City Councilors Want More Public Input on St. Francis Crossing

Citing the need for more public input, members of the Santa Fe Public Works Committee declined to make a decision Monday about how best to build a pedestrian and bicycle crossing linking St. Francis Drive to the Santa Fe Railyard.

Instead, the committee will hold a public hearing in two weeks.

City officials are considering tunnel and bridge designs. An environmental assessment signed off on by the state Department of Transportation and the Federal Highway Administration has found no significant problem with either option.

Public opinion has been split on the matter, according to project planners. City officials could also chose to build nothing at the crossing.

The crossing would connect the Acequia Trail on the west side of St. Francis with the Railyard. The city has done preliminary work on the project for almost a decade and previously gathered public input on the project in 2009.

Planners have hosted at least one public meeting since the environmental assessment was completed and have collected about 70 official public comments, with some people commenting more than once and some opinions representing groups of residents.

City Councilor Ron Trujillo liked the idea of a bridge, which he said would have less impact on traffic than a tunnel. “Aesthetically, my opinion has always been that I think a bridge would be more feasible,” Trujillo said.

But other councilors were tight-lipped about their preferences. Several said they wanted to hear more members of the public weigh in on the matter.

Councilor Chris Calvert said he wasn’t sure another public hearing would tell city officials “anything we don’t already know” and wondered if it would make the people who have already provided input “think their opinion isn’t as valuable.”

Both the tunnel and bridge plans have estimated costs of about $3-3.5 million. The city currently has about $553,000 for the project, which should be “more than enough” to finish design work, according to city officials.