About the Project
The project would construct a 15.5-feet wide bicycle/pedestrian shared-use overcrossing spanning U.S. 101. This will serve as a connector providing a safer and more comfortable alternative for bicyclists and pedestrians over the freeway between two high-traffic interchanges at College Avenue and Steele Lane. The overcrossing would directly serve the nearby Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) station, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa High School, Coddingtown Mall, and surrounding neighborhoods.

This is a critical link in the east-west bicycle and pedestrian network identified in the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan Update 2018.  U.S. 101 presents a physical barrier between east-west access for cyclists and pedestrians in Santa Rosa, creating gaps in the City’s bicycle and pedestrian network and dividing our community.

Project Status  

The development of a bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing project, which would span US Highway 101, south of Steele Lane and north of College Avenue, has been pursued by the City Council since its approval to conduct a feasibility study in 2007.  The overcrossing is a high priority in the City’s Bicycle and Pedestrian Master Plan.

The City, along with a partnership with Sonoma County Transportation Authority (SCTA) and Caltrans completed the Project Initial Document (PID). The PID evaluated design variations and developed project evaluation documentation. In addition, the PID documents identified the project scope, schedule, and support costs necessary to complete the needed studies for the Project Approval and Environmental Document (PA&ED) phase. 

In June 2017, BKF Engineers was hired to complete the PA&ED phase for the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) clearance, subsequent to the PID phase.

This multi-year project will continue to work with Caltrans to develop and complete the Project Approval and Environmental Document (PA&ED) phase of work. The PA&ED phase will identify the Caltrans approved alignment through preliminary engineering and meet environmental clearance requirements. Once the PA&ED phase is completed, the next phase will enter the Project Plans, Specifications, and Estimation (PS&E).

In March 2021, following a robust analysis of the environmental clearance phase, Caltrans selected and approved the Edwards-Elliott build alternative for the project.

In June 2021, $12M in Active Transportation Program (ATP) federal funding was awarded by Metropolitan Transportation Commission (MTC) for the construction of the project. BKF was hired (again) to provide design and right of way services for the project.

For more information please contact:

Lisa Welsh
Supervising Engineer
[email protected]
707-543-3909