If you are interested in this issue, it will be coming up this Tuesday. The Board of Supervisors Meeting will be issuing its decision to deny Caltrans appeal on the Garrapata Bridge Rail Replacement. The committee is in hope that the whole Big Sur community will CHIME IN ….
File # RES 24-120
Agenda # 9.
PLN220090 CALTRANS/GARRAPATA Bridge Railing
Send your comments to: Cob@countyofmonterey.gov
Here is one letter that has been sent:
Hello again, Monterey County Folk…is the continued conversation related to the Garrapata bridge railings still slated for June 25?
Is there a staff report generated yet, and if so, can I/we get a copy?
Has there been any additional communication from CalTrans? In the last working meeting, they were supposed to upload the additional ‘studies’ of different options we had requested to see, I cannot find that information as I look around their web pages. I was also told they would be uploading the ‘traffic study’ they have referenced dozens of times as they resist any suggestion to change speed limits in the area, presumably a day’s work in November 2019, and haven’t seen that either. I’ll ping them with a reminder and will copy Colleen for record-keeping purposes.
Are we, as a committee, done with our work, meaning our activity will be relayed to the Board via the staff report, or would you want us to present anything at the upcoming hearing?
My time away has solidified an opinion to recommend denial of the appeal, because:
CalTrans had one goal, and from their perspective they achieved their goal…developing a railing that complies with safety standards while also trying to relate to the existing bridge design by agreeing to closely match color and texture and refine the edges of small openings punched into a compliant crash-tested railing.
The problem is there are actually 2 goals, one related to safety/code compliance, and another, equally important, to achieve a design solution that doesn’t forever dilute and destroy the iconic and world-renowned architectural majesty of the existing bridge design. The Board has a different standard from Caltrans, to assure both goals are achieved, because the Board is the steward of the Big Sur Coast Highway Preservation Area, and success of this project will only be achieved if the traveling experience along Highway One is protected with the same skill and dedication expended to protect the safety of the travel. That’s why the Planning Commission denied the application, the work to date was not bad, it was insufficient. Creating a website that claims to explain what folks used to experience is not an acceptable mitigation to what visitors around the globe come to Big Sur to experience.
By way of example…here’s a bridge I recently walked past in Luzern Switzerland with concrete detailing that exhibits a refinement lacking in the CalTrans approach so far…I know if they keep working to find a way, they can improve their design solution, but they simply believe they’ve done enough, are unwilling to do more, and they’ve put their pencils down, saying ‘time’s up’:
They’ve settled on ‘good enough’, architecturally, when, in fact, it’s not good enough…and their significant/robust bureaucratic process has yet to achieve the necessary 2nd goal. “Good enough” may work on Highway 101 near Betabel Road, but not on the bridges of Big Sur.
This is from a member of the BigSurKate community. She shared it with me and…
To our beloved community, Thank you so much for your outpouring of love and care…
In case you missed it a few days ago when I posted the MoCo protest…
Count down to No Kings 3!!!!! We are officially on top of the map for…
The Tassajara Zen Center posted this to Facebook this morning: At around 11:30 pm last…
This website uses cookies.
View Comments
Thank you Kate!! Please Big Sur Neighbors, now is the time to write in (email) to your Board of Supervisors and state that you "Support the BOS decision to deny Caltrans appeal." On Subject line of your email include ... June 25, 2024 Meeting - Agenda #9 Bridge Rail Replacement and send to Cob@countyofmonterey.gov
The Garrapata Bridge Rail is one of 6 Historic bridge railing that Caltrans plans to "Redesign." These historic railing designs warrant protection. All of the Committees and Decision-Makers who reviewed the options put out by Caltrans voted for RESTORATION (or in-kind), NOT Replacement ... ADAC (#1 Recommendation), MOCO Planning Commission (Unanimous Denial), BOS (Initial Unanimous Motion to Deny in December 2023), Ad Hoc Working Group (4-3 Vote to Replace In-Kind).
Please if you care about these beautiful historic bridge railings, send in your comments before 4:00pm - Monday, June 24th. Meeting will be Tuesday, June 25th Thank You!!!
Almost a century old? Why do they need replacing? Are they structurally compromised? How does their function as a public safety feature compare with the proposed replacement--given the state of the structure upon which they will be mounted?
You will have our support from Mendocino County where CT is wreaking havoc on Hwy 1 here. Our group, the Albion Bridge Stewards have sent comments supporting the original denial of this unnecessary, ill-conceived plan.
Thank you Ali and your wonderful group the Albion Bridge Stewards!!! You have stood behind us since the get go and have been just "spot on" with all the data and everything you have brought to the table, and the Big Sur community thanks you for all of your support. We also really need to thank Keep Big Sur Wild for all their work, time & dedication that they have put into this project and continue too. We thank the Monterey County Planning Commission, Board of Supervisors as well as countless others. We very much want to thank Stephen Lyon and Gary Knott, my two table mates at the Bridge Replacement Workshop as well as the County's own Craig Spencer & Philip Angelo.
And yes, while some of these historic rails need "Replacing" they should be replaced/restored in their original design to complement the arch bridges that support them. These new bridge rail designs that Caltrans is trying to push through are not consistent with our Big Sur Land Use Plan, nor our Coast Implementation Plan or MC's Title 20 (coastal zone). Please if you need to ask questions to catch up, open up the above Link and familiarize yourself with what's been going on these past couple years!
And as always, we wish to thank Kate for allowing us to get this information out to you, thank you!!!
Velocity & Mass are the main values of Impact force, slow down and drive a lighter vehicle, its less expensive and more effective to change the speed limit of the entire stretch of road than focus on one bridge rail.
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=RWwGFDynOHo
While we are discussing Impact forces let speak about the historical impact of the entire construction of road.
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Big_Sur_Coast_Highway&diffonly=true#Impact_on_residents
Here's something I just thought of. If Caltrans had in fact been so concerned about the "publics" safety on Garrapata Creek Bridge, why did they remove the signal lights and K-rails after they completed the work on the historic arches beneath several months ago? It just doesn't make sense!!
Me ...
Oh nevermind, new subcontractors would have to go through a whole new permitting process to get a new CDP to do this ...