Santa Rosa took a major step toward reconnecting neighborhoods divided by Highway 101 on Saturday, as city officials and residents gathered at Elliott Avenue and Armory Drive for the groundbreaking of a long-awaited bicycle and pedestrian overcrossing.
The cable-stayed bridge, estimated to cost $48.5 million overall, will stretch roughly 1,100 feet across U.S. 101, linking Elliott Avenue on the west side to Edwards Avenue on the east. According to city officials, the 14.5-foot-wide structure will feature a separated pedestrian walkway and a two-way cycle track, giving thousands of daily commuters, students and families a safe route over one of the most dangerous stretches of freeway in the North Bay.
The project has been in the works for years. Environmental review wrapped up in 2021, and the design phase ran through early 2025. In February, the Santa Rosa City Council unanimously approved a $37.6 million construction contract with Ghilotti Construction Company. Funding comes from a mix of sources, including $12 million from California’s Active Transportation Program through the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, $10.6 million in Regional Measure 3 funds, and local Measure M sales tax revenue.
The overcrossing will directly serve the nearby SMART commuter rail station, Santa Rosa Junior College, Santa Rosa High School, Coddingtown Mall and surrounding neighborhoods — particularly disadvantaged census tracts west of the freeway that have long lacked safe access to jobs, transit and services on the east side. City estimates project annual greenhouse gas reductions of nearly 7.9 percent within a one-mile radius once the bridge and surrounding improvements are complete.
“This overcrossing will remove a long-standing physical barrier and create safer, more equitable access to education, jobs, transit, and essential services,” Mayor Mark Stapp said at the ceremony, according to a city announcement.
Construction is expected to take about 18 months, with the bridge slated to open in late 2027. The groundbreaking drew a crowd of supporters who arrived by bike, on foot and by SMART train — a fitting preview of the bridge’s intended purpose.
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