Trying out the new sidewalk from Arbor to Olive on Santa Cruz Avenue
The 6-foot sidewalk on the south side of Santa Cruz Avenue is open for business. Alongside is a bike path, clearly separated, making for a total area of about 10 feet. Also new is a turning lane between the east and west bound traffic lanes.
Construction has begun on the sidewalk on the north side of the street. As with the completed south side, the sidewalk narrows to preserve heritage trees.
Photo by Linda Hubbard (c) 2017
Category:
Jym Clendenin May 16, 2017 at 4:49 pm
A 10-ft sidewalk–hardly! It varies between 5 and 6 ft wide, which are pretty standard widths and, I believe, ADA compliant. The sidewalk also extends beyond the old valley gutter by only 6 in, thereby avoiding any existing trees and the utility poles. Note that at driveways, the sidewalk remains horizontal in the transverse direction as it dips down–a nice feature for those pushing strollers or with electric chairs. Once the sidewalks on both sides are finished, I’m told the crown will be scraped down so the slope of the street at the sidewalk can be reduced, then the street repaved and the bike lanes + buffers established–but no parking. Unfortunately the old, narrow, obstacle course on the south side between San Mateo Dr and Fremont Park will remain, presumably to accommodate parking.