San Mateo Bridges Replacement Project

Overview:

Caltrain, in cooperation, with the City of San Mateo is preparing to replace four rail bridges in San Mateo’s North Central Neighborhood that are 100 years old and do not meet current seismic safety standards. The bridges are located at Tilton, Monte Diablo, Santa Inez and Poplar avenues.

State and Federal design requirements and the City of San Mateo’s desire for increased vehicular clearances on city streets require raising the height of the tracks throughout project area. To accommodate this height increase, new retaining walls and fencing will be constructed on the Caltrain right of way. The track height increase will also require the removal of vegetation, including shrubs, weeds, bushes and trees, on Caltrain property.

The project will ensure that the bridges are safe and equipped to meet the region’s future transportation needs, including new electrified rail service, and improved traffic flow on city streets.

The bridge work done in 2011 was preparatory foundation work for the bridges that are being replaced as part of this current project.

Timeline:

BRIDGE DESIGN AND VEGETATION IMPACTS:
The four bridges will be replaced with single-span structures to comply with Federal and State seismic safety tandards. The construction of the single-span bridge combined with updated vehicle clearance regulations requires a more robust design that raises the height of the tracks. The new height of the bridges will require the construction of both a retaining wall and fence to support the raised berm which will necessitate the removal of vegetation along the Caltrain right of way. The city’s arborist has determined that approximately 70 trees are considered heritage trees. Vegetation removal will begin in November 2013 and will last three months.

CONSTRUCTION IMPACTS:
Work to replace the four Caltrain bridges is scheduled to begin in April 2014 and will last approximately two years. During the construction period, work will take place during the week and will require both night and weekend work. At various times during construction it will be ecessary to close the streets for approximately 8 weeks during the construction of the new bridge to ensure the safety of pedestrians and neighbors in the area. Road closures are not expected to take place until late 2015 into 2016. Due to the nature of the construction activities, there will be temporary, localized noise impacts as a result of site clearing and construction activities.

• Site Clearing – Start Date: November 2013 
  Duration: 3 months
• Construction – Start Date: April 2014
  Duration: 2 years
• Street Closures – Start Date: late 2015 into 2016
  Duration: Up to 8 weeks per street

Construction costs: $30 million
(Federal/FTA: $20.5 million; State/Prop 1B: $9 million; Local/PCJPB: $470,000) 

Upcoming Meeting: