," she said.
However, Bansal also stated that the overpass introduced many restrictions beyond the city due to the multiple jurisdictions involved. This was clearly demonstrated by the participants in the Saturday ceremony. As part of the building fell on the company's property, representatives from the county, California Department of Transportation, Santa Clara Valley Water District, River Valley Department of Transportation, and even Google employees appeared.
"All agencies have these requirements," she said. "This is a cross-jurisdictional process."
In broad daylight, the most notable feature of this bridge is the rust-brown steel truss above the highway and Adobe Creek. Roy Schanbel, managing director of Biggs Cardosa, said that this color can be attributed to self-weathering steel. He said the material will rust over time, forming a protective coating to prevent further rusting of the bridge.
"It should look like that, it should rust," Chambert said. "Very earthy."
But at night, the frame of the bridge blends into the night sky, mostly in the form of interlaced faint spot lights. Eggleston said that the way the LED lights are installed is to reduce light pollution and avoid disturbing the surrounding wildlife. For example, on the entire sidewalk, LED lights point downwards, so they only illuminate the path of pedestrians or cyclists, but not anywhere else, Eggleston said.
The overpass will become a convenient entrance to South Palo Altans, but its use will certainly extend to residents throughout the Bay Area. Bicycle groups including Bike Palo Alto, Western Wheelers Bicycle Club and Silicon Valley Bicycle Coalition all witnessed the opening on Saturday.
Diana Crumedy, a member of the Silicon Valley Cycling Alliance and a San Jose resident, described that after participating in a closed-road bicycle marathon or protecting it, “retraining” the brain not to be afraid of overtaking is always a spiritual feat. . bicycle lane. But with this new bridge, she and many other cyclists from San Jose will have a safe route in Palo Alto to look forward to.
"This is an opportunity for people to get the same experience-to feel the safety of riding a bicycle without worrying about being hit by a car," Krumidi said.
With the hustle and bustle of the opening ceremony and free ice cream, the bridge was crowded with pedestrians. Many cyclists have to resort to walking. Robert Neff, chairman of the Palo Alto Pedestrian and Cycling Advisory Committee, said that the real test will be July 4th, after the Mountain View fireworks show.
But as the afternoon approached, the crowd gradually subsided, and the bridge became a peaceful destination for pedestrians to admire the beauty of Berenz and for cyclists to quickly cross the highway.
A toddler on a bicycle leads the way for his family—including the father and his daughter in the carriage in front—he walks along the entrance ramp from west to east. Even Cormac took advantage of the bridge on that Saturday and happily rode a bicycle down the bridge from east to west.
Our community provides safe access to Baylands for pedestrians, bicycles, scooters, skateboards, roller skates and other human-powered vehicles. It's great! By holding a ceremony on the west side of the bridge before the bridge opened, we risked our lives to ride a bike on the San Antonio overpass for the last time!
I refuse to use this bridge! Why? Because it is so ugly, there is no "statement" that it is Palo Alto. Everyone knows that PA is special and needs a beautiful bridge. Maybe we can put a billboard on the bridge saying that all delays should be doubled, just to prove how special we are.
Ah, in my previous comment, I confused my West and East. Correction: "By holding a ceremony on the east side of the bridge before the opening of the bridge, we risked our lives to ride a bicycle on the San Antonio overpass for the last time!"
Compared with the progress made by the Chaucer Street Bridge, the speed of completion of the bridge in ten years is simply upset. The completion of the Golden Gate Bridge took only 4 years.
When I see such a building, I always worry about the lack of separation between bicycles and pedestrians. The Homer Avenue Tunnel in Palo Alto is a good design, with raised sidewalks for pedestrians and a bicycle lane in the middle.
The separation of bicycles and bicycles is a problem that has been studied and studied for many years, but no one has found a truly effective solution. Pedestrians in the Homer Tunnel will not stay in their lane, but the steps can prevent bicycles from encroaching on the ped space. A good approach is to provide a lot of width and clearly designated lanes, but when you talk about bridges, this can become very expensive. This one is basically the minimum width that meets the safety requirements of the shared path.
Okay, now we just need to name it Benjamin Lefkowitz Bridge (the name of the previous "underpass" that this bridge replaced) to commemorate Palo Alto cyclists who pioneered cycling in the area many years ago.
So stupid, this has been the headline news for 10 years. It exceeded the budget and expired long ago. It should be designed economically from the beginning. There is no iconic statement-for God's sake, it is just a pedestrian/bicycle bridge across a monotonous highway, leading to underutilized wasteland areas.
I ridden it today and I think it is well designed and tasteful. As you can already see, it provides more people with the opportunity to travel safely and explore Baylands.
It is interesting to see that all the cars are parked in the office parking lot, and the occupants are crossing the bridge to Baylands. Since the parking spaces at the end of the San Antonio parking lot are often full, this seems to be a route for those who want to drive to Shoreline Park on weekends in search of a parking space.
This insignificant bridge is "under construction for 10 years ["...actually 20 years of effort...", according to Simitian]", which symbolizes hardening decline rather than progress: the tallest building on earth was built in 6 years of.
> This insignificant bridge <20 years. It symbolizes hardening decline rather than progress. I did mention to my friends in mainland China that in China, they will build 20 bridges this time. He said: "Yes, but 5 of them have fallen, 3 of them are ready to fall, 9 of them will hang around as "investments" and 2 are reserved for senior party members. So, the result is the same. "
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