WALNUT CREEK, CALIFORNIA – A familiar crossing on the Iron Horse Regional Trail is about to disappear from walkers’ and cyclists’ routes for nearly three months.
Contra Costa County plans to close the Robert I. Schroder Pedestrian Bridge over Treat Boulevard, just east of Jones Road near Walnut Creek, beginning Monday, October 5. It’s the one by the transit village and the Pleasant Hill-adjacent Starbucks.
The bridge is expected to remain closed through December 31, barring unforeseen delays. The trail will remain usable on either side of the bridge, but people traveling through the area will need to cross Treat Boulevard at street level instead.
Detour signs will guide them to the existing crossing. The county’s project notice says the bridge will be closed for the entire construction period, even though work is scheduled overnight.
The bridge carries the Iron Horse Trail over Treat Boulevard about three-tenths of a mile east of Interstate 680. Crews will replace bearing pads at its supports, repair paint and damaged concrete, treat the deck to keep water out, and replace sections of sidewalk and curb. The county estimates construction will cost $1.185 million, funded through Measure X and park dedication funds.
Construction is scheduled from 9 p.m. to 5 a.m. Sunday through Thursday, excluding holidays and subject to weather. Treat Boulevard is expected to remain open for most of the project, although drivers may encounter occasional lane closures and delays of about 10 minutes.
The county also expects approximately four overnight road closures while crews replace the bearing pads. Those closures will require a roughly five-mile driving detour; their dates have not yet been announced.
Trail users should also be aware of a separate Iron Horse Trail closure in downtown Walnut Creek: the East Bay Regional Park District says the stretch from Mt. Diablo Boulevard to Civic Park will close October 5-12 for PG&E vegetation management and wildlife enhancement work. The Park District’s trail page lists both notices.
The county says it will post dates for the Treat Boulevard road closures on its bridge project page.
