Water System Improvement Program Seismic Upgrade of BDPL Nos. 3 & 4: July 2014

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Wishing You a Happy Fourth of July

On behalf of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission and the Bay Division Pipelines Nos. 3 & 4 (BDPL3&4) project team and construction crew, we want to wish you a Happy Fourth of July. Construction work will not take place over the holiday weekend.

As we celebrate our country's independence, our team is also celebrating another success. This week, the BDPL3&4 project garnered the top story in Engineering News-Record. The magazine highlights the cutting-edge slip joint installation to help the pipe compress, move, and even rotate without rupturing during a major earthquake. The goal is to ensure that the 2.6 million people relying on the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, which includes BDPL3&4, can receive potable drinking water within 24 hours of a major earthquake.

To read the article in its entirety, click here

The highly innovative slip joint on the cover of Engineering News-Record

Watch the installation of the one-of-a-kind seismic slip joint

Project Information

The Seismic Upgrade of Bay Division Pipelines Nos. 3 and 4 (BDPL 3&4 Seismic) is part of the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission’s Water System Improvement Program. This project will seismically upgrade two drinking water pipelines where they cross the Hayward Fault in Fremont. To protect the water system, the BDPL 3&4 Seismic project is replacing large sections of the pipelines with high-tech pipe elements and structures designed to protect them from damage during a major earthquake.

The pipelines, known as Bay Division Pipeline Nos. 3 and 4, cross the Hayward Fault near the intersection of Mission Boulevard and I-680 in Fremont. All project work will take place within the SFPUC’s right of way and nearby staging areas.

The seismic upgrade of Bay Division Pipeline Nos. 3 and 4 will improve the reliability of the water system for the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System’s 2.6 million customers in the Bay Area, including Alameda County.

Our project team is working closely with local officials to ensure construction schedules are timely and traffic and community inconveniences are minimized.

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