Half Moon Bay picks Main Street Bridge barrier design

The bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and it cannot be demolished or substantially changed without voter approval because of the passage of Measure F in 2014.

Effective Sept. 1 of this year, all bridges in the country, whether historic or not, must be crash-tested, and vertical projects are not permitted directly above the barriers and crash cushions are required at the end of the barriers, among other rules.

The new design includes a concrete barrier on the 60-foot length of the bridge between the road and the walkway. Extending from both ends of the concrete barriers are 13-foot-long steel crash cushions with yellow and black signs on both ends. 

City Engineer Maz Bozorginia said the materials and appearance of the crash cushions cannot be changed.

“There’s not much we can do with the crash cushions,” he said. “It’s very rigid as to what’s been approved.”

Public Works Director John Doughty added that there’s no other option that more closely resembles the existing design. 

“It’s the closest thing we have to resembling the existing wood fence that we have out there in terms of the individual panels,” he said.

Since vertical projections are not allowed above barriers, the four pilasters at the ends of the barriers will need to be eliminated or relocated elsewhere on the bridge with the approval of Caltrans. 

The pedestrian walkway will be between the concrete barrier and an approved steel barrier with a horizontal steel railing that will take the place of the existing wood railing barrier. Both the concrete and steel barriers can be painted white to resemble the existing historic barrier.

Bozorginia said staff is confident that the above design will meet all safety and historic requirements.

After the barrier design is approved by Caltrans, then staff will proceed with the environmental clearance for the project with construction expected to begin early 2023. 

For the project, staff has already completed a topographic and channel study, a geotechnical investigation as well as preliminary seismic and hydrology analysis, among other efforts.

zachary@smdailyjournal.com

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