The Santa Rosa City Council will vote on whether to move forward with the proposed 101 Bicycle & Pedestrian Overcrossing after low bids for the project came in $8 million above the city’s estimated cost.
The disparity is due to the high cost of steel, which has been driven up by tariffs, according to Dan Hennessey, director of the city’s Transportation and Public Works Department. The lowest qualifying bid for the project was over $37 million, while the city’s estimate was around $29 million.
Hennessey says covering the additional costs will mean that the city has to limit new transportation projects for several months. Despite the additional costs, Santa Rosa expects to be able to complete existing capital projects, including improvements to Calistoga Avenue and Hopper Avenue, as well as the construction of the Jennings Crossing.
The overcrossing, which would connect Santa Rosa Junior College with the Coddingtown neighborhood, was first proposed by SCBC in 2003. It is a critical east-west connector that offers a safer and more comfortable alternative for cyclists and pedestrians to get across 101 than the nearby College Avenue and Steele Lane interchanges.
SCBC has fought for this project since its inception, and we continue to support it as do our advocacy partners at Bikeable Santa Rosa. It is too late to redesign the project – not only would that add additional time and cost, a significant chunk of state grant money allotted to the project will disappear in February if it does not move forward.
The City Council is expected to take up the issue at its Feb. 10 meeting. SCBC will be at the meeting and encourages supporters of the project to attend. Please also consider submitting public comment to the Council by 5 p.m. Monday Feb. 9.