Politics & Government

Crews Start Work on Bridge to Inner Bair Island

A dock in the outer harbor of Pete's Harbor had to be removed to facilitate the construction, which could take two to three months.

Construction has started on a new pedestrian bridge that will allow public access to the Inner Bair Island and trail.

In the latest development of the multi-year public access project for Bair Island, the bridge will be installed just before the entrance to Pete’s Harbor and will soon connect Bair Island Road to a newly restored Inner Island trail.

This past week, construction crews led a barge carrying bridge pilings from the shore into the slough – a job that required adjustment of the docks at Pete’s Harbor, which is across the waterway from Inner Bair Island.

Find out what's happening in Redwood City-Woodsidewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

To help facilitate the project, an outer harbor dock at Pete's Harbor has been moved, Pete's Harbor representatives said in a statement last week.

Pete’s Harbor owner Paula Uccelli, who sits on the Bair Island Task Force, has long endorsed the restoration project, and said she was happy to help facilitate the latest construction.

Find out what's happening in Redwood City-Woodsidewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

“We support this project, which will allow our community access to the natural beauty of Bair Island,” Uccelli said in a statement. “We’re more than happy to cooperate with our neighbors by removing one of our docks.”

Uccelli has publicly stated recently that she is preparing Pete's Harbor to be sold. For that reason she served all tenants with eviction notices recently, asking them to move out no later than Jan. 15.

One current controversy with her plans to try and sell the harbor to Denver-based Pauls Corporation, which wants to tear it down and build a 411-unit luxury waterfront community, is that the Uccelli family only owns the inner harbor - the outer harbor belongs to the State Lands Commission (SLC).

It was also recently revealed that the Uccellis have failed to pay any of the rent they agreed to pay the SLC on their lease of the outer harbor over the past 28 years.

Construction on the bridge to Bair Island is expected to last about two to three months and is being performed by B.K. Cooper & Associates, a Northern Californian firm Uccelli has similarly retained to perform a survey of the Pete’s Harbor property for needed repairs.

"The boat slips at Pete’s Harbor have not undergone major repairs – beyond routine maintenance – since 2005," Pete's Harbor representatives said in the statement. "The [survey of the Harbor's repair needs] will begin in January once the harbor is vacant."

Following the bridge installation, crews will start work on two viewing platforms and improvements to the graveled trail.

This latest project is reportedly all part of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s ongoing effort to restore 1,400 acres of Bair Island - a 3,000-acre portion of the Don Edwards San Francisco Bay National Wildlife Refuge - and return it to its natural condition as tidal wetlands.

What do you think of the bridge project to Inner Bair Island, and the efforts to restore the tidal wetlands? Tell us in the comments below.

 

Stay informed on the latest news from your local neighborhood - follow Patch!


Sign up for Redwood City-Woodside Patch’s daily newsletter
"Like” us on Facebook
"Follow” us on Twitter

Want to share your opinions with the communities of Redwood City and Woodside? Start your own blog here.


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here