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City engineer outlines $2M–$5M street, bridge and trail projects; wastewater plant nearing completion
Summary
City engineer Richard Pedersen told the Twentynine Palms City Council the city has secured grants for multiple projects — including a $3.3 million Split Rock bridge and a $2.3 million Safe Routes to School segment — and said the downtown wastewater treatment plant is approaching finish line.
City engineer Richard Pedersen gave the Twentynine Palms City Council an overview of several major capital projects and their funding status, saying many of the efforts are grant‑funded and months or years in the making. Pedersen highlighted the Safe Routes to School project on El Paseo Drive (design funded by SBCTA; construction estimated at $2,300,000 and contingent on ATP grant awards), the Split Rock Avenue bridge (construction contract around $3,300,000; bridge program covering roughly 88.53% of cost), and the Hatch–Sullivan bike path (about 2.3 miles; an awarded grant of roughly $3,470,000 and design at roughly 65% complete).
Pedersen described the channel trail design work — about $495,000 in design funds with TDA financing most of it — and told council the utility hookups for the downtown wastewater treatment plant are in progress and construction costs are about $2,200,000. "We expect the Split Rock bridge to finish sooner than the original December forecast," Pedersen said, adding the deck had recently been poured. He also warned that interagency approvals (Caltrans, the Flood Control District, and federal permitting through Caltrans or other agencies) can slow schedules.
Councilmembers asked for clarification on responsibilities and timelines for Caltrans and the Flood Control District. Pedersen said Caltrans was repairing storm damage on an adjacent structure and that the city plans to build a separate north‑side pedestrian bridge; he had no firm Caltrans completion date. The city manager and council members emphasized the public value of the grant wins and asked staff to provide more frequent updates on schedules and property‑acquisition milestones tied to right‑of‑way needs.
Why it matters: The projects represent several million dollars of outside funding and will shape traffic safety, active‑transportation connections to the high school, and downtown infrastructure. The wastewater plant completion is necessary for downtown connections and triggered related sewer‑ordinance requirements discussed later in the meeting.
