LATHROP – Nearly three years after Lathrop’s first high school campus opened, city officials are taking initial steps to ensure students walking under the Interstate 5 bridges at Lathrop Road and Louise Avenue to and from school are safe.
At their regular meeting tonight starting at 7 o’clock, City Council members will be looking into the financial options available to outfit these passageways with lighting fixtures. There are already existing lighting receptacles in the bridge decks, city staff explained in the report to the council members. However, these need to be rewired and connected to the power source located on the top side of the decks.
The city staff’s report does not state any ballpark figures as to the cost involved in these two construction projects. However, they are presenting two possible funding options for the council to consider.
The first one is to amend the Capital Improvement Projects budget already earmarked for the interim improvements of I-5 at Louise Avenue and Lathrop Road and have the lighting project at both underpasses be incorporated into the design, permitting and construction costs. Under this option, anticipated additional costs would run the city around $60,000 which does not include the projected maintenance costs of $5,000 to $10,000 every year.
The second option is to create a separate Capital Improvement Project solely for establishing a separate budget to fund the design, permitting and construction aspects of the I-5 underpass job. The additional costs under this option would run up to $80,000 with the same annual maintenance expenses.
A third option that the council may consider is to simply direct city staff to explore if there are other more cost effective opportunities available for this lighting project.
If the council picks either of the first two options, city staff would then try to come up with a funding mechanism for proposed lighting improvements which will be presented to the council at a future meeting.
Both Lathrop Road and Louise Avenue freeway overpasses are under the jurisdiction of Caltrans, in which case, any improvements that the city will do at these sites will need an encroachment permit and approval from Caltrans.
Furthermore, since the lighting installation will involve the top side of the freeway deck where the power sources are located, construction could only take place at night because some of the freeway lanes would need to be closed.
Many Lathrop High students living on the east side of the freeway pass through these underpasses on their way to and from school – either on foot, with their bicycles, or driving their cars.
Students, though, are not the only ones affected by these improvements. Lathrop Road and Louise Avenue are the city’s busiest freeway intersections; hence, the lighting project would benefit all pedestrians and motorists across the board.
Pedestrian walkways directed at students’ safety have already been implemented on Lathrop Road from Manthey Road on the west side of the freeway to Harlan Road to the east, thanks to such concerned officials as Council member Sonny Dhaliwal and Planning Commissioner Dan Mac Neilage, as well as other citizens who made sure something was done before any tragedy happened.
The council will meet in the council chambers at City Hall, 390 Towne Center Drive at Mossdale Landing.
At their regular meeting tonight starting at 7 o’clock, City Council members will be looking into the financial options available to outfit these passageways with lighting fixtures. There are already existing lighting receptacles in the bridge decks, city staff explained in the report to the council members. However, these need to be rewired and connected to the power source located on the top side of the decks.
The city staff’s report does not state any ballpark figures as to the cost involved in these two construction projects. However, they are presenting two possible funding options for the council to consider.
The first one is to amend the Capital Improvement Projects budget already earmarked for the interim improvements of I-5 at Louise Avenue and Lathrop Road and have the lighting project at both underpasses be incorporated into the design, permitting and construction costs. Under this option, anticipated additional costs would run the city around $60,000 which does not include the projected maintenance costs of $5,000 to $10,000 every year.
The second option is to create a separate Capital Improvement Project solely for establishing a separate budget to fund the design, permitting and construction aspects of the I-5 underpass job. The additional costs under this option would run up to $80,000 with the same annual maintenance expenses.
A third option that the council may consider is to simply direct city staff to explore if there are other more cost effective opportunities available for this lighting project.
If the council picks either of the first two options, city staff would then try to come up with a funding mechanism for proposed lighting improvements which will be presented to the council at a future meeting.
Both Lathrop Road and Louise Avenue freeway overpasses are under the jurisdiction of Caltrans, in which case, any improvements that the city will do at these sites will need an encroachment permit and approval from Caltrans.
Furthermore, since the lighting installation will involve the top side of the freeway deck where the power sources are located, construction could only take place at night because some of the freeway lanes would need to be closed.
Many Lathrop High students living on the east side of the freeway pass through these underpasses on their way to and from school – either on foot, with their bicycles, or driving their cars.
Students, though, are not the only ones affected by these improvements. Lathrop Road and Louise Avenue are the city’s busiest freeway intersections; hence, the lighting project would benefit all pedestrians and motorists across the board.
Pedestrian walkways directed at students’ safety have already been implemented on Lathrop Road from Manthey Road on the west side of the freeway to Harlan Road to the east, thanks to such concerned officials as Council member Sonny Dhaliwal and Planning Commissioner Dan Mac Neilage, as well as other citizens who made sure something was done before any tragedy happened.
The council will meet in the council chambers at City Hall, 390 Towne Center Drive at Mossdale Landing.
