City Council to Review Main Street Bridge Project

In an ongoing effort to keep the public informed on the Main Street Bridge Project, the City of Half Moon Bay provides the following update prepared by Karen Hurst, Senior Public Affairs Specialist for URS Corporation, a bridge design firm:

The City Council members are keenly aware of the concerns expressed in the three recent public meetings held in December 2012 and February 2013 and will review the recommendations of its engineering consultants regarding the Main Street Bridge at an upcoming Study Session on April 9. The Study Session will be held at 6 p.m. at:

Ted Adcock Community Center

535 Kelly Avenue

Half Moon Bay

The City Council will receive public comments but will not make any decision about the Main Street Bridge Project at this Study Session. The City Council may direct staff or its professional consultants to provide additional information or recommendations for its consideration in a later meeting.  

The City has retained Biggs Cardosa Associates (BCA), a major bridge design firm in Northern California, to provide an independent engineering peer review of the design options developed by URS Corporation (another major bridge design firm) and initially recommended by CSG Consultants (the City’s engineering consultants). BCA will present its report at the April 9 Study Session and will make recommendations regarding any needed tests for the existing bridge. 

Approved grant funds will reimburse the City for most of the bridge design and construction costs, subject to compliance with certain requirements. Grant funds require correction of structural and functional deficiencies of the existing bridge, as noted in multiple Caltrans inspection reports. The rehabilitated or replaced bridge must have a sufficiency rating exceeding 80 (currently 24) and design life exceeding 75 years in order to be eligible for grant funding.

At this Study Session, the City Council may consider nominating an Advisory Committee to help the City and its staff identify measures to minimize construction impacts in the project vicinity and beyond. The City Council may also establish criteria for evaluating the proposed design options to minimize environmental and construction impacts, create an attractive entry to the downtown and meet requirements of regulatory agencies and grant funding.

Additional information about the project, including a project Fact Sheet, updated Frequently Asked Questions, and presentations from past project public meetings are available at the Project Website here by selecting Main Street Bridge Project under the Hot Topics listing. Questions and comments can be directed to Mo Sharma, City Engineer, at msharma@hmbcity.com.

Read more on Patch:

• City Council Opts to Contract Out Planning Department
• How Will Half Moon Bay Spend $13.15 Million?
• City Holds Public Meeting on Debt Reduction
• County Parks Receives Funds for the Surfer's Beach Access and Erosion Control Project
• To Repair or to Replace the Main Street Bridge?

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