Millbrae plans for temporary repair to Aviador Bridge: Bridge, which needs future replacement, is key connector across Highline Canal

When the bridge isn’t functional, emergency services and neighbors are diverted to longer alternate routes, meaning longer commutes in case of an emergency. And although staff asked for an allocation of up to $500,000 for an interim shoring project that could last the city anywhere from three to 10 years, a complete replacement will ultimately be needed.

Millbrae’s goal is for the interim fix to be completed by Oct. 15 of this year, which marks the beginning of the rainy season. In winter months, the bridge also serves as a way for neighbors to quickly evacuate the area in case of flooding.

“In and out of that neighborhood emergency vehicles, first responders can get there quickly. There’s certainly a value there, a necessity,” Vice Mayor Anders Fung said. “If we’re going to do it, we need to do it all the way, to make sure this stays open and be accessible as much as possible.”

A full replacement of the Aviador Bridge would cost around $4 million, staff said, and the city is going through a regional funding process to try and secure the money.

In the meantime, councilmembers agreed to advance the interim shoring, which will essentially create another bridge underneath the existing bridge with steel and timber, at their July 7 meeting.

An estimate for the project work without contingency costs, inspection, traffic control and scope risks ranges anywhere from $200,000 to $375,000, staff said.

In the past, the bridge has been closed in the summer months at the request of neighbors, who find the amount of cut-through traffic from nearby Millbrae Avenue, El Camino Real and Rollins Road to be a nuisance, City Manager Tom Williams said. The prior closure, however, still allowed for emergency access.

It’s possible that Millbrae could look into other ways to reduce cut-through traffic while still keeping the bridge open year-round, Fung said.

“There might be other ways,” he said. “We can put in other traffic methods that can potentially reduce the amount of speedy cut-through traffic without just blocking the entire bridge.”