Key Facts About the McClellan Bridge Replacement
Cost: $8 million total; $5.8 million have been received in grants so far ($2.2 million shortfall).
Project: Replace the 100 year old bridge over Stevens Creek on McClellan Road near McClellan Ranch.
Type of Project: Bridge
Current Status (July 2024): This project is listed in the 2024-25 CIP 5 year plan. With the current funding, the staff plans to hire an engineer to start design and then get the rest of the funding required for construction after that point.
The McClellan Road current bridge that crosses over Stevens Creek.
Project Overview
The existing bridge was installed in 1920, and is well past its original lifespan. Due to the width, it does not allow bike lanes, though it is on a commute path for students attending Monta Vista High School. A new bridge will allow for these lanes and also enhance pedestrian facilities.
Why Does Walk-Bike Cupertino Support this Project?
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A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity
As WBC Chair Seema Lindskog put it succinctly in a local news article, ““This is kind of a once in a 100-year opportunity because we have this bridge that’s being redone and if we do it right, we are creating a connection that will be used by generations. … We have one chance to get this right.”
Pedestrian and biking facilities are missing for this bridge
The current bridge is not wide enough to accommodate bike lanes or any pedestrian amenities.
There are trail connections adjacent to the bridge
The Stevens Creek Trail and the Linda Vista Trail meet at this point. Currently, pedestrians must cross farther up the hill on a blind curve (though in a crosswalk). If this bridge is designed well, it could significantly improve the crossing for pedestrians and cyclists on these trails.
Student benefit
Students traveling to Monta Vista High from neighborhoods to the west must bike on the road and mix with traffic as there are no bike lanes. This reduces the number of potential cyclists to Monta Vista and contributes to traffic congestion during school drop off and pickup times.
Climate Action
A student biking to school for one week saves the equivalent CO2 of 2 ½ trees. A whole semester of biking saves the equivalent of 47 mature trees! Encouraging students to bike to school is an environmentally positive action which gets results.
How Walk-Bike Cupertino has actively supported this project
Walk-Bike Cupertino has:
Kept supporters up to date on upcoming events and milestones for the project including outreach meetings via email newsletters;
Met with City Staff and the Bicycle Pedestrian Commission to support an enhanced bridge to help pedestrians and cyclists and encouraged others to do the same;
Publicly supported a new bridge through local news outlets.