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Ms. McGovern was disappointed, as she wanted to have what looked like twin bridges. Mr. Brozosky asked if there was a difference in cost between the five options for the existing historic bridge? Mr. Wilson said staff has not conducted cost estimates and staff will provide this information for the final design to the structural engineer once Council has selected an option. The De Silva Group. who would submit this project for public bid and generate the cos!. Staff would then return to Council at a later point to present a funding plan to construct the bridge. He pointed out that the existing historic bridge remains untouched and Bernal Avenue will be widened and a new bridge will be constructed to accommodate the new lanes. With the design of the new bridge, which will not contain a trellis, staff is looking at what the railings should look like. He noted that on August 3, 2004, Council eliminated the steel super structure for the new bridge for various reasons, primarily because of the cost and because of the fact that it did not historically replicate the existing bridge. In response to an inquiry by Mr. Brozosky, Mr. Wilson believed the concrete bridge option would be less expensive because the bridge structure would not have to be so wide, which is where the cost savings would be realized. Mr. Fialho pointed out that the version that staff is recommending on a smaller scale is comparable to what exists on Division and Del Valle Streets, which is a historic two-lane bridge that crosses the Arroyo that includes a concrete form with a sidewalk that is unimpeded by a barrier. Mr. Sullivan pointed out that while the existing bridge would remain, staff is recommending installing a new rail on it. Mr. Wilson said that was correct and the sidewalk would be moved from one side of the existing bridge to the other side of the existing bridge, which would be the first part of the project once this project moves forward. He noted that the visual characteristics of the existing bridge would remain untouched. Ms. McGovern asked if the existing bridge would be wide enough to accommodate bicyclists? Mr. Wilson said the walkway would not be wide enough for a bicycle; however the bridge would be. He pointed out that the existing bridge consists of two lanes of traffic. When the new bridge is built, the old bridge would consist of one lane of traffic and a wide bicycle lane. Mayor Hosterman invited public comments. Kurt Kummer, a Pleasanton resident, said that at some point, the current trail coming down from Interstate 680 should cross the Arroyo to continue the north south connection, which means that the site of the new bridge will be important for how the bicycle and hiking trails are connected in town. He did not see this mentioned or reflected in the staff report. He suggested Council direct staff to consider how trails may possibly be connected in the future and asked if there were engineering steps that currently could be taken that would eliminate future costs. Mayor Hosterman closed the public comments. Pleasanton City Council 26 10/04/05 Minutes