Gilroy council reviews multi-year paving plan, sidewalk repairs and jurisdiction questions on Monterey Road

The Gilroy City Council reviewed progress in its multi-year street-paving program and updates to the city's sidewalk repair plan during a study session on March 1. Council leaders said this is the fourth year of a five-year intensive paving effort that began in 2022 and that work prioritized around schools should be finished this fall.

Council Chair (S1) opened the session with a map showing past work (green), projects under way (red) and work scheduled in the next two to three years (blue), and corrected one area of the map: the south segment of Gilroy on Monterey Road from the sports park entrance to 10th Street is scheduled for this year rather than a later year. "The red is what's happening this year, and it's already started," the chair said.

Julie Oates, project manager for pavement and transportation projects (S3), told residents the city uses a pavement management program that recommends streets up to 2028 but that schedules are tentative: "On our website, there's a map showing the streets kinda like this map out to 2028 right now, but those streets are tentative because it can change. You can always reach out to public works engineering if you have a specific question." She confirmed the city posts maps online and that a paper map was available in the meeting packet.

Residents raised practical concerns about specific streets. Kathy (S6) praised a newer resurfacing method used on Prince Valley at 2nd — a cape-seal/slurry technique — saying it is a "huge improvement." Oates confirmed that method was tried and that on Princebelle the city applied a double coating to increase longevity.

Council discussion noted that jurisdiction and ownership can complicate repairs. The chair said the city and Caltrans are still resolving who is responsible for the segment past the sports park, and staff said a relinquishment discussion is ongoing. "We don't yet understand whose responsibility it is," a council member said.

On sidewalks, the council reported that staff returned with a list of 87 sections targeted for repair after earlier discussion about roughly 35 problem areas. Chair said property-owner agreements are needed for sidewalk work and that the city aims to bid the project in the fall and begin construction soon, though completing all 87 by year-end is uncertain.

Councilors also described complementary funding streams for targeted low-income corridors, noting Community Development Block Grant money and other program funds will be used for certain repairs and crosswalk extensions adjacent to new affordable housing.

The study session closed with staff encouraging residents to contact public works engineering for parcel-specific questions and noting that advocacy and clear local requests can influence scheduling and prioritization.