After years of stalled negotiations, the Jennings Crossing is finally a go.
At its meeting Wednesday, the SMART Board of Directors agreed by a vote of 8-2 to move forward with the project — an at-grade pedestrian and bicycle crossing of the railroad tracks in Santa Rosa. That vote followed a unanimous favorable vote earlier this month by the Santa Rosa City Council.
With a joint agreement in hand, construction on the project could be completed within 24-30 months.
The crossing, technically greenlighted by the California Public Utilities Commission(CPUC) 10 years ago, will allow pedestrians and cyclists to cross the SMART tracks, which currently bisect Jennings Avenue just south of the North Santa Rosa SMART station. Right now, to legally cross the tracks, residents of the neighborhood must take a half-mile detour on either Guerneville Road or College Avenue – two of the city’s most dangerous streets. Residents have continually expressed overwhelming support for the Jennings Crossing, and SCBC has supported it since the beginning.
The project has been delayed largely over questions of liability. SMART has long argued that the Jennings Crossing is unsafe, despite numerous other at-grade crossings along the railroad. Negotiations between SMART and the city were accelerated after an October hearing before the CPUC, which demanded progress before the end of the year.
The joint agreement places all liability with the City of Santa Rosa unless SMART is deemed negligent.
While pleased that the project is moving forward, those in favor of the crossing also expressed disappointment that an agreement had taken so long.
“This impasse has been a heartbreaker for me,” said Alexa Forrester of Bikeable Santa Rosa, noting that “in this part of Santa Rosa, this crossing is essential.”
SCBC Executive Director Eris Weaver noted that “the CPUC approved the crossing before trains started to run. It was approved before I came to SCBC, so I inherited this fight. It concerns me that years of public opinion did nothing to sway you, that it took a hard deadline and threat of sanctions from the CPUC for you to move forward.”
Sonoma County Supervisor David Rabbitt and Patty Garbarino, who represents the Golden Gate Bridge, Highway and Transportation District, voted against the agreement. Several SMART Board members reiterated concerns about the safety of the crossing before voting favorably.
Victoria Fleming, a member of both the Santa Rosa City Council and SMART Board, thanked proponents of the project for their continued advocacy, adding that advocates for the Jennings Crossing and SMART staff both brought legitimate concerns to the table.
“The angst around safety from this board is genuine and heartfelt and really real,” she said.