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Council approves Caltrans cooperative agreement; staff outlines timeline for Rio Vista Bridge closures
Summary
Council approved a cooperative agreement with Caltrans to reimburse the city for fire and paramedic costs during scheduled Rio Vista Bridge closures; staff reported Caltrans set multiple weekend deck‑replacement dates and said Coast Guard‑approved work windows limited flexibility, inflaming local concerns about Mother's Day and high‑school graduation conflicts.
Rio Vista city staff and the fire department briefed the City Council March 18 on planned deck‑replacement closures for the Rio Vista Bridge and a cooperative-agreement resolution that will let the state reimburse the city for actual fire and paramedic costs during those closures.
City staff clarified the agreement covers only the city’s incremental costs for providing services while the bridge is closed and does not reimburse businesses for lost revenue. "Per this contract...we're not overcharging them. We're turning in rates just like we do for the state — basically treating them as if we went out of county and we're getting reimbursed for our costs only," Fire Chief Keith Fenny told the council.
Fenny presented a timeline of Caltrans coordination: an initial January 29 meeting, a first set of proposed dates, and subsequent revisions after Caltrans said outside stakeholders and Coast Guard scheduling required some date changes. He said Caltrans ultimately cited Coast Guard work windows and contractor availability when confirming dates and that several originally proposed dates were rescheduled (for example, March 21 moved to March 28, and other dates shifted into April–June).
Residents and business owners told council the closures will affect travel and commerce, and several speakers urged the city to press Caltrans to avoid major local events. "Mother's Day is not a federal holiday...but it will affect families and businesses here," one council member said during debate. School and district representatives emphasized graduation timing (June 6) and urged the city to keep families on the Eisleton side of the river from being cut off from ceremonies.
The council voted to approve the cooperative agreement; staff said the city will seek to coordinate scheduling and public notices with Caltrans and will continue working to minimize impacts to major events.
Next steps: city staff will continue coordination with Caltrans, the U.S. Coast Guard and local stakeholders and will communicate confirmed closure dates and notices to the community.
