September, 2005. Caltrans has
requested the Coastal Commission to approve its plans to replace a Highway
1 bridge near the small village of Elk in Mendocino County.
The permit application will be heard by the Coastal
Commission on Thursday, September 15, 2005 in Eureka:
Coastal Commission Agenda
items Th13c and 14a.
The proposed new Greenwood Bridge has two 8' shoulders,
no sidewalk, and a new Caltrans railing that modifies the Noyo railing by
adding three more horizontal rails to raise the height from 33" to 54".
The 8' shoulders will give the bridge the appearance of
a high-speed expressway, rather than a scenic bridge on a rural road. The
lack of a sidewalk will endanger local people and those using the
California Coastal
Trail. The proposed railing, while less visually opaque than the
originally proposed concrete railing, lacks grace and character and
ignores the 2001 Commission request to Caltrans to design a railing
incorporating curved and arched elements.
Coastal values and scenic vistas would better be preserved by narrowing
the shoulders, adding a sidewalk, using the Noyo railing on the inside of
the sidewalk, and designing a new pedestrian rail incorporating arches in
its design.
Caltrans also plans to build the new bridge
inland from the existing bridge. The new route will require extensive
cuts into hillsides bordering the road. To buttress the cut hillsides, Caltrans proposes to construct
650 feet of concrete retaining walls up to 26' in height. Building the
new bridge over the old bridge in stages (Alternative 2) would eliminate
the need for the concrete retaining walls. The community and commission
staff support Alternative 2.
 | Testimony on the
Greenwood Bridge Project (HTML version,
PDF version also available),
Vince Taylor, September 6, 2005. Documents the reasons for narrower
shoulders, a sidewalk protected from vehicles by an inner ST-10 rail,
and a newly designed pedestrian rail. Includes pictures of pedestrian
railings with arches.
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 | PowerPoint
Presentation to the Commission, Vince Taylor, September 6, 2005.
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Report of
the staff of the Coastal Commission (pdf) on the proposed Greenwood
Bridge project, Melanie Faust, September 1, 2005. Documents the
failure of Caltrans to adequately evaluate less environmentally damaging
alternatives, argues for narrower shoulders, and recommends the
commission deny the project as proposed.
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 | Public Response to the
Greenwood Bridge Project
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Spring, 2009. Caltrans earlier (in 2005) proposed a major replacement
project for the existing bridge in the small coastal town of elk. Strong
opposition from the community and the Coastal Commissions staff caused it to
withdraw it plans in 2006.
It is now back with a revised plan that will replace the
existing bridge one lane at a time, rather than building an entirely new
bridge on a new alignment as originally proposed. The new bridge appears
well suited to its setting and has been well received by the community. The
railings to be used on the bridge are still being discussed. My hope is that
a suitable version of the railings used on Ten Mile bridge will be used on
the Greenwood Bridge

June, 2006. Caltrans has withdrawn its
Coastal Commission application for the Greenwood Bridge until further notice. Caltrans intends to redesign the bridge
and discuss it more with the community before coming back to the Coastal
Commission.

September 15, 2005, Eureka. Caltrans'
permit to replace the Greenwood Bridge on Highway 1 in Elk Village,
Mendocino County, was set to be heard today by the California Coastal
Commission. Because of overwhelming public and Commission staff sentiment
for major changes in the bridge, the formal hearing on the project was
delayed until December. Caltrans was directed to work with staff to make
the changes that the public and the Elk community recommended. This was a
major victory for preservation of scenic Highway 1.
The
Commissioners listened to comments from the public, and at the end of the
public presentation, five of the nine Commissioners spoke. All five
supported the recommendations of the public,
and two Commissioners specifically said they wanted to see arched elements
in the pedestrian railings --
my proposal for
improving railing aesthetics.
As initially proposed by Caltrans, the new Greenwood Bridge
would have two 8' shoulders,
no sidewalk, and a new Caltrans railing that modifies the Noyo railing by
adding three more horizontal rails to raise the height from 33" to 54".
Additionally, Caltrans planned to build the new bridge inland from the
existing bridge, requiring extensive cuts into hillsides bordering the
road and over 500' of tall retaining walls.
The favorable outcome at the Eureka meeting was
significantly aided by the organized effort of local citizens in Elk and
an informational campaign and alert
mailing conducted on this website. Over 200 people responded to
the alert mailing, letting the Commission
know that the public strongly favored modifying the proposed design to
protect coastal values.
Past experience teaches that Caltrans will not give up
easily on its desire to build big, expressway style roads and bridges, but the
sentiment of the Commission was overwhelmingly in favor of narrower
shoulders, protected sidewalks, and aesthetically meritorious railings.
Getting the sentiments of the Commissioners clearly on the record at the
Greenwood Bridge hearing was extremely important, because Caltrans has
fast-tracked another even more crucial Mendocino County bridge for
Commission's November 15 hearing. This bridge crosses the Ten Mile
River north of Fort Bragg. The existing bridge has stunning views of the
river and the coast. It is located in an extremely sensitive habitat area
with rich biological diversity. The replacement project for this bridge
needs to be done with great care and concern for the views and
environment.
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