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Standing next to the Newell Bridge on Thursday afternoon, Greer Stone mused about the many seismic events that have transpired since the small span on the border between Palo Alto and East Palo Alto was constructed in 1911.
Residents walked on it shortly after they read about the sinking of the Titanic, when they heard about the launch of World War II, and when they learned about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. It was here when the Internet was invented and when Palo Alto transformed “from a sleepy little college town to the birthplace of Silicon Valley,” Stone said.
Now, the bridge is going through its own transformation. After more than 15 years of planning, the bridge over San Francisquito Creek was officially closed down to cars on Thursday so that work can begin to replace it. Spearheaded by the city of Palo Alto, the $16- million project is a key part of a regional effort by Palo Alto, East Palo Alto and Menlo Park to improve flood control around the flood-prone creek.
For the state Department of Transportation, which provided $10 million for the bridge replacement, it is also a chance to replace a narrow span and replace it with a larger bridge that will easily accommodates drivers, cyclists and pedestrians.
Stone, who serves as Palo Alto’s vice mayor, has been thinking about the project for years. As board chair of the San Francisquito Creek Joint Powers Authority, he is part of a regional effort to upgrade bridges, widen channels and build floodwalls and levees along the creek to improve flood protection.
The creek authority has been focused on this task since 1998, when a colossal flood caused major damage to neighborhoods in Palo Alto, East Palo Alto in Menlo Park In 2019, the agency marked a major milestone when it completed its “Reach 1” project, which improved flood protection in the particularly vulnerable downstream area around the U.S. Highway 101. The project involved widening the channel, building levees and creating a marsh plain at Palo Alto’s municipal golf course.
The Newell Bridge replacement is the first major project in what’s known as “Reach 2,” a project that focuses on the more upstream area between the Newell Bridge and the flood-prone Pope-Chaucer bridge in the Crescent Park area. Because the much maligned Pope-Chaucer bridge fulfills the critical function of holding back water during major floods, creek officials have been reluctant to replace it until areas downstream are better fortified to withstand the increased water flow. Replacing the Newell Road bridge is the first step in that effort.
East Palo Alto Vice Mayor Ruben Abrica, who prior to this year had spent many years on the creek authority board, is a long-time proponent of advancing Reach 2 and boosting flood protection. Even so, the Thursday occasion filled him with wistful recollections as he talked about the many residents –- drivers, cyclists, students, moms with strollers –- who have relied on the bridge for decades. He said he has always through of the Newell Bridge as his “little companion.”
“It’s a wonder that we never had any accidents — and that’s been a good thing. Maybe the little bridge and the creek are looking out for us,” Abrica said at the Thursday ceremony.
“This will really be very significant for this area, in addition to the flood-control part, because it will be a safe way to connect, and that’s very important,” he added.
The replacement bridge will include 10-foot vehicle travel lanes, two 4-foot shoulders, sidewalks and crosswalks, according to the city. It will be about 20 feet wider than the existing one and, at 80 feet, about 4 feet longer. The design of the new bridge also includes curb ramps, roadway paving, drainage improvements, and creek slope protection, according to the city.
The bridge replacement project is expected to stretch through spring 2027. The city has already closed off the bridge to vehicles though bicycle and pedestrian access will remain open for another day. The bridge will be fully closed on May 22, according to the city’s announcement.
