The WSIP Turns 10!

This year the Water System Improvement Program (WSIP) turns 10! One of the largest infrastructure projects in the nation, the WSIP is repairing, replacing and upgrading our aging water infrastructure to ensure we can deliver water to customers following an earthquake. We’ve gotten a little nostalgic about how far we’ve come in the last 10 years, and we would like to share this video with you.



Now 80 percent complete, the WSIP has already provided increased reliability to the water supply for customers as a result of the completion of some of the program’s major projects. The program has created over 6 million construction craft hours to date, employing more than 11,000 workers since 2007. Nearly half of those workers live in our four-county service area.

Construction Notice: Excavation and Testing near Paseo Padre Pkwy

Construction activities will re-commence in the area between Paseo Padre Parkway and Nugget Way on Monday, May 12. 

Crews will use machines to excavate near the pipeline shut-off station, run water tests and then connect the new earthquake-safe pipeline to the regional water system.

This work will take place between 7 a.m. and 7 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, and 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays. The work will not affect traffic.

Milestone: the Seismic Slip Joint

In April, we installed a one-of-a-kind seismic slip joint. Watch the video here:

Construction Notice: Two-day on-ramp closure at Mission Blvd.

The westbound Mission Blvd. to northbound I-680 on-ramp in the Warm Springs neighborhood of Fremont will be closed between 10 p.m. on Wednesday night April 16 through 6 a.m. on Saturday morning, April 19 to install a large slip joint.

The slip joint to be installed is designed to absorb up to 6.5 feet
of movement during a major earthquake.

The red line shows the on-ramp subject to closure.

Detour Information 
To detour during this on-ramp closure, use Warm Springs Blvd. (North), and make a right at Auto Mall Parkway to merge onto the I-680 North.

Trucks should take the Warm Springs Blvd. detour or turn left at Durham Rd. to access I-680 before the Mill Creek bridge.

On-ramp Closure: Eastbound Mission Blvd. to Northbound I-680

This Thursday night 4/10 and Friday morning 4/11, the Eastbound Mission Blvd. to Northbound I-680 on-ramp in the Warm Springs neighborhood of Fremont will be closed between midnight and 5:00 a.m.

In order to complete essential elements of our regional water pipeline upgrade, it is necessary to close and slightly re-align this on-ramp. This will allow construction activities to continue alongside this busy commuter corridor without further impacting traffic.

Why a Night Time Closure? 
Closing the on-ramp late at night causes the least impact to commuters and local residents.
The pipelines we are upgrading are located directly under the I-680 freeway and the on/off-ramps of Mission Blvd. In order to access the pipeline, a phased traffic handling plan is being put in place. The SFPUC, Caltrans and other governmental agencies have worked together closely on this phased traffic approach plan to limit impacts to drivers and the surrounding community.

Detour Information 
To detour during this five-hour on-ramp closure, use Warm Springs Blvd. (North), and make a right at Auto Mall Parkway to merge onto the I-680 North.

Trucks should take the Warm Springs Blvd. detour or turn left at Durham Rd. to access I-680 before the Mill Creek bridge.

The red line shows on-ramp to be closed at midnight on Thursday night.
The on-ramp will re-open on Friday morning, April 11 at 5:00 a.m., shown in blue.

On the move: huge ball joints head for the fault line

A ball joint secured and ready for transport.

Next week, the first of two massive ball joints will be delivered from storage in Livermore to our construction site in Fremont, where it will be included in the Seismic Upgrade of Bay Division Pipelines Nos.  3&4.

The two identical joints were fabricated specifically for the project. The inner dimension of the ball joints measures 72 inches (6 feet) in diameter. The joint itself measures more than 8 feet in diameter at its widest point. The ball joints are the largest such joints to be used in the Hetch Hetchy Regional Water System, and at the time of fabrication were the largest ball joints in the world.

The joints are made of ductile iron and are part of a system designed to absorb up to 6.5 feet of horizontal displacement if a major earthquake were to take place on the Hayward Fault.

A depiction of the ball joint installed in the BDPL3&4 system (courtesy of URS Corp.)

Upcoming Night Closures on Mission Boulevard at 880 Effective: Monday, January 27, 2014

As our agencies work together to improve the infrastructure of the burgeoning Warm Springs neighborhood, the following notice of night time closures at Mission Blvd. and 880 is shared as a courtesy via BART Silicon Valley.

Location	Eastbound and westbound Mission Boulevard (Route 262) between Warm Springs Boulevard and I-880 in Fremont, including connector ramps to and from north and southbound I-880
What	One week of nighttime closures on Mission Boulevard to accommodate construction of new traffic lanes. Trucks will be entering and exiting roadway.
When	Dates and hours: Friday, Feb. 21 – Saturday, Feb. 22 from 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. [Closed both directions] Saturday night closures canceled Sunday, Feb. 23 – Monday, Feb. 24 from 11 p.m. to 5 a.m. [Closed Westbound direction only]
Detour	Motorists using northbound I-880: Northbound Fremont Boulevard to Eastbound Auto Mall Parkway to southbound Warm Springs Boulevard. Motorists using southbound I-880: Eastbound Auto Mall Parkway to Southbound Warm Springs Boulevard, or to southbound I-680 to Mission Boulevard. Warren Avenue is closed between Kato Road and Mission Falls Court and cannot be used as an alternate for Mission Boulevard.

VTA's BART Silicon Valley Extension VTA's Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) Silicon Valley Extension Project is a 16-mile extension of the existing BART system to San Jose, Milpitas and Santa Clara, which will be delivered through a phased approach. The first phase, the Berryessa Extension, is a 10-mile, two-station extension, beginning in Fremont south of the future BART Warm Springs Station and proceeding in the former Union Pacific Railroad right-of-way through Milpitas, the location of the first station, and then to the Berryessa area of north San Jose, at the second station. VTA continues project development activities for the second 6-mile phase of the project that includes a 5.1 mile-long subway tunnel through downtown San Jose, and ends at grade in Santa Clara near the Caltrain Station. Construction on the second phase of the project will commence as additional funding is secured. About VTA Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) is an independent special district that provides sustainable, accessible, community-focused transportation options that are innovative, environmentally responsible, and promote the vitality of our region.  VTA is responsible for bus, light rail and paratransit operations and also serves as the county’s congestion management agency. As such, VTA is responsible for countywide transportation planning, including congestion management issues, specific highway improvement projects, pedestrian and bicycle improvement projects, and provides these services throughout the county, including the municipalities of Campbell, Cupertino, Gilroy, Los Altos, Los Altos Hills, Los Gatos, Milpitas, Monte Sereno, Morgan Hill, Mountain View, Palo Alto, San Jose, Santa Clara, Saratoga and Sunnyvale.  VTA continually builds partnerships to deliver transportation solutions that meet the evolving mobility needs of Santa Clara County.

VTA BART Silicon Valley BART Silicon Valley Program Office, 1436 California Circle, Milpitas, CA 95035 Copyright © 2013 Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA). All rights reserved. Contact Us Hotline (408) 934-2662 Email us at vtabart@vta.org