Shortcut in Fremont closing Saturday for at least a year

FREMONT » Starting Saturday, all cars will be banned from the middle portion of Morrison Canyon Road — a popular route for commuters in Fremont — for at least one year.

What will happen after the year is over remains murky.

The narrow hillside road off of Mission Boulevard was originally intended for “very infrequent access” to serve rural residents, city officials said. But over the last few years it has become a de facto commute route to Interstate 680 for hundreds of afternoon weekday drivers looking to shave time off their rides home.

Officials say the curvy road is dangerous — it is bounded by a steep slope on one side, a canyon on the other and is only nine feet wide in some spots — and is not designed to handle any kind of heavy traffic load.

All car traffic, with exceptions for emergencies, will be barred from using the road during the temporary closure, eliminating the mixing of cars, bicyclists and pedestrians who use the road for recreational purposes, which has become a primary safety concern of many residents of the area and city staff.

During the closure, however, the city will ask the state for special legislation, which if approved, could give Fremont authority to set specific rules over who can and cannot access the road and when, a slight departure from what was originally proposed by the city.

In June, the City Council voted unanimously to direct staff to come up with a plan to close the middle stretch of the road because of the safety concerns, despite the objections of some residents who live above that portion of the road and on Vargas Road, which connects with Morrison Canyon.

Those residents told the council the closure was unfair and will force them to use Vargas Road to get to the western part of the city, lengthening their drives for work and errands.

But at an Oct. 16 council meeting, city staff said they had decided to pursue the state legislation, which in the future could allow the city to craft rules potentially allowing residents who live on the upper portions of Morrison Canyon and Vargas Road to retain access to the road by car.

Hans Larsen, the city’s public works director, said in an interview that since June, city staff had “continued to hear from people in the hill community about the hardships” a total closure would bring on them, and staff “took that to heart.”

He said the legislation, if approved, would give the city extra wiggle room in its attempt to manage “a variety of different needs” from many residents.

However, Larsen noted at the June meeting that while eliminating the commuter cut- through traffic was key to improving safety along that route, allowing bicyclists, pedestrians and local drivers to use the road still leaves a “significant conflict” on the roadway.

“If we got state legislation that said we could limit this to local access… this roadway does not come anywhere close to meeting any kind of standard for two-way access, so there is still a significant safety issue there,” he said to the council.

“That’s still a recipe for a problem which is a concern to us,” he said.

At a recent meeting, some speakers remained frustrated at the possibility of leaving the road open to local resident vehicles, saying that the needs of pedestrians and bicyclists should be considered over residents who have another road to access their homes.

Some also took issue with what they called a vague provision in a city resolution that suggested not just local property owners could potentially retain access, but also “their invitees and guests.”

“I understand allowing hardship access for people who are residents, but once you open it (to guests), you’ve pretty much opened Pandora’s box,” Fremont resident Suresh Bazaj said at the meeting.

It’s still unclear what kind of rules or restrictions the city may eventually enforce on the roadway if the legislation is approved, which will likely take months.

“If we get the flexibility, then it’s to be determined how we use that, and safety is going to be our top priority,” Larsen said last week.

The lower portion of Morrison Canyon Road, where residents can access their homes, will remain open. Signs and barricades will be placed on the road leading up to the intersection with Ridge Terrace, where the closure will begin. It ends roughly where Morrison Canyon intersects with Vargas.

There is a community meeting scheduled for April 24 where residents can “share perspectives on the effects of the temporary closure” with city staff. Staff will also give an update of the status of state legislation regarding Morrison Canyon Road. The meeting will be held at 7 p.m. at Vallejo Mill Elementary School located at 38569 Canyon Heights Drive, Fremont.

Questions about the meeting or the closure can be directed to city staff by email at transportationengineering@fremont.gov.