Bike/pedestrian tunnel gains backing

Photo: The intersection of St. Francis Drive and Cerrillos Road is one of the most congested in Santa Fe.

[Steve Spraitz]

i vote for the 'Tunnel'
then, with a Needle Exchange at Each End, at Least the Gutters will not Fill Up with Empty Used Syringes.
Needs to Be Heated In the Winter Though.

[gal]

a tunnel would be the answer, santa fe needs this.

[Judge Roy Bean]

Heck, the prairie dogs have already dug half of it...

[Mark R]

Tunnels are less safe at night and will get tagged regularly (who pays to cover that-taxpayers if it ever does get covered). You can not make modifications to a tunnel to make it "more safe" or "more visible" once they are built. The overpass is more visible, night & day, which makes it more safe. There is no "perfect" solution, but why spend more money for it. The DOT has a design (look at I-25 and 599) that works (structural and accessible) which can be modified to make it more aesthitic or more "Santa Fe" looking if that is "the" concern. I vote for the bridge!! But either way, let's get it done quickly so people (like me) can use it without fighting the inconsiderate drivers speeding down St. Francis while talking on their cell phones.

[Common Sense]

The City needs to do whats best for Santa Fe. Safety and fiscal responsibility is what needs to be considered here. Then there is the fact that you cannot make everyone happy with whats going to be built. As a parent I would not feel safe with my children going through the tunnel by themselves. I do not think I would feel safe....

[joe]

tunnel, bridge, six of these, half a dozen of those !
Get on with it already. Our lives especially on a bike,
do hang in the balance.

[Ray]

Tunnel.

[JJJ]

And why can't we just cross with the green light? I don't get it.

[Dan Baker]

There are pros and cons to all options...

A tunnel will be the most expensive, probably around $3M, and disrupt traffic for the longest during construction. It would need to have drains and pumps to handle flooding, be problematic to clear snow and ice in the winter, need good lighting and regular patrols, and a constant target for tagging.

A bridge would have to be 'attractive', and would pose a significant effort to climb 17+ feet above street level. I'd guess it would cost at LEAST $2M, and maybe more if it has significant 'landscaping'. There would be issues with clearing snow and ice dropping onto traffic lanes.

What I suggested in the meeting was adding a 'smart signal' that could detect cyclists/peds waiting and synchronize with the traffic lights to give safe crossing time when needed, and routing at-grade trail traffic directly across St. Francis rather than the circuitous route the consultants have identified. I think this is the best option since it would be far less expensive, probably less than $100k, and some of the money saved could be used to improve the traffic signalizations at other problem areas so that light triggers 'see' bikes and peds, and hopefully re-syncronize for traffic.

None of the plans presented addressed crossing Cerrillos to get to the Rail Trail, or handle the current hazard for the train tracks that are at an angle when turning from westbound Cerillos to Southbound St. Francis.

[One wishes]

that when the railrunner and railyard park were being designed that there would been more serious study given to realigning that intersection and including a crossing in the design. It would have been good to have also created a transportation hub where busses, taxis and bike lanes would come together and meet the rail runner.

As for the current options, I would prefer some sort of an at-grade crossing. Has anyone considered taking the road down below grade and having a smaller overpass? The tunnel would be a creepy nuisance.

[Inclusiveness]

since this town is 60% hispanic, where are there voices? What about all the immigrants the mayor bussed into town, dont't they have a say? why is SF now just a bunch of winey uper crust whity's; a la, marilyn bane, karen heldemeyer and now, our new gloria mendoza....dan baker. this is racial dissing and desremination if there ever was. c'mon mayor coss and bushey, what about us?

