LAFAYETTE, CALIFORNIA – Drivers who use Springbrook Road between Lafayette and Walnut Creek should prepare for a weekday detour starting Thursday, October 1. Contra Costa County plans to close part of the road to through traffic while crews replace a failed culvert and repair a sinkhole beneath the pavement.
The work is near Sherwood Way, in the unincorporated Walnut Creek area close to Lafayette. According to the county construction notice, the closure will be in effect during work hours, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. The project is scheduled to run through Monday, November 30, barring weather or other delays.
Through drivers will need to follow the posted detour; the county has published a work area and detour map. People who live along the closure may encounter delays of up to 15 minutes. Message boards will warn motorists as they approach.
This is a bigger project than it looks. A county project description calls for removing the existing 36-inch corrugated metal drainage pipe and installing 62 feet of reinforced concrete pipe plus a 29-foot concrete box culvert.
Crews will also work on drainage structures, rebuild the affected roadway and restore the pavement markings. In its environmental filing, the county describes the old pipe as failed and the road embankment as compromised.
The county lists the construction cost at $527,675 and says federal emergency relief and local road funds will pay for the project. GradeTech Inc. was awarded the work in August.
The announced closure applies to through traffic during construction hours. Motorists should watch the signs at either end of the road for daily access updates. For construction questions, the county lists resident engineer Nick Panayotou at 650-642-5299.
