The City of San Ramon initiated the Iron Horse Trail Overcrossing Project located on Bollinger Canyon Road, in efforts to improve traffic flows, by connecting the trails to the new construction.
Theresa Peterson, the City of San Ramon Engineer in charge of the project further stated that “the main idea was to remove the crosswalk between the pedestrians and drivers to increase road safety.”
The project only includes the construction of the Bollinger Canyon Overcrossing; however, due to the lengthy process, it was split into four different phases to break it down into smaller chunks.
Peterson explains that “there [had] been a feasibility study many years ago, and [I] have been present for 18 years ago, and the [process] was done way before then.”
The overall cost for the project was approximately $29.1 million and included everything from design and construction to the management and inspection of the area too. They were funded solely by both $2.5 million other city funds, $10.5 million grants, as well as general Measure J advance funds.
Between 2015-2018, phases two and three began as the design and overall structure for the overcrossing was being discussed. To obtain public opinion, residents of San Ramon voted across 21 different structural designs for the design they wanted to fill their new space.
Once the final design was chosen, construction began in 2020. Additionally, the city carefully listed out designs that worked or didn’t work with the three least-voted designs included in their official design report document.
Some of the top reasons for rejection were along the lines of being “too artsy” or creating an imaginative type of feeling to it. For example, one design was compared to “The Lord of the Rings” due to its “overly-complex” features.
Soon after, between the start of 2020 and mid-2024, the fourth and final phase of the project began; the basic frame for the project was created, with more in-depth work like irrigation fixation, deck panel delivery, and the installation of north side coping panels. A few other intricate parts are still pending for approval. Meanwhile, workers removed the old crossings to reduce unnecessary issues between both pedestrians and drivers.
Overall, the general project has seen quite some progress over the past four years compared to other ongoing constructions. According to Peterson, “August 2025 is going to be the finish date for [it].”
Getting the public engaged and increasing the visibility of the work they are doing has been another major goal for the construction team this time. They hope school students start taking its benefits in the future and utilize it to the fullest extent as a lot of parents have complained about safety concerns of kids walking home alone on a busy road.
Some people seem to be liking the concept already, including people within the DVHS community.
Jefferey Vangene, a Social Studies teacher at DVHS, expressed, “I’m from Livermore, so we have a lot of bridges in our area, and I think San Ramon is on the right path with this [construction].”
Furthermore, he also views it as a major benefit to people using the roads below the overcrossing as he strongly believes “it will definitely make life easier for people driving and the general traffic as they won’t have to stop for pedestrians or cyclists once the construction is completed.”
