Council OKs Funds for Retrofit Designs

Ventura will spend $210,000 on designs aimed at earthquake-proofing five street bridges and underpasses, council members decided Monday night.

The engineering contract commissions redesign sketches of the Sanjon Underpass, the Main Street Bridge over the Ventura River, the Seaward Avenue underpass, the Vista Del Mar overpass, and the Telephone Road overpass.

Money to pay for the designs comes from gas tax revenues targeted specifically for transportation and street improvements, said Rick Raives, a city engineer.

Caltrans has agreed to pay for all of the seismic retrofitting, except the Telephone Road overpass, which the agency maintains is not in urgent need of repair.

City staff members say commissioning the sketches now will speed up the retrofitting process, which could take years if they waited for Caltrans to find money for the engineers’ drawings.

The city is commissioning sketches for the Telephone Road overpass even though Caltrans has said it will not pay for the retrofitting, Raives said. The city hopes to persuade Caltrans to pay for the work. If not, Raives said the city will have to decide if it wants to go forward.