Construction updates are provided by FORA Administrative Coordinator Crissy Maras. For more detail, or if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Crissy at 831-883-3672 or via email at crissy@fora.org.
Background Summary
FORA has been constructing improvements to General Jim Moore Boulevard (GJMB) over the last 5 ½ years, beginning with Phase I improvements which began in October 2004. GJMB Phase II work began in August 2005. GJMB Phase III work began in August 2006. GJMB Phase IV and Eucalyptus Road (EUC) work began in October 2008.
Project Overview
GJMB Phase V and EUC Phase II construction got underway in late December 2009 with Top Grade Construction (TGC). Improvements to GJMB include:
- Widening the road to four lanes, separated by a center median and providing 8-foot shoulders on both sides.
- Class 2B bicycle lanes, curbs and gutters, and concrete sidewalks on the westerly side.
- 10-foot wide pedestrian/Class 1 bike path on the easterly side.
- Installation of potable and recycled waterlines.
Improvements to EUC Phase II include:
- Repaving and widening the two travel lanes and providing 8-foot shoulders.
- Class 2B bicycle lanes, curbs and gutters, and concrete sidewalks on both sides.
Project Status 08/23/10 through 08/27/10
The paving of General Jim Moore Boulevard will begin August 24th thru 27th. Truck traffic north of Coe Avenue is expected to heavy throughout the week and flagmen for traffic control will be in place south of Coe Avenue. Caution in driving on old General Jim Moore Boulevard is requested and the use of alternate routes is recommended but not required.
In mid-September, traffic will be moved onto the two easterly lanes of new General Jim Moore Boulevard while the west side of the roadway is being paved to its final surface and the connections at San Pablo and Hilby are constructed.
When the San Pablo connection is completed, a detour will be in place at Broadway while its connection to new General Jim Moore Boulevard is constructed. Special attention to driving the detour will be needed. Signs will be in place to guide drivers through and driver courtesy is requested.
We are very near the completion of the travel routes of new General Jim Moore Boulevard and are expecting full operation in November. It will be worth the wait and the few problems the work has created.Project Status 7/26/10 through 08/06/10
Beginning July 26th and continuing through August 6th Top Grade will be working to install concrete curbs and gutters. During the week of August 9th Top Grade will be importing more base rock and will begin placement and compaction in preparation for paving. Beginning August 16th Top Grade will begin work on paving operations.
There may be vibrations noticed from August 9th through the end of August. Thank you for your continued patience and cooperation!
Project Status 7/16/10 through 7/23/10
Friday, July 16th, the haul of base rock for GJMB construction was completed. During the week of July 19th the rock will be graded and compacted in preparation for road surfacing.
By July 23rd the extrusion of concrete curbs and gutters will be in process. There will be a significant number of ready mix concrete trucks on the road. These trucks will be entering and exiting the road at random locations along the currently in use General Jim. Please be aware of these trucks and give them room to maneuver.
The weeks that follow will see the paving of GJMB which requires a large number of material delivery trucks over a several day period. In addition, there will be several days of vibratory compactors operating on asphalt placement.
Project Status 7/5/10 through 7/8/10
Top Grade Construction will be truck hauling, and performing placement and compaction of base rock along the entire length of GJM. During this work, some vibrations may be noticed in nearby areas. Thank you for your continued patience!
Project Status 5/10/10 through 5/16/10
The grading and construction of General Jim Moore Boulevard roadway remain idle while recycled water line construction and communications duct bank installation continue on. The recycled waterline is very near its northern connection to the existing pipeline near the intersection with Eucalyptus Road. Duct bank construction is progressing southerly of Broadway and had some impact on traffic flow for a couple of days.
Paving of new General Jim Moore Boulevard should be coming up in October 2010 with striping and signage coming right behind the paving. Once General Jim Moore Boulevard is ready for traffic three roads connecting existing streets to new General Jim Moore Boulevard will be constructed in the following sequence: traffic entering the former Fort Ord on Broadway will pass through the gate and be detoured north on old General Jim Moore Boulevard to San Pablo and then east to New General Jim Moore Boulevard. While this detour is in operation the Broadway connection to new General Jim Moore Boulevard will be constructed. When the Broadway connection is complete it will be opened to traffic and connectors at Hilby and San Pablo will be constructed.
As people may have noticed Eucalyptus Road has been paved for a distance of approximately one mile east of General Jim Moore Boulevard. Since this section of road, as of yet, has no outlet at the easterly end it will be barricaded to traffic to prevent it from becoming a nuisance for police protection and enforcement.
The temporary by-pass section of General Jim Moore Boulevard just south of Coe has been paved and provides a much more friendly surface than the gravel that was there.
The staff at FORA is as anxious to see this project completed as everyone else. In the mean time and until it is complete we appreciate the kind cooperation of the driving public while operating in this area.
