ALERT: Oak Tree Tunnel Mobilizing Monday

The tunneling subcontractor will begin mobilizing for work at the oak tree in North Fair Oaks on Monday, April 2nd. This work includes delivery of materials and equipment and set-up of equipment inside tunnel shafts. Continuous dewatering activities will be necessary. Work hours are from 7am to 6pm Monday through Friday.

Please see construction notice attached.

Photo from the Field: Bay Road

Road Restoration - saw cutting curbs on Bay Road

Oak Tree Update

Preparations for tunneling under the large oak tree continued in the North Fair Oaks area. We have completed excavation of both the launching and receiving pits needed for the tunnel. The tunnel boring machine will be brought on site in the next few weeks.

PLEASE NOTE: construction hours for San Mateo County are 7am to 6pm Monday through Friday.

We apologize that the most recent construction notice did not accurately reflect the work hours for construction related to the oak tree. We have updated the construction notice to accurately reflect the work hours and it is below.
Construction Update
San Mateo County

• Construction of the control building, electrical work, and site grading is continuing at the Pulgas yard (in Pulgas Open Space)
• Staging at Pulgas yard continues
• Hydrostatic testing is complete from Edgewood to Cordilleras! We still need to test Hillcrest to the oak tree in the North Fair Oaks area

Menlo Park

• Interior pipeline work continues throughout Menlo Park. The generators for the
• ventilation system will run only during work hours 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Staging of materials at Flood Park continues

Redwood City

• Electrical work and monitoring equipment is being installed at the Redwood City valve house
• Interior pipeline work continues throughout Redwood City. The generators for the
• ventilation system will run only during work hours 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Menlo Park and East Palo Alto

• Hydrostatic testing the second section of pipe is complete!

Restoration Update
Parks

• Restoration is nearly complete at North Fair Oaks Community Playground (Please note:
• until final inspection the park will remain closed to the public.)
• Flood Park remains open to the public except for the back parking lot and ball court
• where staging continues
• The southern Cordilleras Trail head at Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve remains
• closed due to staging and work at the Pulgas yard

Hardscape and Roads

• Paving complete on Iris Lane in Menlo Park
• Sidewalk, curb, and gutter restoration will begin on Bay Road this Monday March 26th
• (this work precedes pavement restoration)

Driveways and Commercial Restoration

• Restoration is scheduled to begin at Kelly Ct in Menlo Park
• Residential driveway restoration will begin following commercial hardscape restoration

Fences

• Fence restoration will restart at Oak Street in Redwood City on Monday
• Fence restoration in North Fair Oaks will directly follow the remaining work in Redwood
• City

Rain, Rain, Go Away?

The double edged sword of winter weather has arrived in earnest this week.

As the rains began on Tuesday, scheduled construction activities along the pipe alignment had to be suspended. Working in the rain with heavy machinery is nearly impossible as everything becomes mud, and causes slippery and possibly unsafe conditions. It does however push our SWPPP (Storm Water Pollution Prevention Plan) into full tilt. We work to ensure that any exposed soil on all job sites remains on the site and does not run-off with the rain water that enters local storm drains. To this end you may see soil stock piles covered with plastic, straw “wattles” placed at the edges of the job site, or silt fencing to prevent run-off on sloped areas.

Plastic, straw wattles, and silt fencing at Pulgas staging area.

Fortunately, the rain does not prevent interior pipeline work. Hydrostatic testing along Edgewood Road has continued despite the inclement weather we have experienced over the past few days.

While the rain is tough on construction it certainly does serve our larger purpose of delivering high-quality drinking water to 2.5 million Bay Area residents. When it rains here it usually means snow in the Sierras, which eventually travels 167 miles to become the drinking water that we enjoy. As of the middle of February the Hetch Hetchy watershed had only received about 19% of the average annual snowfall, far from what we would like. However, the SFPUC anticipates that we will fill Hetch Hetchy Reservoir by July 1.

So, while the rain hinders construction we can at the least appreciate the drinking water it provides down the pipe. Sorry, pun intended.

Hydrostatic Testing at Edgewood Road

With 45,590 feet of pipe in the ground, installation is nearly complete and hydrostatic testing can begin.

Hydrostatic testing is where the pipe is filled with water and pressurized to ensure there are no leaks. This hydrostatic testing will occur in three sections. The first section of pipeline to be tested will be adjacent to Edgewood Road in San Mateo County.

