Danville and San Ramon are considering building bridges on the Iron Horse Trail to facilitate crossing over three roads with heavy traffic.

A study, called the Iron Horse Trail Corridor Conception Plan, is analyzing the trail where it crosses Sycamore Valley Road in Danville as well as Crow Canyon and Bollinger Canyon roads in San Ramon to see if constructing bicycle and pedestrian overcrossings at these spots are feasible.

"The issue was raised by members of the community for a number of years," said Tai Williams, Danville transportation services director. "It's a very expensive and long-term endeavor."

Four agencies are involved in the project, including the Town of Danville, San Ramon, Contra Costa County and the Contra Costa Transportation Authority. They received a federal grant in January of $100,000 to do the study and hired Callendar and Associates in June. The study has already begun.

Key goals include integrating pedestrian and bicyclist crossings from the trail into school and shopping areas, said Lisa Bobadilla, transportation division manager for San Ramon, who is spearheading the effort. She said she applied for grants to fund the project a year ago.

"Over the years, there have been a number of discussions at the local and regional level over improvements," she said. "We don't know what will happen at the end of the study."

The San Ramon staff will hold a community input meeting from 2-4 p.m., Monday, Oct. 15, in the San Ramon Community Center at 12501 Alcosta Blvd. The meeting is open to the public, and San Ramon has invited key stakeholders who would be impacted by the overcrossings.

Williams noted that if the resulting plan is approved by the agencies and the community, it would still take time to find funding and to receive final approval for its construction.

"It's a first step of many, many steps," she added. "We felt it was important regionally. It's one corridor that spans multiple jurisdictions."

Are you receiving Express, our free daily e-mail edition? See a sample and sign-up for Express.