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Hazel Bridge Improvements Proposed… Your comments on bicycle and pedestrian amenities are sought.
The Sacramento County Department of Transportation is in the design process for bridge expansion over the American River tentatively scheduled to begin construction in the spring of 2008. This project will ultimately widen Hazel Avenue to 3-lanes in each direction from US 50 to Madison Avenue.
There area several bike and pedestrian features included in this first phase project. These include:
- On-street bike lanes leading up to the bridge on both sides of the river. However, all bike traffic will be on the shared bike/pedestrian paths once on the bridge.
- On the downstream side of the bridge the bicycle, equestrian, and pedestrian traffic will be on a shared walkway that will be 10-feet wide and protected from the vehicle traffic by a raised concrete barrier and an equestrian cage. On the upstream side of the bridge, the bicycle and pedestrian walkway will be a shared walkway 10-foot wide and will be behind raised concrete barrier. The project also will construct an overlook platform that will widen the walkways by as much as 18-feet in the center of the bridge on the downstream side and at the abutment on the northwest quadrant of the bridge so that people can pause and enjoy the view of the American River.
- In the area on the north side of the river on the west side of Hazel Avenue between the bridge abutment and Curragh Downs Drive there is a bench cut into the hillside where foot traffic can currently access the bridge. The project will pave and flatten this bench area so that pedestrians and bicyclists can access the bridge away from the roadway.
- On the northwest quadrant of the bridge over the river, the existing steep path that goes under the bridge and heads toward Lake Nimbus will be re-aligned and re-profiled to a 5% grade and a separate emergency vehicle access will be provided.
Your comments are needed to make this the best project possible. Some possible bike/pedestrian amenities may include:
- Seating on the overlooks
- Drinking fountains
- Lighting
- Emergency Call Phones
- Signage
- Restroom in fish hatchery parking lot
We look forward to your comments. Please send your comments to: whitest@saccounty.net
Construction Note
In order to expand the bridge the most efficient construction technique will be to widen on the downstream side only. This will require the temporary removal of the existing bike, pedestrian, and equestrian walkway on this side. Before this takes place, a 10’ wide multi-use path will be constructed on the east side of the bridge. During construction of the bridge pier caps and deck, the bicyclist and pedestrian access across the bridge will be on the east side, from Curragh Downs to Gold Country Boulevard, as shown on the Pedestrian and Bike Movement Plan [2 MB / PDF]
What's New? What's Next?
On September 13, 2006, the Board of Supervisors approved the project and the Final Environmental Impact Report (FEIR) for the Hazel Avenue Improvement Project.
The Department of Transportation is now moving forward with the design component of this project which will widen Hazel Avenue from four to six lanes from Madison Avenue to US Highway 50 and includes 5-foot bicycle lanes and 10-foot sidewalks separated from the roadway by an 8-foot landscaped buffer strip. View Letter to Hazel Avenue Residents
For more information, you may visit the Project web site at www.hazelavenue.org or contact Stephen White with the Sacramento County Department of Transportation at (916) 874-5354 or whitest@saccounty.net.
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