Friday, November 11, 2011

Clearing the Way for the Seismic Upgrade Project

Throughout the fall and into next year, our crews will be working to prepare the project site for construction of the seismic upgrades to major facilities nearly I-680 and Mission Boulevard.

One key step in this process is to remove vegetation and other structures from within the Right of Way to make room for construction and large machinery.

Environmental responsibility is a top priority when clearing the Right of Way of vegetation. To make sure we are complying with environmental standards, our project team has enlisted the expertise of biologists and certified arborists throughout the vegetation-removal process. All trees removed by the Seismic Upgrade and other Water System Improvement Program projects will be replaced, often in local parks and the Alameda or Peninsula watersheds.

In partnership with the City of Fremont, the Seismic Upgrade project is planting new plants in a local park to replace the vegetation removed from the construction site.

Crews have already completed work at Agua Fria Creek, near the intersection of Crawford Street and Bradley Street. Check out the photos below.

A dam was constructed to reroute and protect the creek while work was in progress.

This machine was used to lift smaller trees in the air and hold them while they were being cut down.

Larger trees were held in place by a crane to prevent them from falling. Then they were lifted in the air and moved to a clearing in the site.

WSIP and Seismic Upgrade Featured on KQED!

Quest, a KQED show, this week highlighted the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) for our Hetch Hetchy water system. Check out Quest's video segment about the infrastructure upgrades throughout the system and especially the coverage of the Seismic Upgrade Project!