The San Jose City Council has voted to demolish the Willow Glen trestle and replace it with a pre-fabricated steel bridge that will link the heavily used Los Gatos Creek Trail with trails leading to downtown San Jose.
by Hannah Moore
May 20, 2015—Willow Glen will soon lose a structure from San Jose’s past. The San Jose City Council voted to deny the Willow Glen trestle historic landmark status and approved plans for a pre-fabricated steel replacement bridge Tuesday in a 7-2 decision. Trestle destruction is set to begin in June.
Efforts by residents and preservationists to save the 93-year-old bridge had been ongoing for two years. The San Jose Historic Landmarks Commission voted unanimously earlier this month to recommend that the city council declare Willow Glen trestle a historic landmark.
Construction plans for the replacement bridge were approved by the council in January 2014. The bridge, which will connect the popular Los Gatos Creek Trail with the city's Three Creeks Trail—and by extension a network of bike paths leading to downtown San Jose—will include a viewing platform over Los Gatos Creek for cyclists and pedestrians.
The Friends of Willow Glen Trestle won a lawsuit against the City of San Jose in July 2014 challenging the city’s refusal to conduct an EIR to consider alternatives to demolishing the trestle.
The EIR was conducted and found no evidence that the trestle is a historical icon. Built in 1922, the wooden bridge is one of two remaining railroad trestles in San Jose. After local canneries closed, the Western Pacific trestle became largely unused.
Community advocates pushed for the trestle—not a replacement bridge—to connect the two trails in the Los Gatos Creek Trail extension.
Whether in favor of the trestle or not, all parties involved are invested in extending the Los Gatos Creek Trail. The disagreement was about what type of bridge would connect the extension with the Three Creeks Trail.
The council recommendation stated that the cost to retrofit the trestle is comparable to the cost of a replacement bridge, and that retrofit cost can grow during construction.
Councilman Donald Rocha wrote a memo recommending that the staff “explore what it would take to preserve the trestle.” He acknowledged that to the community, the trestle is “the importance they place on their history, and their desire to preserve what is unique and special about the place where they live.”
Completion of the replacement bridge is estimated for October.
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