North Trunk Sewer Replacement Project Mendocino Ave to Terra Linda Dr

Location

Chanate Road between Mendocino Ave and Terra Linda Dr Santa Rosa, CA

City or County Responsible for Project

City of Santa Rosa

Category

Roads: Efficient and Sustainable Road Maintenance, Construction and Reconstruction Projects.

Author

Greg Dwyer

Organization

City of Santa Rosa

Address

69 Stony Circle Santa Rosa, CA 95401

Phone

707-543-3838

Project Description

The project is located on Chanate Rd between Mendocino Ave and Terra Linda Dr in northeast Santa Rosa. The existing sewer pipeline was over 60 years old, difficult to maintain and located along Paulin Creek, making it susceptible to failures and sanitary sewer overflows. The sewer main was relocated to Chanate Road requiring excavation to depths of 30 feet or more. Innovative trenchless micro-tunneling technology was utilized to expedite this work, which also brought additional challenges due to the large diameter bore pits needed. There was only space for one-way traffic flow requiring a full westbound traffic detour. To do this work safely and efficiently, the ground needed to be at its driest point of the year – just before the wet season starts.
Chanate Road is a major arterial that also serves as an emergency fire evacuation route. It is in a high fire danger area near the location of the devastating Tubbs Fire of October 2017. The project area is also susceptible to Public Safety Power Shutoff events due to extended severe weather conditions. The City of Santa Rosa officially declared the start of wildfire season on May 17, 2021, which was the same day that the project’s major detour was implemented and remained in place until November 24, 2021.
The project team carefully considered the impacts of the detour in the event of a fire or other emergency, and prepared plans to facilitate emergency evacuations, if necessary, in coordination with the City’s Fire, Police, and Public Works departments. If an evacuation is called for, construction on the project would be halted and, if necessary, the travel direction on Chanate Road (eastbound only during the detour) will be reversed to provide westbound-only movement for travel out of the area. The project team held 3 virtual public meetings and set up a dedicated project website including information regarding the City’s Know Your Ways Out web page and neighborhood travel route maps.
To improve emergency response times and help facilitate possible evacuations 5 temporary traffic signals were installed. These signals communicated via radio waves and worked with the City’s existing Opticom emergency vehicle access equipment. This technology allowed for emergency vehicles to stop vehicle traffic from side streets, allowing for unimpeded travel for emergency personnel. The signals would also serve to expedite traffic reversals as needed to either evacuate residents or bring in firefighting resources as needed. Generators were brought in to power the equipment due to the heavy tree canopies. These temporary traffic signals were also calibrated into the existing traffic signal system. Subsequent testing was performed with police and fire vehicles to test and fine tune the signal timing. The use of this technology was well received from the community.
We can provide further information upon request or please visit our project website chanatesewerproject.com