As vital pipeline work is finished below ground we will continue restoration at many locations above ground. Restoration of roads, commercial use areas, residential fences and driveways will continue through the summer. Project completion is September of this year.

FAQ: What are the work hours on Bay Road?

We recently provided notice for the upcoming work on Bay Road and there was much confusion about the work hours.

The work hours for Bay Road depend upon whether or not the work involves closing the road. Any work that does not require the closure (or partial closure) of the road falls under the standard Menlo Park work hours: 8am to 6pm. Any work that requires the closure of Bay Road (limiting traffic to one lane) must take place during non-commute hours: between 9am and 3pm.

The first step of road restoration is sidewalk, curb, and gutter restoration, starting Monday, March 12th, will likely have little impact on the road access and allow for two-way traffic, thus it can occur during the regular Menlo Park work hours: 8am to 6pm.

Construction Update
San Mateo County

• Construction of the control building, electrical work, and site grading is continuing at the Pulgas yard (in Pulgas Open Space)
• Staging at Pulgas yard continues
• Filling portion of pipe with water for hydrostatic testing

Menlo Park

• Interior pipeline work continues throughout Menlo Park. The generators for the ventilation system will run only during work hours 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
• Staging of materials at Flood Park continues

Redwood City

• Electrical work and monitoring equipment is being installed at the Redwood City valve house
• Interior pipeline work continues throughout Redwood City. The generators for the ventilation system will run only during work hours 7:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.

Restoration Update
Parks

• Restoration is nearly complete at North Fair Oaks Community Playground (Please note: until final inspection the park will remain closed to the public.)
• Flood Park remains open to the public except for the back parking lot and ball court where staging continues
• Fleishman Park is open
• The southern Cordilleras Trail head at Pulgas Ridge Open Space Preserve remains closed due to staging and work at the Pulgas yard

Hardscape and Roads

• Paving is nearly complete on Iris Lane in Menlo Park
• Sidewalk, curb, and gutter restoration will begin on Bay Road this Monday March 12th (this work precedes pavement restoration)
• Sidewalk, curb, and pavement restoration continues on Roosevelt, Johnson, and King Streets

Driveways and Commercial Restoration

• Starting restoration of Menlo Park Boys and Girls Club
• Restoration is scheduled to begin at Kelly Ct in Menlo Park
• Residential driveway restoration will begin following commercial hardscape restoration

Fences

• Fence restoration is happening at Oak Street in Redwood City
• Fence restoration in North Fair Oaks will directly follow the remaining work in Redwood City

Restoration Coming to Bay Road

We have recently received many inquiries about when the project will be restoring Bay Road. We are excited to share that road restoration will begin next week.

The first step of road restoration – curb, gutter, and sidewalk repair work – is scheduled to begin this upcoming Monday, March 12th. Pavement restoration will directly follow curb and gutter work. Striping the road will conclude the restoration of Bay Road.

Work hours are 8:00am to 6:00pm Monday through Friday. Traffic controls may be necessary so please follow the direction of all posted signs and flaggers. As with all construction work may be delayed at any time due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us at 800-571-6610.

We understand that construction has been an inconvenience for many neighbors, especially those who frequently drive on Bay Road, and we appreciate you continued patience as we complete construction on this vital infrastructure project.

Preparations Begin for Tunneling the Oak Tree

We are preparing to start tunneling activities under a large oak tree on the pipeline alignment in North Fair Oaks next week. Our environmental team and a certified arborist will be on site directing and performing this work, which includes weed abatement, installing high visibility tree protection fencing, and pruning small non-critical roots above older water pipelines.

The tunnel under the tree’s critical root zone will follow this preparatory work and will be very similar to the tunnel completed under Marsh and Bay Roads as part of this project. As you may remember, all trenched pipe installation includes dewatering any groundwater that may be encountered at the construction site. At high groundwater areas dewatering is likely to be a 24- hour operation to maintain dry working conditions in the tunnel.

Tunnel boring, pipe installation, hydrostatic testing and site restoration will be ongoing into the summer. This will be the final section of BDPL-5 to be installed as part of this contract.

FAQ: When will the project pave Bay Road?

Our current projection for paving Bay Road is mid-March. Crews just finished restoration of damaged sidewalks, curbs, and gutters at Iris Lane in preparation for paving. We will continue to post updates on the schedule. Note: As with all construction schedules, this is a best estimate based on known factors and cannot reflect possible delays due to weather or other unforeseen circumstances.