The Proposed Underpass

from Saturdays Sun Star

City will map out underpass work Monday
By SCOTT JASON
sjason@mercedsun-star.com
Merced's City Council, in broad brush strokes, will paint a picture Monday night of how it wants the G Street underpass designed.

The finer points of the project will be shaded in during the coming year.

The council will meet 5:30 p.m. Monday for a public workshop on the $18 million project that's been one of the city's top goals for years.

The city, with $9 million from the state, will build an underpass so traffic can go below the train tracks even if a locomotive is barreling through town. An average of 70 trains go across the northern set of tracks.

Work is scheduled to begin in 2010 and end in 2011. Residents are fretting about what'll happen in between those dates and in the years to come.

In the short-term, construction will inconvenience people and tax nearby streets. In the long run, G Street will likely see more traffic as residents use it to avoid train delays.

The city has been meeting with area schools and neighbors to find solutions to their concerns, acting Development Services Director David Gonsalves said.

He declined to discuss any plans that have been discussed. "We're still getting input," he said. "We have a year to work (the details) out."

The council is faced with three main choices as the long-awaited project moves forward.

First, should G Street at the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway crossing be closed during construction, expected to last about 18 months?

If the street's closed, it means the 31,000 daily car trips across that section of G Street will be using M and R streets to move north and south in Merced.

For an extra $2 million to $3 million, the city could build a detour. It would tack an extra six months on the project. G Street would only be closed for six months.

Some businesses worry that the closure could hurt their bottom line.

Second, how should Santa Fe Drive, just north of the train tracks, connect to G Street?

The city can close the street entirely and turn it into a cul-de-sac. It's the cheapest option, at $40,000, but it'll increase traffic on nearby streets as residents leave their homes. On average, there are about 2,800 car trips daily on that part of the road.

The city can keep the road connected to G Street in two ways.

It can get rid of some garage access and buy a section of land. That option would cost about $600,000.

It could curve the road to the south, keep garage access and still buy a chunk of land. It'd cost $400,000.

The cost of buying the land is not included in those estimated costs of the other construction.

Both options suggest low to moderate impacts on traffic because left turns from Santa Fe Drive to G Street wouldn't be allowed for safety reasons. Right turns would be allowed.

Third, the council must decide how West 23rd, 24th and 25th streets should connect to G Street. According to the city engineer, 23rd Street can stay connected with only right turns. However, West 24th and 25th need to be closed and turned into cul-de-sacs.

It's possible that West 25th Street could stay open for emergency vehicles.

During an informational meeting last week, residents worried about how the project would keep taxing Merced's main roads as the city grows northward. Many vocal residents consider the underpass a temporary fix to a much larger problem.

Quieter residents filled out comment cards praising the city for moving forward on the projects. The two groups have a middle ground:

They'd rather not wait for a train to pass.

Reporter Scott Jason can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or sjason@mercedsun-star.com.