The Capitola City Council will consider plans Thursday to spend an additional $715,000 on designs for a project to replace the Stockton Avenue Bridge.
The city council is set to vote on whether to boost spending for engineering work on the bridge, which crosses Soquel Creek. City officials say the 90-year-old bridge needs to be replaced because it could flood during storms and trap debris, particularly as climate change brings more extreme weather. They note the bridge serves as a crucial escape route for residents in Capitola Village.
The replacement project began last January, when the council hired engineering firm CSW/Stuber-Stroeh Engineering Group on a $125,000 contract to study ways to stop debris from collecting around the bridge’s supports during storms. The study looked at several options, including installing fins or sweepers to deflect debris, but concluded that replacing the entire bridge would work best. In November, the council agreed and told city staff to move forward with plans for a new bridge.
The city council will weigh adding $715,000 to its contract with the engineering firm, bringing the total to about $840,000. The firm would use the money to develop preliminary designs and engineering work for a new Stockton Avenue Bridge, which city staff say could be used to help compete for state and federal grants to build it.
The project has sparked opposition from some residents, who wrote to the city to say the bridge’s current design has functioned well without significant problems and that the proposed upgrades, especially the widening to accommodate a bike lane, would detract from the community’s charm.
“I have lived in this area for most of my life and love the quaintness of a small town seaside community,” wrote resident Melanie Newby. “The walkability of it, even the inevitable traffic. Respectfully, don’t mess this up.”
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