Ocean Beach got an early Christmas present, as infrastructure work in the business district slated for December has now been rescheduled for after the first of the year.
“We are ecstatic that we won’t have the streets torn up in December in our neighborhood commercial hub,” said Denise Knox, about the sewer job and repaving of Newport Avenue in the community’s business district, which is part of ongoing replacement of 3,250 miles of water and 3,000 miles of wastewater pipelines citywide. “Our merchants need every opportunity to have a successful holiday season, and we are grateful that the resurfacing will be delayed until January,” said Knox, the executive director of Ocean Beach MainStreet Association. The next phase of the project will replace aging and deteriorating sewer mains on the public right-of-way and city-owned utility easements along portions of the streets and unnamed alley ways in Ocean Beach within the Peninsula Community Planning Area in Council District 2. The project will replace 10,313 linear feet of existing 6-inch sewer main with new 8-inch PVC sewer main; place plumbing clean outs on sewer laterals located within the City’s right-of-way; use best-management practices for erosion control, storm drain inlet protection and restoration of disturbed areas to their original condition; resurface streets impacted by construction; and install new curb ramps that will improve mobility access for people with disabilities.
Some pipelines are more than 100 years old and deteriorating and are in need of replacement, repair and upgrades. To avoid future service disruptions, such as sewer main stoppages, spills and water main breaks, the aging pipelines are being replaced or rehabilitated.
“The Public Works Dept. is managing the contract for Sewer Group 721 in Ocean Beach,” said City spokesperson Monica Munoz, noting the contractor, KTA Construction, under supervision by the City of SD Public Works Dept., “has notified the community regarding the replacement of sewer mains and also the alley demolition and pouring of new concrete in the alleys. These alleys are in very poor condition and will all be replaced.”
Munoz pointed out replacement requires alleyways to remain free of cars for about five to seven days. She said the other project, AC Overlay 1508, will resurface OB streets. A door hanger notification from the City should have been distributed to the impacted properties.
“I have contacted the 1508 project team to request a change in their schedule so that the work can be performed after the holidays in the OB business district,” Munoz said.
Newport Avenue will be resurfaced one side, one block, at a time.
Anyone experiencing problems with disruption from resurfacing is urged to call the OBMA office at 619-224-4906 to report it.