A Caltrans working group composed of West Marin residents and a host of government representatives has determined that a retrofit option for Point Reyes Station’s 86-year-old Green Bridge is likely too problematic to pursue.
“Since extensive effort and cost would be required with no long-term benefit, the [working group] supported not carrying this alternative into further review,” a newsletter Caltrans released on Monday stated.
The Point Reyes Station Village Association’s representative on the working group, Chuck Eckart, said the group dropped the retrofit idea following several closed meetings since February. Echoing the newsletter, he said a retrofit would take three years to complete, involve extensive work in the creek and require rebuilding or replacing nearly every portion of the bridge and constructing a temporary detour bridge. The newsletter added that the installation of necessary protective railing would prevent the sidewalk spanning the bridge from being wide enough to meet Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
“It’s over, pretty much,” Mr. Eckart said of the retrofit idea. “I can’t imagine it being brought back up.”
In public comments released in September, many locals said they favored the retrofit option, expressing concerns over traffic congestion and the loss of a cultural landmark.
Now the working group will focus on four alternatives for a replacement, three of which could be completed under an expedited schedule that cuts construction time to three months and which would not involve a temporary detour bridge. Under the expedited plan, the bridge would be built nearby and slid into place. Caltrans has estimated that a full daytime road closure while the bridge is removed would last just two weeks.
The four alternatives include a suspension bridge—which could not be built under the expedited schedule, meaning it could take two to three years—a three-span truss bridge, a one-span truss bridge and a concrete bridge. Mr. Eckart said the group considers the suspension bridge the weakest option. “What we’re talking about mostly is the three-span bridge and the one-span bridge,” he said. “We haven’t really gotten into that yet. That’s coming up.”
The working group and Caltrans have agreed that the new bridge will have 11-foot lanes, rather than the current 10-foot lanes; five-foot shoulders on each side; and a six-foot cantilevered sidewalk to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists.
Starting in April, the group is expected to look at aesthetics, such as what kinds of trusses would best fit the community’s character. The group consists of Amanda Eichstaedt, Cathleen Dorinson, Lynn Stray, Mr. Eckart and representatives from the Coastal Commission, Point Reyes National Seashore and the county Department of Public Works, Community Development Agency and Office of Emergency Services.
Caltrans is expected to release an environmental report on the $9 million project later this year. The newsletter has been posted at dot.ca.gov/dist4/lagunitascreekbridge.