Overnight Closure of I-680 On-Ramp Begins at Midnight

A freeway on-ramp from Mission Boulevard will be closed tonight, according to the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission.

The closure, which was originally set for Wednesday night, will allow for work to be done on a water pipe under the on-ramp to northbound Interstate 680, according to a post from the Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program.

Here's more from a press release from SFwater.org:

Construction to replace a regional water delivery pipeline is progressing inAlameda County, requiring closures to the northbound I-680 on-ramp on Mission Blvd. nearPaseo Padre Parkway. Due to wet weather conditions, the Wednesday, Feb. 20 on-ramp work has been postponed. The on-ramp will be closed at midnight for five hours, and will reopen on Friday, Feb. 22 at 5 a.m. in time for the morning commute.

Why:      To ensure the region has a reliable water supply following an earthquake, workers will replace and retrofit large pipelines under the current I-680 on-ramp later this spring. This closure is necessary for work on a water pipe below the on-ramp.During the environmental review period, this was identified as being the least disruptive option.

When: Friday, Feb. 22 from midnight to 5 a.m.

The on-ramp closure permitted by Caltrans is between the hours of midnight and 5 a.m. This timeframe has been identified to ensure that the work is completed before the morning commute times. The overnight closures are not permitted on weekends or holidays.

Where: The Mission Boulevard on-ramp to northbound I-680 in Fremont, CA. 

Details:

• This overnight on-ramp closure is the first of a handful of overnight traffic diversions required along this busy traffic corridor to reinforce the pipelines over the Hayward Fault.
• The SFPUC, Caltrans and other governmental agencies are working with the contractor on this phased traffic approach plan.

The Project:

The Bay Division Pipelines No. 3 & 4 (BDPL3&4) Replacement Project is a part of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s $4.6 billion Hetch Hetchy Water System Improvement Program providing seismic and reliability upgrades to the drinking water system for 2.6 million customers in the Bay Area. 

Originally built in the 1952 and 1973, the BDPL3&4 pipelines cross three traces of the Haywardearthquake fault. To avoid major damage to this essential part of the Bay Area’s Hetch Hetchy water delivery system, this project will replace the existing BDPL No. 3 with a new pipeline between two recently installed vaults on either side of the Hayward Fault. The new pipeline will be highly reliable in the event of a major earthquake. The existing BDPL No. 4 will be seismically retrofitted at the three fault traces. All construction activities will take place in the SFPUC’s existing right of way.

When construction is complete, the new regional pipeline will include state-of-the art technologies designed and tested by Cornell University using full-scale, extensive geotechnical and fault trenching studies. For more information visit, www.sfwater.org/seismicupgrade or follow us for traffic updates at @I680H2OPipeWork.