Water Line Damaged at Irvington Portal

At approximately 10:00 AM, a drill crew installing inclinometers struck and damaged a 24" water line at the Irvington Portal. San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) and contractor personnel responded immediately and were able to stop the flow of water and contain it within the SFPUC's property.

The damaged water line serves the City of Hayward. The SFPUC immediately notified the City of Hayward so that the City can set up secondary pumps and storage measures. No service disruptions are anticipated as a result of the damage.

SFPUC and contractor personnel are currently working to repair the water line. Upon completion the water line will be disinfected and inspected prior to returning to service.

AS4 Contractor Reaches Safety Milestone!

As of November 2010, the regional projects for the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) achieved over 1 million safe working hours without major injuries since April 2009. The Alameda Siphon No. 4 project was one of the projects recognized as part of this achievement.

This significant milestone required a total commitment to safety by all participants including contractors, subcontractors, construction managers, consultants and SFPUC staff. The SFPUC salutes Steve P. Rados for active engagement, support and participation in the WSIP Safety Approach.


Recently, the project team presented representatives from Steve P. Rados with a certificate to recognize one million safe working hours. The project team members from left to right: Steve Nash, Regional Safety Manager, AECOM; Larry Olson, SFPUC Lead QA Inspector, (face in shadow); Eric Gee, SFPUC Project Construction Manager; John Barsky, CH2M Hill Regional Construction Manager; Tony Ferencik, S.P. Rados Project Manager; Ben Wright, CH2M Hill Field Contracts Administrator; Sarah Blain, SFPUC QA Inspector; Jim Peletier, S.P.Rados Project Sponsor; Ed Bulaong, S.P. Rados Office Engineer; Zac Arneson, S.P. Rados Office Engineer.

Construction Notice: Irvington Portal

Construction at the Irvington Portal Work Area began today. The Irvington Portal Area is located immediately east of Mission Boulevard near Mission San Jose High School.

What to Expect

The following activities will take place through out the month of January:
• Potholing: Potholing is the practice of verifying the location of existing pipe utility locations by physically digging into the ground and uncovering the pipe. A backhoe and trench box to excavate around the existing pipes will be required in approximately 6 locations. Trucks used to haul equipment on and off the site will also be used during this time.
• Steel I-Beam Installation: Steel I-beam columns 10 foot to 20 foot tall will be placed into the ground. The columns are necessary for the future installation of sound barrier panels. The column installation involves a small truck mounted auger drilling holes in the ground into which the base of columns will be embedded with concrete.
• Gravel Lay Out: Gravel will be laid out on the project site to prevent track out of mud and dirt by construction traffic onto Mission Boulevard. Gravel lay out will involve the spreading out of gravel rock over an area of ground for the temporary parking of equipment and materials.

By Spring 2011, 10 – 20 foot sound barriers will be installed at the project site. In some sections, the sound barrier will be transparent in the upper portion of the barrier to allow for sunlight. Once the sound barriers are in place activities including tunneling, excavation, hauling soils from the tunnel shaft, installation of construction offices and facilities will take place. The Irvington Portal will remain an active construction site until the end of project scheduled in mid-2014.

Construction Hours

Work will take place at this location 7AM to 7PM on weekdays and 8AM to 5PM on Saturdays. However, for two 3-month periods (beginning November 2011 and November 2012), work hours may be extended to 24 hours-a-day; 7 days-a-week.

Noise & Sound

The Irvington Portal will be an active construction site. The sound of construction equipment and vehicles in operation should be expected. However, the contractor must stay within strict noise limits at the work area at all times.

Traffic

Delivery and movement of construction equipment and worker travel will be the primary source of traffic. Flaggers or other equivalent traffic control safety measures are required during morning school arrival (7:00 AM & 8:00 AM) and afternoon release (2:00 PM & 3:00 PM).

Questions

The San Francisco Public Utilities Commission appreciates your cooperation. Please call our 24-Hour Answer Line at 866-973-1476 or visit sfwater.org/NIT if you have questions or comments.

Drilling Begins at the Vargas Shaft

The SFPUC took an important step forward towards the construction of the New Irvington Tunnel. The Southland/Tutor Perini Joint Venture and their subcontractor Malcolm Drilling drilled the first of 76 secant piles for the 120-ft deep Vargas Shaft. Secant piles are 39-inch concrete filled piles that provide support for the excavation of the shaft. When complete, the 41-ft diameter Vargas Shaft will be a starting point for tunneling activities.

