LAMORINDA WEEKLY | New 'safe route to school' for Glorietta students, other roadwork underway


An elementary school student walks along on the new path constructed along Glorietta Boulevard. Photo Sora O'Doherty

A new path has been constructed along the side of Glorietta Boulevard from Rheem Boulevard to Overhill Drive. The path is a "safe route to school," and was a top priority for the city of Orinda. DeSilva Gates Construction Company was selected as the contractor for Orinda's 2019 Annual and Measure J & L pavement rehabilitation project.

The project, one of a number of summer road improvement projects in Orinda, provides a safe place for children to walk to school along this route. It also offers a safe place for pedestrians to walk, separated from the road by raised berms with reflectors on top to make them visible to drivers.

Over the summer the city also entered into a settlement agreement with the owners of the easement between Rheem Boulevard and Parkway Court, reopening the path long used by local students to walk to Glorietta. The owner of the adjacent property agreed to remove the gate that had been erected and locked, previously blocking access to the disputed easement. The city agreed to contribute to the cost of the property owner building a fence separating the property from the easement, which will be managed by the city as a park.

Other roadwork undertaken as part of the Annual and Measure J & L pavement rehabilitation project includes clearing and grubbing, preservation of monuments, shoulder grinding and paving, sidewalk, roadway shoulder improvements, sidewalk repairs, curb ramp replacement, driveway repair, slurry seal, roadway pavement repair digouts, grinding of asphalt paving, HMA roadway paving, HMA dikes, roadway signage, pavement markings and striping, and adjusting various utilities to conform to new pavement grades.

The remainder of the construction is anticipated to be completed by the end of December. The anticipated construction duration is approximately 120 working days.

The project scope includes improvements to roadways and storm drains in four packages around Orinda. Storm drain improvements include replacing various storm drain lines of varying sizes, and spot repairs in various locations.