On February 26, the Iron Horse Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing at Bollinger Canyon Road Project received the 2026 Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Project Award from the California State Association of Counties (CSAC), League of California Cities (Cal Cities), and County Engineers Association of California (CEAC).
According to the awarding bodies, these awards highlight local government projects that demonstrate innovation and cost efficiency while protecting long-term investments in California’s streets, roads, and bridges. The 2026 Outstanding Local Streets and Roads Project Award is the highest-level honor, and only one trophy is awarded each year.
The award ceremony was held on February 25 at the 2026 Cal Cities Public Works Officers Institute Spring Conference in Monterey.
“San Ramon is incredibly proud of our Public Works team, whose talent, dedication, and expertise delivered a project that is now being recognized at the highest levels in California,” said City Manager Steven Spedowfski.
“I am incredibly proud and grateful for the collaboration and effort from City staff and all other agencies involved—especially Contra Costa Transportation Authority—to complete this project on time and within budget, utilizing funding sources at all levels, resulting in a less than 20% project cost by the City,” said Brian Bornstein, San Ramon’s Director of Public Works. “This bridge has also become an instant landmark in the heart of San Ramon!”
An article highlighting the Project was recently featured in the League of California Cities on-line publication, Western City.
On March 5, the Project also garnered two awards from the American Public Works Association (APWA): the 2026 Project of the Year Award for a Transportation Project with a Cost Between $25 – 75 Million; and the 2026 Northern California APWA Project of the Year Award. The latter is the highest-level honor and goes to only one project a year. This year, San Ramon’s Project was selected for this award out of 25 nominated projects. This award automatically qualifies the Project for the APWA National Competition that will be held at the Public Works Expo in Houston, Texas in late August.
About the Overcrossing
The $29M Iron Horse Trail Bicycle and Pedestrian Overcrossing at Bollinger Canyon Road is a 340-foot, cable-stayed bridge that provides a safe, grade-separated crossing over one of San Ramon’s busiest corridors. Anchored by 900 feet of MSE wall approaches, it eliminates a previously signaled crossing and completes a link in the 30-mile regional Iron Horse Trail system. The project integrated context-sensitive landscaping with over 7,000 native and drought-tolerant plants and 80 trees along with community gathering spaces enhanced by architectural lighting.
Public benefits of the Overcrossing at Bollinger Canyon Road include:
• Improving safety by eliminating conflicts between pedestrians/bicycles and vehicles
• Improving vehicular traffic flow by removing the at-grade crossing
• Eliminating unsafe crossing maneuvers by pedestrians and bicyclists
• Encouraging pedestrian and bicycle usage along the Iron Horse Trail
• Increasing trail use for nearby schools by improving safety at the Bollinger Canyon Road crossing
More than 82% of funding for the project came from external sources, including grants from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District, MTC’s Transportation for Livable Communities Program and One Bay Area, and the Tri-Valley Transportation Commission; as well as Contra Costa Transportation Authority’s Measure J funding.
Partner agencies for the project include Contra Costa Transportation Authority (CCTA), Contra Costa County (CCC), and East Bay Regional Park District (EBRPD).
History of the Overcrossing
In 2009, San Ramon approved the San Ramon Valley Bicycle Pedestrian Corridor Concept Plan, which studied the feasibility of integrating a series of bicycle/pedestrian overcrossings along the Iron Horse Trail at major arterial crossings.
Community outreach and preliminary design for the Iron Horse Trail Overcrossing at Bollinger Canyon Road was completed in 2015, and the conceptual bridge design type was selected.
The final design was approved April 23, 2019, and the official groundbreaking ceremony was held on May 18, 2023. The overcrossing opened to the public on July 19, 2025.