Water District Replacing Pipelines in San Rafael in Preparation for SMART

The following is a news release from the Marin Municipal Water District:

The Marin Municipal Water District (MMWD) is installing new water lines at six Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit (SMART) crossings in San Rafael to protect and improve district facilities in advance of SMART plans to upgrade their tracks at these locations.

The streets involved include the Tamalpais Avenue crossings of 3rd Street, 4th Street, 5th Avenue, and Mission Avenue near Highway 101 in downtown San Rafael. Work also will be completed near Las Gallinas Avenue and Corrillo Drive in Terra Linda.

SMART is removing three feet of the existing streets to install their new ballast and track section. The existing water lines are either within this depth or would not survive construction so near to them. Thus the new piping must be installed deeper and in a casing designed to meet standards for utilities crossing rail lines.

MMWD will install a total of 440 feet of 6-, 8-, 12-, and 14-inch welded steel pipe with 270 feet of pipeline casing to replace 4-, 6-, 8-, and 14-inch cast iron pipes. The project includes the replacement of some historical water mains that date back to 1880.

MMWD received five bids for the project. The Board of Directors awarded the contract to Richmond-based W.R. Forde Associates, who submitted the lowest responsible bid of $308,020.

The water district is coordinating the project with the San Rafael Sanitation District and the City of San Rafael, who also will be relocating utilities at these locations in preparation for SMART. Work on the MMWD portion of the project is estimated to beginSeptember 8 and be completed by late October 2014. Both the contractor and MMWD will make every effort to minimize traffic disruptions during construction.

Customers with questions about the project can contact MMWD at415-945-1517.