"That's what will happen to the bridge," a man observing the meeting shouted.

Indeed, the nearly 90-year-old bridge will fail someday if rehabilitative work is not done, according to a report issued by a structural engineering consultant.

The council voted last week to keep the bridge closed to vehicular traffic and to repair some of its structural deficiencies. A Caltrans report gave the bridge a 31 percent sufficiency rating last year, and the council voted to close it temporarily while considering options. It has been closed since January.

The council was presented with three choices at the May 3 meeting: leave the bridge closed to vehicles; repair it to make it safe for vehicle traffic or build a replacement bridge. A brand-new bridge was favored by local residents who said they wanted the traffic flow restored. Building a new bridge would cost about $1.5 million, with about 88 percent of that reimbursed by Caltrans. The town would pay approximately $180,000.

If the existing bridge were to be repaired and made suitable for vehicle traffic again, it would cost an estimated $1 million. Because it would not be in compliance with Caltrans regulations, though, the agency would not reimburse any of that cost.

Parks and Public Works Director John Curtis could not provide the council with an estimate for the option it ultimately chose--leaving the bridge open only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. While that type of traffic would not put much stress on the deck of the bridge, the flowing water of the Los Gatos Creek beneath it has damaged the foundation and will continue to do so. If pedestrian and bicycle traffic remain on the bridge, new railings would need to be built.

Pressed by council members to state even a ballpark figure for the latter option, Curtis said it could easily be as much as the town's portion of building a new bridge.

Monroe Court resident Alicia Barela said she wanted a new bridge built.

"I have wonderful neighbors on Ohlone Court, and suddenly we've been cut off from each other," she said.

Ohlone Court resident Kim Gavin agrees that the bridge should be rebuilt. She must now exit her neighborhood onto Blossom Hill Road, which is often busy because of visitors to Vasona Lake County Park.

"When I bought my home, I knew about the busy park across the street," Gavin said. "But I also knew about the two exits to our neighborhood."

Glickman said he agreed with the residents that a new bridge should be built, since it was likely to be the least expensive option and would restore traffic flow along Roberts Road. Mayor Mike Wasserman agreed.

Councilman Joe Pirzynski, though, said access was not the only issue to be considered. Since the 1918 bridge might be the only one of its kind, he said historic preservation comes into play, too.

"I daresay that this community, in its 100-plus years of history, has other values as well," Pirzynski said. "If you take [the bridge down], it will never come back. We are going to lose something that is important to our community."

Vice Mayor Diane McNutt agreed.

"Are we talking about a road or a historic structure?" she asked. "For me, it is a conversation about a historic asset to this community."

McNutt made a motion to keep the bridge closed, install more permanent, aesthetically pleasing barricades than are currently in place and make necessary repairs to the foundation, surface and railing. The motion passed 3-2, with Councilwoman Barbara Spector joining McNutt and Pirzynski in support of preserving the bridge.

Town Attorney Orry Korb said that the decision would not preclude the council from later deciding to pursue other funding to completely rehabilitate the bridge. McNutt had suggested that historical preservation grants or donations might be available for that purpose.