Busy Day -- Work Near Sawyer Camp Trail on Monday, October 24th

On Monday, October 24^th Sawyer Camp Trail will be closed from the Hillcrest Gate to the 5 mile marker. This northern-most one mile section of trail will close all day for routine water system maintenance. You will be able to enter the trail at the southern trailhead (Skyline and Crystal Springs Road) and enjoy the first five miles of trail, but there will be no through access at Hillcrest.

The southern portion of the trail will be open Monday, but hikers may see something unexpected: A Hydroseed Truck on the trail! The truck will be applying “Earth Guard” onto the slopes near the trail to prevent erosion. Earth Guard is an environmentally friendly soil stabilizer, and the work is monitored by wildlife biologists. This must be done in advance of the winter storms, but does not require the trail to be closed.

The next big concrete pour for the Lower Crystal Springs Dam stilling basin will take place this Monday, October 24^th. 90 trucks will deliver cement to the area between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. using Polhemus and Crystal Springs Road. A smaller pour is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25^th with about 20 to 45 cement deliveries starting at 6 a.m. Construction on the Lower Crystal Springs Dam stilling basin, spillway and parapet wall is expected to finish on schedule by November 15^th!

Please contact us 24-hours a day with any questions or concerns at (866) 973-1476.

Map of work near Sawyer Camp Trail in 2011 and 2012. Click to enlarge.

Map of work near Sawyer Camp Trail in 2011 and 2012. Click to enlarge.

Peninsula Watershed Update

v   Reminder: Sawyer Camp Trail is closed for two days on October 19th and 20^th (Wednesday and Thursday). The entire trail will be closed for two days - to reopen at sunrise on Friday, October 21^st.

v  On Monday, October 24^th Sawyer Camp Trail will be closed from the Hillcrest Gate to the 5 mile marker. This northern-most one mile section of trail will close all day for routine water system maintenance. You will be able to enter the trail at the southern trailhead (Skyline and Crystal Springs Road) and enjoy the first five miles of trail, but there will be no through access at Hillcrest.

v  Work continues on the Lower Crystal Springs Dam stilling basin. The next big concrete pour will take place this Monday, October 24^th: 90 trucks will deliver cement to the area between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. using Polhemus and Crystal Springs Road. A smaller pour is scheduled for Tuesday, October 25^th with about 20 to 45 cement deliveries starting at 6 a.m. Construction on the Lower Crystal Springs Dam stilling basin, spillway and parapet wall is expected to finish on schedule by November 15^th!

Please contact us 24-hours a day with any questions or concerns at (866) 973-1476!

Sawyer Camp Trail 2-day Closure: October 19th and 20th

TRAIL CLOSURE:

Sawyer Camp Trail will be closed for two days on October 19th and 20^th (Wednesday and Thursday). The entire trail will be closed for two days - to reopen at sunrise on Friday, October 21^st.

The closure (originally scheduled for earlier this month) is needed to prepare for the rainy season at construction sites near the trail. Also, 100 trucks will deliver rock to complete new access road segments that run along our water pipeline. These access roads will enable repairs and maintenance of the Crystal Springs/San Andreas Pipeline… without driving on Sawyer Camp Trail!

WEEKEND WORK:

Crews will be working this Saturday and Sunday at the Lower Crystal Springs Dam work site (near the southern trailhead to Sawyer Camp Trail) in order to complete work prior to winter storms. Work will also continue all weekend on the Crystal Springs/San Andreas Pipeline adjacent to Sawyer Camp Trail. The pipeline was recently emptied of water for a short window of time to allow for seismic upgrades and valve replacements. Small pick-up trucks and one water truck for dust control will need to drive on the trail both Saturday and Sunday at speeds no more than 5 mph.

POLHEMUS AND BUNKER HILL

All day Friday, October 14^th our team will be removing soil from a staging area along Polhemus between Crystal Springs Road and Bunker Hill Drive. You may notice our flagger directing traffic on Polhemus. This work will break for the weekend, but may need to resume on Monday (October 17^th).

Please contact us 24-hours a day with any questions or concerns at (866) 973-1476!

ASCE Honors New Crystal Springs Bypass Tunnel Project Team

The San Francisco Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) selected New Crystal Springs Bypass Tunnel for its Large Project of the Year award.

