San Diego is planning to spend around US$70 million to upgrade the sewage system and water pipes near the State University. Several streets near it will be torn up for short spells over the next four years so that the city can broaden and improve the sewer and water lines leading to the Point Loma Wastewater Treatment Plant.
A Forward-Thinking Approach
Although leaders of the community are not looking forward to the disruptions that will ensue, they are fully supportive of the engineers idea. This is because the city is taking a dynamic approach to reduce the chance of pipes rupturing in the future.
Chairman of the College Area Planning Group, Jose Reynoso has said that taking care of the sewers in a coordinated fashion now means we don’t end up with huge problems further down the line. He blamed the current issues the city is facing on these pipes degrading because this attitude has not been in place before now.
Reynoso used the recent pipe problem at Reservoir Drive at Montezuma Road as an example, where a lane closure lasting several months was recently required.
Ongoing Maintenance Just Got Easier
This project is going to make it simpler for the city to accomplish the necessary ongoing maintenance the pipes need by opening access to parts of the Alvarado sewer main. Adobe Falls Road, Alvarado Road, Fairmount Avenue, Mission Gorge Road, and Zephyr Lane will all be impacted.
Businesses and residents will receive notice from the city 30 days before work begins and then again from the contractor five days before. Money for it won't come from taxpayers, though, so you don’t have to worry about an unplanned spend on the winnings you’ve seen from your online casino NZ adventures! The expenses will be funded by ratepayers who get sewer and water service from the San Diego Utilities Department.
The work will unfold on city streets and other paved exteriors as well as within sewer easements on private property. All areas impacted by the work will get resurfaced, say city officials, and new curb ramps will be installed, improving access for people with physical disabilities.
Construction is going to need specialised trench excavation and tunnelling operations for parts of the project, with new pipes getting installed within ditches 10 feet wide and 25 feet deep. It’s thought that work will be finished by 2024 and this segment comprises the last phase of a series of upgrades to the sewer line in Alvarado.
Roughly 3.5 miles of pipes will be replaced, 8 000 linear feet of existing lines will be made better, and 8 500 linear feet of sewer mains will be abandoned. The design work is almost completed, hence the US$70 million estimate, and bids will be sought in spring.
As part of the project, the Council is extending its consulting agreement with Gannett Fleming, the engineering company that handled the earlier phases. Their contract will now run through until May 2025 instead of May 2023.
