For many years, Fairfax has had plans to replace the Meadow Way Bridge, a tiny wooden one-lane span that’s the entry to a small neighborhood of homes.
The bridge, built in the 1950s, is falling apart and needs to be replaced.
The town is largely responsible for that access, its stability and the safety of the neighborhood and its residents.
The bridge also has a big price tag — $4.7 million. It is a cost that could rise even higher if the Town Council sides with locals who have been urging the town to expand on its environmental review of the project.
The town’s proposal — building a new and wider one-lane bridge — has advanced on the promise of a federal grant, which has been expected to pay for most of the project.
The town, which historically has operated on a tight budget, has already spent $1.3 million on planning and design work. That cost could change, as well as how soon work can get started on the project.
The feedback the council got the other night — including from two former mayors — was that a 168-page environmental report falls short of thoroughly examining the environmental issues surrounding plans to rebuild and widen the bridge.
Former mayor Frank Egger, a longtime Meadow Way resident, has voiced concern that the proposed bridge could harm what he portrays as a tiny haven for birds, fish and other wildlife. His letters to the town have raised concern about harm to protected species such as the northern spotted owl, coho salmon, steelhead trout and possibly yellow-legged frogs.
There’s also been concern for the large bramble of blackberry bushes on the southwest end of the bridge.
Former town mayor Larry Bragman backed Egger, calling the area “exquisitely rich habitat.”
The town-commissioned environmental report, which is not as expansive or expensive as a full analysis, says the area is not nesting territory for the northern spotted owl, but also recommends a safeguard of construction not taking place during the owl’s nesting months. The report also recommends mitigation measures to protect the salmon and trout, limiting construction to months when the creekflow is less and less likely to be habitat for the fish and, if any are found, trapping them and moving them to another leg of the creek.
The town has met with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the consultant has deemed the project meets the agency’s protective protocols.
Council members have to decide whether those findings and recommendations are enough to proceed or whether further analysis, including considering possible alternatives, will lead to a better project.
They also have to worry that the bridge, even if repaired, has many more years left. And in fire-prone woodlands, can the narrow wooden bridge — built in the 1950s — serve as a safe evacuation route for residents. Or, safe access for heavy firetrucks.
The town’s environmental consultants, as well, stress that any possible environmental impacts can be minimized to “less than significant” by taking reasonable protective measures during construction.
A 168-page detailed analysis is hardly giving questions about the project short shrift. The report is the culmination of three years of environmental study.
Council members need to consider both the potential value of a more in depth analysis and the cost in terms of money and time, as well as the potential public-safety risk and the town’s possible liability.
The cost of replacing the 70-foot long bridge, which Caltrans has determined to be structurally deficient, has already reached $4.7 million. The council is faced with a decision of whether to spend more money and time on this project, or move forward with a much-needed public improvement.
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March 16, 2020 at 01:04AM
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Editorial: Fairfax weighing options on expensive bridge repair - Marin Independent Journal
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