Repairs, delays ahead for San Antonio overpass

Mountain View and Palo Alto are preparing to fix up the San Antonio Road overpass — a project that officials say will require lane closures and cause traffic delays.

The project, which is funded largely through a federal grant, includes repairs to railings, curbs and sidewalks at the San Antonio Road crossing at Alma Street and Central Expressway. About two thirds of the overpass is located in Mountain View, while one third is in Palo Alto.

Karen Begard, a project manager in the Palo Alto Public Works Department, said the overpass has seen substantial wear and tear over the years. Concrete has gotten chipped, leaving steel reinforcement bars exposed. In 2005, Caltrans included the overpass on its list of “structurally deficient” bridges.

Jack Muench, the project manager from the Mountain View Department of Public Works, said workers have already begun to take measurements and finalize their plans. Construction is expected to begin later this week, if the weather permits.

Muench expects the work to conclude in April. He said some of the lanes on San Antonio would be temporarily closed, as would the two ramps leading from San Antonio to Alma. The lane and ramp closures would only occur between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., he said.

The San Antonio Road overpass was built in 1961 and seismically retrofitted in 1994. The current project will mostly involve maintenance work. Muench said workers will put in a new concrete deck at a section of the overpass that currently has cracks and repair damaged sidewalks.

Mountain View will provide information about the lane closures through message signs near the construction area and on the city’s Web site.

Mountain View is overseeing the $861,000 project and contributing $174,000 for the repairs. Palo Alto is chipping in $90,000. The cities also received $597,000 for the repairs from the Federal Highway Bridge Program grant.