The city should have built this 20 years ago. Stall stall stall always leads to more problems and costs down the road. I don't get why this will take 1.5 years to build, though. Seems to me that last time Mountain View built a pedestrian bridge over Hwy 101, it only took a couple of months.

It can't finish until it starts. Hopefully they can build it more quickly.

This is really silly over-engineering. The Adobe Creek underpass would be fine all year round with just a small barrier added for those very few days per year that the tide or rain floods up onto the sidewalk a few inches. Why are people suckers for complicated solutions?

Just another giveaway to Palo Alto rental property owners and condo developers hoping to rent or sell to Google employees working in Mountain View.

Your tax dollars at work... for the real-estate industry.

There is a lot of pros about this happening at last, but there are important cons to consider. Firstly the amount of time taken to go through this process is really costly compared to what it could have cost back in 2012. However, water under the bridge now.

The big concern is that there will be no safe access across 101 while this is being built. Typically during the summer months is when most Baylands access and not commuting traffic uses the tunnel. The fact that there will be no access to cross 101 safely will put bike riders at risk. San Antonio is not a safe alternative and the bridge at Oregon is a long detour particularly for a family with young children.

Since there have been so many construction projects that hamper traffic by causing bottlenecks it is good that this will be an improvement that should not affect motorized vehicles.

I am so happy this bridge is finaling getting built! Yeah!!! Thank you.

I rode my bicycle over Highway 101 from the Baylands on San Antonio Road last year and almost caused a 5 car collision when a car politely stopped to let me cross the road and the other 4 cars had to stop short exiting Highway 101. The cars come off Highway 101 pretty fast and do not anticipate a stopped car at a cross walk. There needs to be a safe way for pedestrians and bicyclists to get over Highway 101 at San Antonio Road to get back and forth to the Baylands and not cause any accidents all year round and not just in the good weather months.

This project would have been completed years ago if not for a certain council member who made this her personal ego trip - "we need an iconic bridge with a wow factor so everyone will know they are in Palo alto. Let's have a design contest and then throw out the results!!!". Let's see how the city will screw up this attempt.

So let me get this straight.
Instead of efficiently approving a moderate plan, the city councilors decided to hold a design contest.
Then they wasted time by picking a winning "wow factor" design and then picking an engineering firm to build said "wow factor" bridge... only to pivot and decide to scrap all the designs and plans and start from scratch with a more "moderate" design?

This bridge will now cost DOUBLE what they envisioned, and they only got Google to invest $1 million dollars (even though it will benefit Google workers and help them commute via bike?"

We have some sharp tools in the shed for city councillors in Palo Alto. They took a project that East Palo Alto (with less resources) completed for $7 million, we are going to pay $20 million (and it won't be completed till 2021?

Who was this idiotic city councillor who insisted on holding a design contest without considering the building budget, and had a change of heart half way through for a more moderate design?

Why were the city councillors so short signed? If they didn't have a budget for an elaborate bridge, why go through hoops to hold a design contest, only to scrap everything after picking an engineering firm?

This is an excellent example of why Palo Alto is the worst "value" of cities to buy in when you look at the cost compared to livability.

But, how much will the toll be, and how many years before the cost is repaid by users?

It's the same toll as the sidewalks around town, but because I'm triggw\red by anything that would benefit cyclists and pedestrians, I'm suggesting doubling the sidewalk troll, er I mean toll, for bikes.

Just do it! It is ridiculous that the city council understands the reasons for delay and cost overrun but simply brushes it off as 'well that was yesterday.' It is simply a bridge over an ugly highway! How much research do one need to get it designed and built! Paying someone $3.5m to make a paper design is ridiculous! They could have just copied and perhaps slightly adjusted the EPA bridge. The highway is the same, the ramps are the same, the foundation soil is the same, the construction material is the same, the environment impact is the same, etc. etc.

Actually I don’t believe it was the city council who caused the delay rather the former city manager Keene who didn’t care fir bridge the council chose ....he went with a different company and our elected officials had no say in the matter at all.
So now we get to pay a lot more for a lot less!
But it is great there will be a safe option to get over the highway

Sonya: I know the place where you are talking about. If a car slows down for me, I wave at the driver to keep going. Stopping a car at a ramp is super dangerous. Sometimes to avoid eye contact with a driver who is too courteous, I look away so they think I am not ready to cross. So, be careful there.

Sonya; I know the place where you are talking about. If a car slows down for me, I wave at the driver to keep going. Stopping a car at a ramp is super dangerous. Sometimes to avoid eye contact with a driver who is too courteous, I look away so they think I am not ready to cross. So, be careful there.

Just get the cyclist to pay for the bridge

@Pompeii Phil: They are paying for it. It's from our taxes, same way as we pay for all of the roads/parking structures/sidewalks/etc.

How many people will be injured and or killed due this construction project? The Creek project north of Oregon expressway certainly took a hefty toll for 101 commuters.

Also the name of the city council member with the ego is; Karen Holman.

A design contest for a bike bridge? All they needed to do was slap some paintings up of some ducks swimming around in marshland , then call it a day.

Better hurry 20 mill now how much more later