PCH / Guernsey Will Get Signal, Bikes Will Be Banned From PCH Lanes At Trancas Bridge Project
Written by 991KBU on July 16, 2020
Caltrans is going to keep two lanes open in each direction … over the two summers that it will take to demolish the 95-year-old bridge over Trancas Creek … and build a new one.
And a traffic light is going to be installed at Guernsey Avenue.
Those are some of the details revealed by the state agency last night … as it revealed details for the 13 and a half million dollar project.
Construction will begin next April … the road will only see a few nights of overnight closure … says Caltrans engineer Reza Fateh.
NEWSCART 75719 TRANCAS REZA
“We anticipate at the beginning nightly closures for reeks striping the lanes … and then shifting lanes to one side.
“Those will be nightly closures for a few nights.
“Currently PCH provides for lanes and we are going to maintain the four lanes throughout construction.”
And that construction will start next April … with the lanes squished over to the ocean side of the existing bridge.
Two lanes in each direction … but no room for bikes or pedestrians …
A temporary walkway will be hung off the side of the bridge for people on foot or bikes.
The inland side of the bridge will be demolished and rebuilt.
After waiting thru the rainy season … the lanes will be shifted to the new half of the bridge … for another summer of construction.
The city will also be using state bond money to add a right turn lane on PCH at Trancas Market and Trancas Canyon Road.
One thing missing is a sidewalk … for the heavy pedestrian usage on the bridge.
But Caltrans environmental engineer Robert wang says a path will be constructed under the bridge.
NEWSCART 75729 TRANCAS ROBERT WANG
“We are providing a walkway under the bridge that’s uses from the Trancas marketplace could take the trail and then walked under the bridge and have access towards the ocean … towards the beach.”
The old bridge is 90 feet long … the new bridge will be 150 feet long to accommodate possible flooding down Trancas Creek.
But the bridge will not be any higher in elevation … prompting Malibu residents to ask if it will be high enough to withstand rising ocean levels.
Caltrans officials …when they first met with residents 5 years ago … said they were not taking ocean level increases into consideration,
Last night … they said they will get us that data.
Because the bridge must be approved by the Coastal Commission … the sea level rise issue will be important.
Because the lane squeeze will be so severe, the lanes will be too narrow for bicyclists to ride omn the side of the road.
Temporary pedestrian sidewalks will be attached to either side of the bridge during the two phases of reconstruction, next spring and summer and the spring and summer of 2021.
Signs will direct bicyclists to dismount and walk along the temporary walkways that will literally be hung on the sides of the bridge.
Hundreds of bicyclists use that road on weekends, and compliance can be expected to be spotty, setting up additional conflicts between bicyclists and vehicle drivers.
A “temporary” traffic signal and crosswalk will be installed at PCH and Guernsey Avenue as part of the project.
