City grant application snag, Half Moon Bay

Oops, no city action, no potential trail repair monies.

Half Moon Bay Review/Clay Lambert, 8/19/15.  "City fails to apply for $4.5 million federal grant. Council authorized it but application never completed."

CA Coastal Trail, Half Moon Bay

"... despite a 4-0 vote authorizing the grant work, city staff never completed the application and as a result that money will never make it to Half Moon Bay. ....   the city did not complete a formal application by the June 5 deadline.  The council’s vote to apply for the grant was on the night of June 2.  

Alternative solution to bridge closure

 .... The project would have included rehabilitating bridges over the Seymour drainage channel and Frenchman's Creek. ....  The city planned on seek

ing an additional $250,000 in matching grants to round out the grant. There was no guarantee the city would have seen any money had it applied. In fact, the DOT official said requests for money typically outnumber grants 17 to one. Last year there were $9 billion in grant requests and only $500 million was given.

.... The federal grant money could have rehabilitated an important stretch of the Coastal Trail, which is one of the area’s most attractive features for residents and tourists alike. The failed Pilarcitos Bridge on the trail has been one of the city’s most urgent projects over the last year and the city’s staff report suggested the money would be used to forestall other such crises. “Sweetwater Trail Bridge over Frenchman’s Creek is a … highly corroded steel bridge with deteriorated wood plank deck,” the city’s own staff report states. .... Lack of immediate funds may force closure of this bridge as was the case for Pilarcitos Creek Trail Bridge in the vicinity.”   Read Article.

Pilarcitos Creek bridge

Related - Half Moon Bay Review/Clay Lambert, 7/22/15. "City: Pilarcitos Bridge might be built this year after all." "This week, the bridge over Pilarcitos Creek is on schedule. So says city staff that two weeks ago issued a press release to opine that federal officials were mucking up the permitting process.  Interim Community Development Director John Doughty said Tuesday night that U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials as well as the California State Parks partners had fast-tracked discussions and it now appeared possible to finish the bridge this year. The Coastal Trail bridge has been out since 2014, when a State Parks employee inadvertently caused it to collapse by driving a vehicle over the corroding span."  Half Moon Bay Review/Mark Noack, 3/5/15, "Coastal trail bridge plans approved by City." "Barring no major hiccups, a shuttered Coastal Trail bridge over Pilarcitos Creek is on track to be replaced by the end of this year. Last week, the Half Moon Bay Planning Commission granted approval for a $1.8 million replacement of the top portion of the bridge that would add a new, prefabricated span to go on the old pylons. .... The bridge belongs to State Parks, but it was the city that pushed for the original construction as well as the new effort to repair the span."  

Note photographs.  Lifting bicycle over the closed bridge by John Green from San Mateo County Times/Aaron Kinney, 8/26/14, "Half Moon Bay pledges $100,000 to State Parks to fix bridge." California Coastal Trail, Half Moon Bay by Randy W. from Yelp, 14 of 35.  Closed bridge by Samantha Weigel from The Daily Journal, 9/4/14, "City joins effort to reopen Pilarcitos Creek Bridge: Coastal trail needs rehab or replacement after State Parks vehicle drove over it."  

Posted by Kathy Meeh