The new Mountain View Road Bridge in Lagunitas will be one lane, not two, representatives of the Department of Public Works told a small crowd gathered at the site last Wednesday. The shift in plans was a result of public comment on the project, which seeks to replace the 55-year-old steel and wooden structure over San Geronimo Creek. “Two lanes would be too much,” said Connie Mart, a nearby resident. “We’re in a bind on Corona Avenue [because the street is narrow] and a second lane could attract too many looky-loos.” According to R.J. Suokko, the department’s lead on the project, the county decided against a two-lane option after receiving feedback from residents at a scoping meeting last year. Other concerns raised at that meeting included maintaining the creek’s habitat and protecting salmon and steelhead trout. An environmental impact review is expected to be completed by next winter to address these concerns. The new design will expand the bridge’s nearly 11-foot width to 16 feet, including two-foot shoulders to accommodate pedestrians and bicyclists, and raise the bridge deck by about four feet to clear the 100-year flood elevation designated by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The county estimates construction could last up to six months, during which time the residents of 110 households along Corona Avenue and Mountain View Road will have to rely on the Lagunitas Road Bridge, less than a quarter-mile away. Mr. Suokko said some residents had requested a temporary pedestrian bridge be built during construction, an idea he said “we’ll evaluate to see if it’s necessary based on the closure duration and if it will be supported by Caltrans.” Built in 1962, the three-span bridge sits on steel train frames that were junked for road and bridge construction at the time. According to the department, its timber deck runners and wooden railings have begun to deteriorate, the steel supports are rusting and erosion along the north bank of the creek has undermined the grouted riprap that supports the bridge’s north end. The project, slated to begin in 2019 at an estimated cost of $2 million, will be entirely funded through the federal Highway Bridge Program administered by Caltrans. It is one of six bridge replacements in the county that will be funded through the program.