Why is There So Much Construction on Winchester?

Construction around Campbell getting you down? 

The upside is that once completed, Winchester Boulevard, between Hamilton and Budd will have a complete facelift, with planters and bulb-outs similar to the ones across from the Campbell Community Center at Campbell Avenue. And if residents look up, instead of a web of wires and cables they will just see sky.

About three months ago, work along Winchester Boulevard as part of the Winchester Boulevard Underground Utility District project began and the orange construction cones began popping up. Latimer Avenue was closed while crews dug trenches and laid pipe.

"The overhead lines on Hamilton will go into conduits underground," said Campbell Public Works Senior Inspector Alan Hom. "We are putting AT&T, PG&E and Comcast lines underground."

PG&E is doing the prep work to remove all overhead wires between Hamilton and South Budd," said Campbell Public Works Senior Civil Engineer Fred Ho.

The project is broken down into three stages:

• Diggging the trenches to lay down the pipe.
• Second is the electrical work.
• The third state, energize and remove poles.

The entire project will take between 18 months and two years to complete.

"It's a really big project," Ho said. "But there will be less traffic on the second and third stage because they aren’t digging up the road."

This type of project takes about three years to complete, from creating the district to getting the construction started, he said. The project is funded and managed by PG&E. The city does not contribute to the cost of the project.

"This project, is what is referred to as rule 20A, regulated by the California Public Utility Commission," Ho said. "In a sense, the city nominates the streets and if it qualifies, they can then include the street into their undergrounding program."

Also adding to the construction build up along Winchester Boulevard is the Winchester Boulevard Improvement Project, which consists of curb, gutter and sidewalk work as well as the construction of bulb-outs and addition of planter strips in the medians. That project begins March 18.

"We made a conscious effort to schedule all this work together," Ho said. "It's better than having one job finish and six months later start again. We wanted to try to minimize it the best we can."

So make sure to add a few extra minutes to your daily commute to make up for the potential construction delays, Hom said.

"We just want to thank the public for their patience while we try to expedite the project with PG&E," Ho said. 

Other related articles:

• Campbell's Hacienda Avenue is Getting a 'Green' Facelift
• Construction on Winchester Coming to an End
• Changing Winchester's Streetscape
• What's With All the Construction on Winchester?
• Construction Shuts E. Campbell Avenue Down Tonight
• Construction Slows Traffic on Hamilton Avenue
• Campbell Businesses Shoulder the Burden of Local Construction

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