Work to begin at the Tot Lot in North Fair Oaks

We are very happy to be returning to the Tot Lot on 8th Ave. and Fair Oaks Ave. The conflicting utilities have been relocated allowing us to install pipe at the Tot Lot. We should be getting started there by the middle of next week.

Construction Update:

• We are continuing work on Ivy Dr. in Menlo Park. Work is moving from west to east starting at Belle Haven Elementary School.
• We are also continuing work at the jack and bore site at the intersection of Marsh Rd. and Bay Rd.
• Work is also continuing from 12th Ave eastward in North Fair Oaks.
• Work is slated to begin at the Tot Lot at 8th Ave and Fair Oaks Ave.
• We are also preparing to start construction along Edgewood Road in Emerald Lake Hills as well as near O’Brien Dr. in Menlo Park.

Weekly FAQ:

When will Flood Park be open?

The contractor will continue storing materials on the SFPUC Right of Way in the park, which allows more room to work in the narrow Right of Way along Bay Road.

For information regarding the reopening of Flood Park please email the County Parks Commission at parkscommission@co.sanmateo.ca.us. There is a community group dedicated to the reopening of Flood Park, if you are interested you can learn more at www.savefloodpark.org.

Marsh Rd, Ivy Dr, and more...Construction Update

We are working in many areas across the Right of Way at the moment. We just began excavating at the Jack and Bore site at Marsh Rd. This will allow a tunnel boring machine to dig underneath the width of Marsh Rd without disrupting traffic. The tunnel will be 6 feet in diameter and will not disturb any of the ground above the tunnel. Pretty amazing.

We are doing preliminary “potholing” along Ivy Dr. to locate utilities and minimize disruption during pipe installation. Work will happen along Ivy Dr. between Henderson Ave. and Carlton Ave. Construction will begin shortly, but we will maintain limited two-way access on Ivy Dr. throughout construction.

We have completed our potholing investigation of Avenida Del Ora. We are currently evaluating options for roadway restoration in the summer when we will minimally impact John Gill Elementary. We also completed important soil sampling at Costano Elementary School.

I hope all of the students (and adults) enjoyed the week off of school for spring break.

Stay tuned for next week’s new addition of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ’s)! In an effort to best serve you, we will are adding a new section of FAQ’s to our blog. Each week will feature new questions - send your questions to baydivision@sfwater.org.

Pulgas Ridge Open Space

We are pleased to report that, while we have had to close the Cordilleras Trail at Pulgas Ridge, full access to the Polly Geraci trail and the rest of the park via the Blue Oak Trail will be maintained throughout the entire construction process. This means that as spring is sprung we can continue to enjoy the Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve.

Unfortunately Cordilleras Trail is the only ADA accessible trail at Pulgas Ridge. However, we are currently posting signs at the trail heads along Edmonds Rd. with directions to ADA accessible trails nearby, at both Purisma Creek Redwoods and Huddart Park. Lets all hope that the good weather holds out, so that construction on our end can move along and we can all enjoy the recreational activities at our parks.

In other locations along our Right of Way:

Edgewood Rd: We are continuing to install pipe

Cordilleras Trail: We are preparing to install pipe in the vicinity of the trail

Avenida del Ora: Potholing will happen between 4/18-22

Menlo Park: Preparation to place pipe along Ivy Dr. will begin in the coming weeks

Weekly Look Ahead

Our Project Manager probably said it best, "This team will exercise excessive caution with pipeline inspections."   This week, the contractor and team will review exterior pipeline welds in 6 locations along the alignment.  They are working this week on 2 sites in Flood Park, and this cycle of inspections is expected to take up to 2 weeks.  After that, we will proceed with fence restoration, most likely beginning at Jefferson to Oak in Redwood City.  Once the subcontractor gets the first few blocks completed and the work is approved, we'll release a more thorough fencing schedule. 

In other locations along our Right of Way:
Edgewood Road:  Work will continue at our Pulgas Yard
Ave del Ora:   Potholing between 4/18-22.
12th Avenue:   Continuing to dewater and install pipeline
Marsh Road:   Prepare to install pit so contractor may tunnel pipeline under Marsh to Bay Road
Costano School -- Contractor will do soil sampling during next week's spring break.

Check back next week for more updates and let us know your suggestions and comments. 

Resuming Work

As you probably noticed, the crews are back in the field laying and welding pipe where they can.  Given the rains, we also have to do a lot of dewatering so it will be safe for crews to work in the trenches.  We will wait to see if the weather holds and we can actually begin installing fences next week.   Check here for updates, and let us know your comments and suggestions.