For several weeks Moraga residents' commute along Moraga Road between Corliss and Dragger Drives has been disturbed because of road construction that seems to be taking a long time. The purpose of this work is to "underground" - put beneath the ground's surface - all the utilities that are now carried overhead and supported by poles.
The town manages the project and sees it as a beautification project as well as a means to free up space to implement of the Moraga Livable Roads plan. It is going to be several more months before it is completed, and Public Works Director Edric Kwan couldn't say exactly how many.
Kwan explains that a trench is first being dug for all the utilities. "PG&E, the town's street lights, AT&T, Comcast will all pull their cables through the conduit," says Kwan, who adds that it is not easy to coordinate all of these different companies. The overhead cables that link homes along Moraga Road to the utilities will also be put underground, paid for by the town.
Kwan says that the town has an inspector on site at all time. However, the disturbance troubled a resident who complained to the Regional Water Quality Control Board that the work was done with blatant violations of storm water laws.
"An inspector came, and he did not find any illicit discharge," says Kwan.
The same resident, who asked not to be named, told the Lamorinda Weekly that in his view the work had removed landscaping along the scenic corridor, and was done with a lack of pedestrian safety measures.
Kwan believes that the completion of the work will take months. After all the cables have been secured underground they will have to be tested, then the overhead lines and poles will have to be removed.
Moraga Road will then have to be slurry-sealed when all the other work is finished, depending on the weather. Only then will the new stripping of the Moraga Livable Roads scheme will be painted, maintaining two lanes on each side and adding continuous bike and pedestrian paths.
The town manages the project and sees it as a beautification project as well as a means to free up space to implement of the Moraga Livable Roads plan. It is going to be several more months before it is completed, and Public Works Director Edric Kwan couldn't say exactly how many.
Kwan explains that a trench is first being dug for all the utilities. "PG&E, the town's street lights, AT&T, Comcast will all pull their cables through the conduit," says Kwan, who adds that it is not easy to coordinate all of these different companies. The overhead cables that link homes along Moraga Road to the utilities will also be put underground, paid for by the town.
Kwan says that the town has an inspector on site at all time. However, the disturbance troubled a resident who complained to the Regional Water Quality Control Board that the work was done with blatant violations of storm water laws.
"An inspector came, and he did not find any illicit discharge," says Kwan.
The same resident, who asked not to be named, told the Lamorinda Weekly that in his view the work had removed landscaping along the scenic corridor, and was done with a lack of pedestrian safety measures.
Kwan believes that the completion of the work will take months. After all the cables have been secured underground they will have to be tested, then the overhead lines and poles will have to be removed.
Moraga Road will then have to be slurry-sealed when all the other work is finished, depending on the weather. Only then will the new stripping of the Moraga Livable Roads scheme will be painted, maintaining two lanes on each side and adding continuous bike and pedestrian paths.
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Lamorinda Weekly, Moraga CA