Water Pipeline Replacement May Cause Summer Congestion on El Camino Real

Millbrae drivers may encounter traffic this summer on El Camino Real as the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission begins work on its water pipeline replace project.

The SFPUC held a public meeting today at to discuss the project’s impacts on Millbrae when pipeline seismic retrofitting begins in late June. Crews will conduct work on one or two lanes of El Camino Real southbound in two areas, at the intersection of La Cruz Avenue and at Center Street.

Construction should end in October, and hours will be Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Saturday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. After work hours, lanes will be reopened. 

“There will be no water interruption for business, residents or wholesale customers,” said Alison Kastama, communications liason to the Peninsula Pipeline Seismic Upgrade. 

And, no businesses will be closed during construction, according to Millbrae Chamber of Commerce President John Ford.

The Crystal Springs Pipeline Replacement project will seismically retrofit the 19-mile water pipeline built in the 1930’s that spans from South San Francisco to Hillsborough. It is part of the SFPUC’s $4.6 billion upgrade to the regional water system, and officials expect completion by the fall of 2012.

The pipeline retrofit will use a ‘sliplining’ method – like inserting a smaller straw into a bigger straw – along the 11 work sites on El Camino Real. In case of a major earthquake, the upgrade would secure water for the region for at least a month.

The water agency has set up a 24 hour information hotline, 866-973-1476, as well as a website and a twitter account for updates.

The next public meeting will be held Tuesday, April 19 at 5 p.m. at the Burlingame Public Library. To find out about Burlingame’s impacts, check .