Temporary Night Work to Begin Friday, November 13th

In order to make critical adjustments to the tunnel boring machine prior to launch, contractor Shank Balfour/Beatty will extend their work hours to 11pm at the South Shaft site beginning on Friday, November 13th. Night work will NOT take place on Saturday or Sunday nights.

During the night work, a smaller crew of workers will be on site and the majority of the work will take place inside the shaft and tunnel. The crane and site lights will be in use. The project team will follow all required nighttime noise limits as specified in the project Environmental Impact Report (EIR). Some soil may be lifted from the shaft but will not be relocated to the upper terrace until the following daytime shift.

Maureen Barry will be available at 415-350-4929 or via email at mbarry@sfwater.org after 7pm in case neighbors have concerns. She will have direct access to the field supervisor.

What Neighbors Can Expect in November and December
Neighbors near the South Shaft site will see crews continuing to work inside the shaft, tunnel and maintenance shop. If critical adjustments are successful, tunnel boring is expected to begin in mid to late November. As stated in the EIR and during public meetings, tunnel boring may take place 24 hours a day if necessary.

November Update

The contractor is in the process of testing the tunnel boring machine (TBM) and will begin mining the tunnel soon. Once the mining process begins, rings of concrete segments will be installed by the TBM inside the tunnel to provide ground support.

The holidays will be here soon! We do not plan to work on the following dates: November 26 and 27. December 25 and January 1st.



Here is a recent photo of the South Shaft site showing the precast concrete segments that will be installed inside the tunnel.

Crews to begin Preliminary Potholing in Daly City on Monday

The San Andreas Pipeline No.3 Installation project has began full construction in San Francisco's Merced Manor neighborhood. In preparing for full construction to commence next year in Daly City. Mountain Cascade, Inc. contractor working for the SFPUC will begin potholing on Wilshire Avenue in mid November.

The preliminary stages of potholing of the construction project will consist of crews verifying the existing placement of pipelines and other utilities in the following locations:

Wilshire Avenue to Sheffield Drive 7 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Sheffield Drive to John Daly Boulevard 7a.m. - 5p.m.
John Daly Boulevard to Poncetta Drive 7a.m. - 5p.m.

Potholing is expected to be completed by December 2009.

For continuing updates on this project, please visit www.sfwater.org/sanandreas3

Work Lights on Site

As the days get shorter, work crews are starting to use work lights late in the afternoon at the South Shaft site.

With the end of Daylight Savings Time this weekend, work crews will need to turn on work lights earlier starting on Monday, November 2nd.

The work lights face downward to prevent light from shining into neighborhood homes. If you have any concerns, contact us via this blog or at 650-212-0165.

Don't forget to turn your clocks back on Sunday, November 1st! Happy Halloween!

Safe Roadways: Two Tips for Safety Near our Worksites

Trucks Entering/Exiting on Polhemus Road
With tunnel boring beginning at the South Shaft soon, the contractor expects a slight increase in truck traffic entering and exiting the site on Polhemus Road. The project is committed to safety and will remind all truck drivers to use caution when driving, entering and exiting on Polhemus Road. Please watch for these trucks entering and exiting the site during work hours. For the safety of everyone, please follow the posted speed limit on Polhemus Road.

10 MPH Speed Limit on Crystal Springs Road
Please also remember the 10 mile per hour speed limit on Crystal Springs Road near the intersection of Polhemus at the site of our North Shaft. The section is 10 mph to ensure safety for bicycle riders, pedestrians, cars and the work teams at the site. Please follow the posted speed limit at all times. Thank you.

Views from the Tunnel

Here are some very recent photos of the inside of the tunnel at the South Shaft. Tunnel boring has not yet started. Crews are continuing to assemble machinery in preparation for tunnel boring.

The first photo is a shot of the Tunnel Boring Machine trailing gear inside the starter tunnel.

The second photo is a view looking upward from inside the South Shaft.

The third photo shows the inside of the tunnel.

TBM Successfully Lowered into South Shaft on Sept 30th

Great news! The Tunnel Boring Machine was successfully lowered into the South Shaft at about 7:30am on September 30th! In October, it will begin boring the New Crystal Springs Bypass Tunnel under Polhemus Road.

Special thanks to the many skilled workers and staff, and especially crane operator Lawrence Cary, who worked calm and steady to lower the TBM 155 feet down into the shaft.



We appreciate our neighbor who delivered the great photographs! See photo number two.