Community Corner
After The Event - Crystal Springs Dam - January 10 2019
What happened yesterday - January 10 2019
Article Source: County of San Mateo CA
Long-awaited Crystal Springs Dam Bridge Finished, Skyline Boulevard Will Open to Drivers, Bicyclists & Pedestrians
Media invited to preview new bridge, interview subject matter experts
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Redwood City — The County of San Mateo Public Works and Parks departments, the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and other partners invite the media to preview improvements to the Crystal Springs Dam Bridge. The completion of this multi-faceted effort to improve safety and capacity, and connect recreational trails now allows Skyline Boulevard to be reopened to motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.
On Jan. 10, 2019, the media also has the opportunity to take photos, capture B-roll and interview experts involved in bringing the complex and collaborative project to fruition. The media is also welcome to attend the Jan. 11, 2019, ribbon-cutting and be among the first to travel on the 616-foot-long bridge and adjacent paths before it opens to vehicle traffic at approximately 4 p.m.
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WHAT: Ribbon-Cutting Celebration & Opening of Crystal Springs Dam Bridge
WHEN: Media Preview is 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 10, 2019
WHERE: Scenic Vista Point on north end of the bridge
Some Media Preview parking available at Crystal Springs Road and Skyline Boulevard, San Mateo
INTERVIEW San Mateo County Public Works Director Jim Porter
OPPORTUNITIES: San Mateo County Park Ranger Mario Nastari
SFPUC Assistant General Manager for Water Steve Ritchie
Representatives involved in the construction design and inspection
OPENING EVENT: Ribbon cutting and road opening Friday, Jan. 11, 2019, 2 p.m.
Pedestrians and bicyclists are invited to experience the new bridge before it is open to auto traffic. Scheduled speakers include Jerry Hill and San Mateo County Supervisor Carole Groom.
Please note: Shuttle service on Jan. 11 available. Shuttle pick up at the Youth Services Center parking lot at 222 Paul Scannell Drive, San Mateo beginning at 1 p.m. No onsite parking on the bridge itself.
BACKGROUND: Originally completed in 1888, the Lower Crystal Springs Dam across San Mateo Creek forms the Lower Crystal Springs Reservoirs (upper and lower) and connects to the Hetch Hetchy Reservoir. The structure is a gravity arch dam, engineered in a way that revolutionized the dam and concrete industries and served as a model for Hoover Dam. Skyline Boulevard, also known as Highway 35, runs over the dam and leads to the popular Sawyer Camp Trail.
In 2011, the SFPUC which owns and operates the dam began $35 million in renovations resulting in the closure of Skyline Boulevard between Crystal Springs Road and Bunker Hill Drive. Construction of the dam finished in December 2012. Highlights include doubling the width of the spillway to 200 feet and raised the parapet wall on top of the dam by 9 feet. The SFPUC also completed the Crystal Springs San Andreas Transmission Upgrade Project (CSSAT) in October 2014.
Prior to the SFPUC upgrades, in 2011 Mateo County Public Works removed the original 1920’s era bridge from the top of the dam. The new bridge includes a separate section for Crystal Springs Regional Trail users — about 430,000 people annually — to connect to a new “South of Dam” trail section completed in 2015. The Board of Supervisors approved $13.1 million which is reimbursed with Federal Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation grant funds. Construction began in February 2016 and was completed in October 2018.
PG&E also relocated high-voltage transmission lines previously supported by towers to the underside of the bridge.
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Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
County Manager’s Office
400 County Center, 1st Floor
Redwood City, CA 94063
650-363-4153 T
408-910-4724 M
Photo Credit: San Bruno CA Patch Archives
Source Credit: Michelle Durand
Chief Communications Officer
County Manager’s Office
400 County Center, 1st Floor
Redwood City, CA 94063
650-363-4153 T
408-910-4724 M
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