Sunol Valley Updates: Calaveras Road Closure and Construction Updates

Here are some important updates that may affect you:

Calaveras Road Closure Starts July 5th

To those who drive or ride Calaveras Road between Milpitas and Highway I-680 through the Sunol Valley: Please take note that Calaveras Road will be closed between Geary Road (just south of the entrance to Sunol Regional Wilderness) to Oakridge Road (near the Santa Clara / Alameda County line) starting July 5, 2016 for 18 months for safety reasons. The closure is weekdays only. 

Why Close the Road?

Although the majority of the materials for the new dam will come from on-site, approximately 300,000 cubic yards of sands and gravels and 150,000 cubic yards of hard rock will need to be imported to the site for construction of the dam. These materials will be imported in large hauling trucks on Calaveras Road. At its peak, truck traffic could amount to an average of one haul truck every five minutes on Calaveras Road during heavy hauling activities. It is not safe for this many large trucks to share the narrow portions of Calaveras Road with cyclists and private vehicles. 

Road Closure Details

• Where: Calaveras Road just south of Geary Road (entrance to Sunol Regional Wilderness) to Oakridge Road – near the Alameda / Santa Clara County line.
• When: weekdays ONLY
• The road will be swept of debris before opening at 6 a.m. on Saturday mornings
• The road will be closed every Sunday evening at 11:00 p.m.
• Gates: Two gates will close Calaveras Road just south of Geary Road and at Oakridge Road
• Emergency First Responders will have access through the closure at all times
• The entrance to East Bay Regional Park District’s Sunol Regional Wilderness will be open at all times from the north
• The road will be OPEN on weekends, for specific cycling races and for major holidays.

To learn more about the Calaveras Road Closure, please visit sfwater.org/calaverasroad for more details

Construction Activity to begin in the South end of the Calaveras Reservoir

What

Staring July 5, 2016 thru Mid 2018, increased construction activity will begin in the southern end of Calaveras Reservoir which the project refers to as Borrow Area E. In order to construct the replacement dam, we will need to gather clay materials from Borrow Area E.

What to expect

• Construction vehicles and earth moving machinery working at the southern edge of the reservoir on SFPUC property.
• Typical work hours are from 6:00 am to 6:00 pm
• You may hear back up alarms and some noise from the equipment
• Traffic: the trucks will stay off public roads for construction work. They will utilize specially-constructed roads within SFPUC property instead
• The project will not use Marsh or Felter Roads to access the construction areas or to haul materials. 

No Construction Work on the 4^th of July
Our construction crews in Sunol Valley will not be working.
We hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Independence Day. 

Photo Friday in Sunol Valley: Fish Passage Facilities Underway

Construction on a project that helps fish in Alameda Creek is underway! The Fish Passage Facilities Project within the Alameda Creek Watershed is located on SFPUC property, but accessed through the Sunol Regional Wilderness Park.

Construction crews have been busy preparing the site and shown here constructing a retaining wall.

The project is part of the SFPUC’s $4.8 billion Water System Improvement Program to repair, replace, and seismically upgrade the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System.  This important work will support restoration of steelhead trout to the Alameda Creek watershed.

Photo Friday in Sunol Valley

Happy Friday

Although the hillsides around Sunol are already golden, we thought we'd share a few reminders of a beautiful spring taken only a couple of months ago.

Enjoy, and have a great weekend!