Annie's Updates: First Street Work—Eight Days a Week (Just Kidding, But Close)!

Los Altos Patch brings you the abridged Apricot Annie report on Mondays, to prepare you for what's next in construction on First Street. 

Each week, "Annie's Update," more prosaically named "First Street Construction Update," lands in email boxes all over town. This service began when First Street construction ramped up several weeks ago.

Since this week brings merchants two more joyful days of disruption, (We don't want to sugarcoat it, Annie), we thought the more you know about what's happening the better.

Why weekend construction? They ran into some problems that slowed work and that triggered the make-up work. An old sewer manhole and grading elevations were the primary reasons. These issues that needed several re-engineering solutions affected the work pace for two days. 

To access the full report you can:

• Visit  the First Street Los Altos website.
• If you like social media for its immediacy, you should "like" the First Street Project Facebook page.
• And follow them on Twitter at @FirstStreetLA.
• Sign up for Annie's Updates newsletter so it just lands in your mailbox.

This week, the city's contractors plan to:

• Begin working Saturdays (and also Sunday this weekend) to keep project on schedule.
• Remove the two sewer manholes in the First and Main intersection and replace with new lower covers and cones.
• Remove existing concrete cap and install new fortified, deeper concrete cap on main water line.
• Finish grading and compacting of road bed in First and Main intersection.
• Begin installing Geo-fabric and base rock for the new road bed.
• Continue excavation of below grade dirt for street sub-base along First Street.
• Finish excavation of new storm drain trench and lay storm drain pipe, working from Safeway toward Parking Plaza North.
• Begin saw cutting First Street sidewalk from State Street to the North Plaza for irrigation and electrical lines.

Traffic and Road Closures: 

• Temporary lane closure on First Street between State and Parking Plaza North will continue with flaggers during work hours.

Last week, the following was done:

• Gas trench dug to connect First Street line to the main in the Central Parking Plaza.
• Exploratory digging around the two sewer manholes in the First and Main intersection.
• Begin trenching and laying of new electrical and irrigation lines along First Street.
• Tree stumps ground and removed.
• Unrelated to the First Street Project, the intersection of State and Third streets was closed Sunday morning for sandblasting.

Apricot Annie is available to talk to your group or visit your office for feedback and input. Contact Beverly Tucker at 650-947-2889 or btucker@losaltosca.gov.