Brace yourself: an 18-month project to replace sewers, fix water mains and repave on Haight and Hayes streets kicks off today.
Work will include "demolition, pavement renovation, curb ramp construction, sewer replacement and drainage work, water main installation, AWSS (Auxiliary Water Supply System) relocation, traffic signal conduits, audible pedestrian signal installation, traffic control, and all associated work," according to the original RFP.
We first caught wind of the project in October of last year. At the time, the estimated start date was February of 2015, but the project was delayed by a couple of months due to contractual issues. Those have apparently been resolved, and work is now slated to get underway this week.
The construction will encompass a grand total of 33 blocks, stretching along Hayes Street between Clayton and Larkin, and Haight Street between Ashbury and Laguna:
The entire project will cost about $13.75 million.
Alex Murillo of the SF Department of Public Works tells Hoodline that work will first get underway this week on Haight Street, with workers "potholing," or digging exploratory holes to determine the location of various utility lines underground. Later this week, sewer work will begin on Haight between Masonic and Central.
Sewer work normally takes about four to five weeks per block, Murillo says, but the contractor is hoping to complete it in three to four. Sewer service will not be disrupted while the work takes place.
Traffic, however, will be impacted. Work is conducted in the middle of the street, meaning that a lane of traffic will have to be shifted towards the curb during construction. That means removing parking spots along the curb on blocks where sewer work is being conducted.
Additionally, the 6-Haight/Parnassus Muni line will be slightly rerouted during the work. The 6 will turn on Ashbury, rather than Masonic, to make its journey from Frederick to Haight Street.
Contractors are still finalizing the schedule for future aspects of the project, including similar sewer work on Hayes Street and water main replacement. That timeline should be determined in the next week or so. If all goes well, look for the entire project to wrap up in October of 2016.
