Sean C. Morgan
A new footbridge now crosses Ames Creek on Mountain View Road, connecting a sidewalk from Elm Street to 18th Avenue along the north side of Mountain View.
The entire project should be finished this month, said Public Works Director Mike Adams. The $300,000 project has been approved for awhile, but the contractor had to wait for good weather to begin.
Exca-Drain of Halsey began construction in early April, blocking Mountain View between 18th and Elm to through traffic.
The project entails a new waterline placement and upsizing, Adams said. It also connects the waterlines across Ames Creek in a box beneath the new walkway. Previously, waterlines along Mountain View ended at the creek.
The contractor placed the new walkway alongside the street bridge and guardrail.
“It will provide a continuous safe sidewalk for pedestrians,” Adams said. “You’re combining a waterline improvement that was needed as well as providing safe pedestrian access along a busy road that did not otherwise have it.”
The sidewalk doesn’t extend past the 18th Avenue-Ames Creek Road intersection, but the city’s goal is to run a sidewalk all the way to Long Street, connecting Sweet Home Junior High to sidewalks in all directions.
While city officials haven’t been planning an overlay any time soon for Mountain View, Adams said, they may need to.
“It was in pretty bad shape to begin with,” Adams said. After cutting into it, the city may need to push an overlay project forward.
With the waterline upgrade in place already, the city shouldn’t have any reason to cut into the road for awhile following an overlay project, he said.