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Road closures on a major thoroughfare connecting central Danville with Diablo and Blackhawk are set to continue into the week ahead following delays on a culvert replacement project that began last month.
A portion of Diablo Road between Alameda Diablo and Ave Nueva will continue to be closed to traffic through Tuesday (April 18), several days after the originally anticipated end date of April 13, according to town officials.
“The town is pleased with how quickly the Diablo Culvert Replacement Project is coming along, although a few circumstances beyond our control have led to extending the completion date,” town officials said in a notice on April 11. “At this point, we expect to reopen Diablo Road on Tuesday, April 18.”
They cited weather conditions over the course of the project, which kicked off on March 23, as well as supply chain issues as reasons for the delay.
“Unfortunately, both the wet weather and supply issues have hampered our progress,” town officials said in the April 11 notice.
“On Saturday alone, more than 1,000 tons of aggregate base (finely crushed rock) was delivered to the site – but not nearly as much as we had hoped – before the plant shut down,” they continued. “To mitigate supply issues as much as possible, crews have continued to work on other tasks within the project while we wait, to make sure that the delay is as short as possible.”
In addition to the full closure of the portion of Diablo Road adjacent to the project, the section of road between Alameda Diablo and Fairway Drive has been open to one-way traffic only since work began.
Although the extended delay has been an inconvenience for drivers, particularly Diablo and Blackhawk residents, the culvert replacement was urgent, according to town officials, as the previous infrastructure teetered on the edge of its 60-year lifespan amid late winter and early spring storms in recent months.
During an inspection of the pipe amid repairs to storm damaged areas in January, the old infrastructure was found to be flattening and leading to slope erosion. The Town Council approved the replacement project at their Feb. 21 meeting, under the state of emergency they had declared on Jan. 10 amid a series of winter storms.
While work is not yet complete on the project, the old culvert was removed as of April 3, with the replacement being built on-site and laid in sections.
“This is a critical emergency replacement, and we appreciate the support the community has shown throughout,” town officials said. “We will continue to provide updates on the project through Tuesday, and appreciate your patience while we make our roadways and drainage system better and safer.”
A map of the road closures and detours is available here.
After the debacle sewer replacement at Greenbrook and the six month delay opening Camino Tassajara at Fallon, I have doubts on this reopening as scheduled. Meanwhile, how many Monte Vista kids are getting in car accidents daily going west on Camino Tassajara in the morning?