The renovation to the pedestrian bridge connecting City College is taking longer than expected, leaving half of the path closed through a majority of the semester.

The 30-year-old bridge that connects East and West campus is currently undergoing modernization in a project that was originally scheduled to be done by July 2009. While the bridge remains open, the walking path across it has been reduced to less than half its original size.

With decreased area on the bridge for student and faculty traffic, many students aren’t pleased.

“It sucks to walk on the bridge now,” said Joaquin Quintiana, a 22 year old fine art major. “It just needs to be done.”

The renovations are now expected to last at least an additional four to six weeks, and “could last through fall semester,” according to Director of Facilities Julie Hendricks.

How did this vital part of campus end up under construction during its busiest term on record? Once construction started on the bridge, the damage was found to be far worse than expected. The contract on the bridge was also extended in order to keep it open during the construction.

The original project plan was to add a new deck, railing, and stronger supports at ground level.

According to reports, the deck is now 95 percent complete, but with extensive additional work. The new added cost could reach as high as $500,000.

The Board of Trustees Facilities Committee agenda, released on Aug. 24, described the new issue as “severe unforeseen damage” to the 70-foot-long wood beams that had been treated with a process called glue-lam.

The agenda goes on to state that the beams have been mainly affected by dry rot and termite damage. The beams were not clearly visible until construction had already begun.

The new beams will be made of yellow Alaskan cedar, which contains natural oils that act as preservatives to help resist termites and decay. When treated correctly, the wood is more fire resistant than steel. The bridge was originally designed with similar beams, and replacing them with anything else would require a radically different design.

The glue-lam beams, also known as glued laminated timber, are composed of several layers of lumber glued together. By using this process, several smaller pieces of wood are formed into a single large beam, which also makes them stronger than solid wood. They are also an environmentally friendly alternative to steel and concrete because of the lower amounts of energy needed to manufacture them.

Another issue is students with disabilities that makes travel across the bridge difficult.

“For students with vision or mobility issues, it’s a challenge,” said Janet Shapiro, Director of DSPS. DSPS has set up a service with the security office to shuttle students across campus. To use the service, students can call the DSPS office (805.965.0581 x2364), go to room 160 in the Student Services building, or e-mail [email protected].