The Santa Monica City Council voted on July 10 to move forward with a construction project that will replace the aging California Incline Bridge connecting Pacific Coast Highway and Ocean Avenue. A major access point into downtown Santa Monica, the bridge is used by many Pacific Palisades and Santa Monica Canyon residents who work, shop and play in Santa Monica. Under the proposed project, the existing structure will be replaced by a 750-ft.-long by 52-ft.-wide concrete bridge and will require a 12- to 18-month closure of the popular connecting byway. Construction is expected to start sometime in the fall or winter of 2013. A budget released by the City of Santa Monica has the project costing an estimate $15 million. Also, the Incline qualifies for replacement under the Highway Bridge Program, which means 88.5 percent of the cost will be paid by federal rather than local funding, according to City officials. The replacement roadway will be safer for both bicycles and vehicles, and will include replacement of the 150-ft. high retaining wall, said Martin Pastucha, Santa Monica’s public works director. However, the pedestrian bridge running above the Incline will not be demolished, but improved. Traffic mitigation measures planned by Santa Monica City officials include the use of Moomat Ahiko Way (the ramp from PCH to Ocean Avenue adjacent to the Santa Monica Pier) as the primary detour route while construction takes place. Currently, 20,000 vehicles a day use the Incline to enter and exit Santa Monica, and about 20,000 use Moomat Ahiko Way, according to City staff. George Wolfberg, a longtime Palisades resident and advocate for the community, stated in a letter to the City Council that lack of ‘access to Appian Way [which runs under the pier, south towards Pico Boulevard] is an unfortunate oversight.’ Wolfberg urged the S.M. City Council to include the roadway in its traffic mitigation plan. Wolfberg also said that between Moomat Ahiko Way and Pico, traffic is significantly impeded by the two signalized crosswalks installed for the convenience of nearby hotels as well as the frequent turning of taxis. ’Your traffic engineer, at a minimum, should revisit this area to update to current conditions,’ Wolfberg stated. Ellen Brennan, an Ocean Front Walk resident, said that she was grateful for the Environmental Impact Report not calling for the opening of Appian Way. ’We ask you to ignore the lobbying from Pacific Palisades [residents] who want to have Appian Way open. Their descriptions of conditions on the ground were totally inaccurate,’ Brennan said. ‘Appian Way is a small street used by a lot of people. The three intersections have traffic challenges and no signals. Because of this, the street gridlocks easily and often. Adding PCH traffic would be disastrous for pier and beach patrons.’ Further traffic measures planned by City officials during the construction period include the synchronization of traffic signals along Ocean Avenue, automated traffic surveillance, changeable message boards, informational programs, the assignment of traffic officers on an as-needed basis and a public awareness campaign. Steven Boyers, a former Pacific Palisades Community Council chair and now Area 7 representative, asked the Santa Monica City Council to pay further ‘significant attention’to additional mitigation measures, including perhaps a 24/7 shift.’ Santa Monica City Councilman Bobby Shriver said that for his ‘constituents who sleep at night, the 24/7 thing does not seem appealing.’ The idea of overnight construction keeping people up all night for a year is not worth reducing the construction time by only a month, he said. Ultimately, the S.M. City Council voted unanimously for the proposed project as presented by City staff without adding any amendments. Once construction begins, crews are anticipated to work between 7 a.m. and 10 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Saturdays. This would expedite the Incline project by 25 percent above what the standard City construction time will allow, which is normally 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Santa Monica Mayor Richard Bloom said he was ‘impressed with the dialogue opened up with Palisades community. ’I don’t think we have ever had the kind of communication and depth of communication between our two communities on an issue that is of mutual interest to both of us,’ Bloom said. ‘Now that the dialogue is open, I am quite certain that it’s going to continue and your input and thoughts on this process are going to continue to be welcome.’
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