[you are]

Inclusiveness wrote:

since this town is 60% hispanic, where are there voices? What about all the immigrants the mayor bussed into town, dont't they have a say? why is SF now just a bunch of winey uper crust whity's; a la, marilyn bane, karen heldemeyer and now, our new gloria mendoza....dan baker. this is racial dissing and desremination if there ever was. c'mon mayor coss and bushey, what about us?

the local voice of racism. go away

[Pablo Baca]

What is the big deal? I walk through that intersection every time I go to the Farmer's Market or the the Railroad Park. It is no big deal. You wait for the signel, you walk across. End discussion. It is very safe, and wouldn't cost the taxpayers ANYTHING! Use the THREE million for something that is actually needed.

Remember the old saying, "If it ain't broke... "

[Please]

The tunnel will be used a sleeping/living space for the homeless that now sleep/live in the railyard park and behind the School for the Deaf.

Bad idea!

[Gloria Mendoza]

Inclusiveness wrote:

since this town is 60% hispanic, where are there voices? What about all the immigrants the mayor bussed into town, dont't they have a say? why is SF now just a bunch of winey uper crust whity's; a la, marilyn bane, karen heldemeyer and now, our new gloria mendoza....dan baker. this is racial dissing and desremination if there ever was. c'mon mayor coss and bushey, what about us?

Dan Baker, a Gloria Mendoza? P L E A S E

[moquisdad]

Pedestrian tunnels are a bad idea. First comes the graffiti and outdoor toilet use, closely followed by the occasional muggings.
Bad idea.

[rivers2bx]

Tucson has built two pedestrian/bicycle bridges over busy streets. One looks like a giant rattlesnake, complete with head and tail at either end. Bridge body , with transparent "scales," prevent objects being thrown off bridge. More perhaps to santa Fe aesthetics, is the recently completed "basket" bridge, so that the sides are decorated with giant, half baskets with tohono o'odham designs forming arches and protective rails over the bridge. They so far are in under-utilized pathways, but the structures are fun, and may attract people to cross more than ordinary spans.

[Gloria Mendoza]

Pablo Baca wrote:

What is the big deal? I walk through that intersection every time I go to the Farmer's Market or the the Railroad Park. It is no big deal. You wait for the signel, you walk across. End discussion. It is very safe, and wouldn't cost the taxpayers ANYTHING! Use the THREE million for something that is actually needed.
Remember the old saying, "If it ain't broke... "

I am in total agreement with you. It is almost hysterical to be reading about "tunnels" in Santa Fe so that people get from one place to the other. Those in attendance at this meeting have no clue what can happen in Santa Fe when you put a walking overpass or tunnel right smack in the middle of St. Francis Drive. They seem to think that Santa Fe will embrace east and west coast ideas into a city which has been used to old traditional ways.....using crosswalks. Why should we be providing million dollar walking overpasses? So that people don't have to wait for the "walk" signal? Please..........stop adding all these euro ideas to our town. The more you people change this town the more changes you will see in the culture change.

[Phil Emanuelli]

Dan Baker wrote:

There are pros and cons to all options...
A bridge would have to be 'attractive', and would pose a significant effort to climb 17+ feet above street level..

Are they serious? Expecting bicycle riders to carry their bicycle up 17 feet, using stairs? I've seen many pedestrian/bike overpasses with ramps. Hope that's what they're considering. Otherwise, cyclists will just cross the street at the green light. Way too much of a hassle to carry a bicycle up a set of stairs!

[Phil Emanuelli]

rivers2bx wrote:

Tucson has built two pedestrian/bicycle bridges over busy streets. One looks like a giant rattlesnake, complete with head and tail at either end. Bridge body , with transparent "scales," prevent objects being thrown off bridge. More perhaps to santa Fe aesthetics, is the recently completed "basket" bridge, so that the sides are decorated with giant, half baskets with tohono o'odham designs forming arches and protective rails over the bridge. They so far are in under-utilized pathways, but the structures are fun, and may attract people to cross more than ordinary spans.

Indeed there are many very attractive bridges around. I've seen many in Tucson and Phoenix and elsewhere. If they do decide on a bridge, hope it's not an eyesore, like the transformer on the plaza.