Located in San Mateo County near Polhemus Road, this project is at final completion.

Several members of the project team joined Julie Labonte, Director of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission (SFPUC) Water System Improvement Program (WSIP), in celebrating the achievement at the San Francisco Section annual dinner in late September. Labonte accepted the award on behalf of Peninsula Regional Project Manager Husam Masri who was out of the country at the time.

One of the very first WSIP regional projects, the new 4,200 foot tunnel and pipeline in San Mateo County was completed ahead of schedule using less than 4% of its contingency funds. An Arup Brierley team assisted SFPUC’s engineering team led by Project Engineer Gilbert Tang with the design. Shank/Balfour Beatty excavated the tunnel using a 12-foot-diameter shielded disc-cutterhead tunnel boring machine. Jacobs Associates of San Francisco provided the construction management.

Labonte applauded the combined team’s excellent design and construction management within strict budget and schedule constraints while contending successfully with neighbors in close proximity and active creek habitats. “Only the best team work can produce such an exceptional performance,” said Labonte.

Here is a photo of the project team at the ASCE event in late September. Congratulations!

Sawyer Camp Trail: Construction Update

Thank you to the regular users of Sawyer Camp Trail for bearing with our construction and necessary truck traffic on the trail! Truck traffic is expected to reach a peak this September and October – so remain cautious as you travel the southern portion of the trail. Our drivers are required to travel no more than 5 miles per hour – but sometimes even that pace can make for a surprise on the trail. If you see any activity that concerns you, please call our 24-hour answering line: (866) 973-1476. A good alternate: The northern portion of the trail from Hillcrest Gate is truck free!

In early October, our water pipeline adjacent to the trail will be “shut down” so that crews can install new valves. This pipeline project involves seismic upgrades to 150 connection points and replacing more than 2,000 feet of pipe.

Short trail closures are expected this autumn, but our team is making every effort to minimize inconvenience to trail users.

The good news?

• Saturdays and Sundays are currently free of construction-related driving (Park Rangers and Watershed Keepers do still patrol the trail, as always).

• Work along the northern half of the trail is now complete. Our crews will no longer be driving from the 3 mile marker to the Hillcrest Gate.

• By next spring, new dedicated access road segments will allow more than 80% of the water pipeline to be reached without driving on Sawyer Camp Trail. Construction traffic on the trail is expected to be rare after January 2012.

The Crystal Springs Reservoir System provides emergency backup and supplementary drinking water supply to San Mateo and San Francisco counties. Please call us 24 hours a day with any comments or questions at (866) 973-1476.

Increased Truck Traffic on Friday Nights thru Saturday Days (Approximately 6PM)

Continuing tomorrow night and for the next three Friday nights (through September 3rd), increased truck traffic will be present on Black Mountain Road, Skyline Blvd., Crystal Springs Road, and Polhemus Rd. near the southern trailhead to the Sawyer Camp Trail.

On Friday, August 19th at 11 p.m., trucks will be delivering cement for the continued foundation pour at the base of the Lower Crystal Springs Dam. Truck traffic will continue throughout the night, and throughout Saturday day.

The work will enlarge the dam’s stilling basin (see photo) to ensure any spillway flows are slowed as they enter San Mateo Creek.

Please call our 24-hour answering service if you have any questions or concerns. You can also receive email alerts about construction in the Peninsula Watershed by subscribing to www.sfwater.org/SCT or follow us on Twitter: @SawyerCampTrail.

Increased Truck Traffic on Friday Nights into Saturday Mornings

Starting tonight and continuing for the next four Friday nights (through September 3rd), increased truck traffic will be present on Black Mountain Road, Skyline Blvd. and Crystal Springs Road near the southern trailhead to the Sawyer Camp Trail.

Beginning tonight, Friday, August 12th at 11 p.m., trucks will be delivering cement for a large foundation pour at the base of the Lower Crystal Springs Dam. Truck traffic will continue throughout the night until approximately noon on Saturday.

The work will enlarge the dam’s stilling basin (see photo) to ensure any spillway flows are slowed as they enter San Mateo Creek.

Please call our 24-hour answering service if you have any questions or concerns. You can also receive email alerts about construction in the Peninsula Watershed by subscribing to www.sfwater.org/SCT or follow us on Twitter: @SawyerCampTrail.