PG&E Busy on Palo Alto Roads Again

PG&E has some major excavations planned in Palo Alto that will inconvenience cyclists, commuters and residents on Alma Street and Foothill Expressway.

As part of their ongoing valve replacement on pipeline No. 132 on Alma Street between Colorado and the Oregon Expressway/Page Mill Road overpass, PG&E will excavate driveways and sidewalks, alerted Debra Katz spokeswoman for the city's public utilities department.

The work will require periodic lane closures for several months, similar to those that created when the city replaced its water main on Charleston Road and then repaved Alma Street.

"The good news is PG&E's contractors will not be digging in the street, where new rubberized asphalt pavement was just laid down," Katz said. "The best news is that we will have a very safe gas transmission line running through our town that has not only been thoroughly hydrotested but thanks to this valve work, will be fully 'PIG-able,' which means that starting in 2014 PG&E can regularly run inspecting 'PIG' devices through the pipes to verify their integrity from the inside out."

"The gratitude of all Palo Altans goes out to the residents and commuters along Alma Street who continue to bear the brunt of this inconvenience," she said.

Work on Foothill Expressway

The other PG&E work, via contractor ARB, Inc., will take place across town on Foothill Expressway between Hillview Avenue and Page Mill Road and runs from Friday, May 17 through May 20.

This work will close down bike lanes, explained Katz.

The schedule work will backfill and remove shoring for the excavation pits dug under Matadero Creek. The detour for commuters and cyclists will be up Hillview Ave, crossing over to Page Mill Road along Deer Creek Road.

"The good news is that the same road closure earlier this month—to accommodate the excavation that is now being refilled—caused few problems," Katz said. "And the best news is PG&E’s installation of the new gas transmission pipeline segment under Matadero Creek is almost done!"

She added, "If all goes well, the line is expected to be hydrotested next week and then it will just be a matter of waiting for a 'tie-in' date when this segment can be connected up with the its 'parent' transmission line and put back into service."

Work at Palo Alto/Stanford Border

Katz reminds of ongoing work on along northbound Junipero Serra Blvd, which also affects the westbound lane of Page Mill Road, and has created noise and frequent lane closures. The work, which began in early May, will continue through June 3rd.