The New Irvington Tunnel will run 3.5 miles and have an internal diameter of approximately 8.5 to 10.5 feet. The new tunnel will provide a seismically-designed connection between water supplies from the Sierra Nevada Mountains and the Alameda Watershed to Bay Area water distribution systems.

Tunneling Machine Has Finished Its Job!

A significant milestone has been achieved for the Alameda Siphon No. 4 project. In November, a 96-inch (eight-foot) diameter micro-tunneling machine completed its work to construct a 554-foot-long tunnel underneath Alameda Creek.

As work progressed to construct the tunnel, the team encountered some technical challenges with the micro-tunneling machine. However, the resourceful team and contractor came together and successfully overcame the obstacles to finish the work on a tight schedule.

Crews posed in front of the tunneling machine after it completed its work.

Crews removed the cutterhead portion of the machine from the retrieving pit.

“This tunneling accomplishment marks a significant milestone for the project. It required a great deal of hard work and coordination to work through some major challenges, and I want to commend the entire project team for their efforts,” explained Sunol Regional Project Manager Dan Wade.

This newly constructed tunnel is a significant component of the new Siphon No. 4 that will stretch across the Sunol Valley, connecting the existing Coast Range Tunnel at Alameda East Portal to the existing Irvington Tunnel and the New Irvington Tunnel (currently under construction) at Alameda West Portal. It will help ensure the SFPUC can deliver water to its customers after a major earthquake. This is necessary since the three existing siphons cross the Calaveras Fault and are vulnerable to earthquake damage.

Project Construction Manager Eric Gee explained that since the tunneling work is complete, the contractor efforts are now focused on the rest of the work inside the tunnel. This includes installing one 66-inch (5.5-foot) diameter and two 12-inch diameter pipes and securing it within the tunnel. This work will continue through the end of this year.

Project Manager David Tsztoo explained that the Alameda Siphon No. 4 project, which is more than 50% complete, also includes construction of a new pipe manifold and upgrades to the existing valves control facilities and the Town of Sunol pipeline near the three existing siphons. All work for the project is expected to be complete by December 2011.

Sunol Temple Centennial

Members of the Sunol community recently joined the SFPUC to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Sunol Water Temple near the SFPUC Sunol headquarters in the East Bay.

The 1910 temple, designed by noted architect Willis Polk, was built as a permanent tribute to the convergence of three sources of water serving San Francisco at the time—Alameda Creek, its tributary the Arroyo de La Laguna, and the Pleasanton Well Fields.

SFPUC General Manager Ed Harrington was Master of Ceremonies, and welcomed the crowd of several hundred people. Commission President F.X. Crowley talked on the significance of today’s upgrades to the region’s water facilities under the Water System Improvement Program. He also announced plans to upgrade the Sunol firefighting system, and reiterated the SFPUC’s dedication to the restoration of Alameda Creek. “Today,” he concluded, “we are celebrating a monument to the most precious of resources—our water”

Speakers representing the Sunol community included Alameda County District 2 Supervisor Gail Steele and long-time civic leader Pat Stillman. Stillman hailed the multi-year partnership between community and SFPUC that had produced the day’s celebration, and the temple’s restoration 10 years before. “My hope is to celebrate the water temple not only today, but tomorrow, and for many years to come,” she said. “Long live the water temple!”

Commission Vice President Francesca Vietor thanked the Sunol Planning Committee for its role in the successful day. A new plaque commemorates the temple’s centennial, and new interpretive panels chart Sunol water system history, from its 19th-century beginnings through today.

The current Sunol Valley water system is a critical link between the Sierra/Central Valley portion of today’s 167-mile Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System and the Bay Area’s transmission lines serving more than 2.5 million people. The SFPUC is upgrading all Sunol Region delivery and treatment facilities as part of the SFPUC’s comprehensive $4.6 billion Water System Improvement Program to repair, replace, and seismically upgrade the aging system, which crosses three major and active earthquake faults.

Pipeline Construction on Calaveras Road

The Alameda Siphon No. 4 Project will be installing two large-diameter pipelines across Calaveras Road starting Wednesday, August 25, 2010 through Friday, August 27, 2010.

What this means:
* Through traffic on Calaveras Road will use small temporary bypass roads from the north and south alongside Calaveras Road to accommodate the pipeline installation.
* This area is located on Calaveras Road approximately 2 miles south of Highway I-680.
* The contractor – Steve P. Rados, Inc. will have traffic controls in place and will work to minimize any delays to through traffic. Please plan accordingly.
* Please adhere to the posted speed limits to protect the safety of the public and our workers.
* Those who need to enter and exit from Calaveras Road at this location could also experience delays as they are safely directed into the lane of traffic.

Thank you for your continued patience and support!