The Monterey Peninsula Water Management District (MPWMD) has construction projects continuing at the Santa Margarita (ASR) Well Site. There is a certain amount of construction traffic associated with this work. The access to the well site is from General Jim Moore Boulevard in the area of the south of Coe by-pass. Please drive carefully and watch for traffic entering or exiting in this area. Project Status 4/26/10 through 5/8/10
Pipe installation for the recycled waterline from Del Rey Oaks north to Eucalyptus Road continues this week. The underground sub-contractor is installing approximately 1,000 feet of pipe daily.
The threat of rain has delayed the prime contractor from placing asphalt concrete pavement on Eucalyptus Road during the week of April 26 to 30. Pavement placing operations will commence approximately May 4 and continue throughout the week. During this time asphalt concrete pavement will be placed in the travel way in the area that is presently gravel just south of the Eucalyptus/Coe intersection with General Jim Moore Boulevard. This will improve what has become a rough surface. The by-pass road will remain in use until approximately December 2010 at which time the new General Jim Moore Boulevard should be ready to receive traffic.
While asphalt concrete paving material is being delivered to Eucalyptus Road, starting and continuing during the week of May 3 to 8, there will be considerable truck traffic making deliveries along Parker Flats Cutoff Road. It would be best for hikers, bikers and runners to avoid Parker Flats Cut-off during the heavy truck traffic. Site distances are not the best along this road and there are no shoulders for pedestrians / riders to use to stay away from traffic. FORA will require safe travel speeds for the trucks but still an ounce of prudent prevention is always wise.
When pipeline installation is complete the prime contractor will return to working on General Jim Moore Boulevard. One of the first operations will involve the delivery of considerable amounts of concrete using transit mix trucks and large quantities of base gravel. So again we will have heavy truck traffic to look forward to in the weeks ahead. There will be start and end dates presented here as the work draws nearer.
The Santa Margarita well site on the east side of General Jim Moore Boulevard south of Eucalyptus Road has an improvement project just starting to move forward. There will be a fair amount of traffic associated with this project. Any issues arising from this project should be directed to the Monterey Peninsula Water Management District rather than FORA.
The contractor, sub-contractors and FORA want to again thank the motoring public for their observation of the reduced speed limits through the construction area and request your continued observation of these speed limits.
Project Status 3/22/10 through 4/11/10
The drivers are doing very well navigating though the confusion, rough surfaces and reduced speeds through the construction zone and we thank you for that. The majority of the extensive earthwork is complete and the vibrations sue to the earth moving equipment will be greatly reduced with only intermittent occurrences in the future until paving operations begin.
On General Jim Moore Blvd., pipe laying operations continue from the south to the north. All pipe laying should be completed over the next eight weeks or so. Following completion of that operation, earth grading work will dress the surface of the soil on GJMB for placement of concrete curbs and gutters.
In the near future the construction of curbs, gutters and sidewalks will be continued and completed on Eucalyptus Road while the pipeline construction is being completed on GJMB. Pavement placement will follow immediately behind the concrete work on Eucalyptus Road and the temporary roadway just south of Eucalyptus and Coe will be paved.
Until November the traffic route on GJMB will remain virtually the same as it is now. By early to mid-November, traffic should be enjoying the new, wider road surface of GJMB. Eucalyptus Road will remain closed to traffic until the clean up of munitions in the Parker Flats area is completed.
We thank you all for your patience while this work continues and additionally thank you for your safe and sane driving in the construction area. Keep up the good work!
Traffic Update
On March 15 the paved surface of GJMB south of Coe Avenue will also be ground to pulverize it into gravel. This will remain as the driving surface until the week of March 22 when the by-pass road on the westerly edge of GJMB will be paved and striped and all traffic will be diverted onto this paved driving surface. Again signage and construction zone speed limits will be posted and observed at all times regardless of whether or not work is in progress in the area.
All drivers using GJMB in the area of these by-passes will need to drive with all due caution and safety considerations to avoid any mishaps. The assistance of drivers in observing all posted speed limits, cautions and traffic control is requested and strongly advised.
Project Status 3/13/10 through 3/19/10
During the week of March 15th through March 19th the by-pass road south of Broadway will be constructed in the following sequence:
Monday there will partial lane closures to a single lane on General Jim Moore Boulevard in the area of the road, south of Broadway, where General Jim Moore Boulevard curves east. The road surface will be ground up and pulverized and a gravel driving surface will be placed in General Jim Moore Boulevard.
Tuesday through Thursday work will be done in preparing the by-pass road for paving. The travel surface will be gravel during this work.
Friday the by-pass road surface will be paved, striped and opened to traffic.
Following this week the by-pass road will continue in service through the summer and into the fall and winter until new General Jim Moore Boulevard is ready to be opened. Construction zone speed limits will be posted and must be observed at all times regardless of work in the area or not.
Soil excavated from the old General Jim Moore Boulevard alignment will be used to complete the earth work on the west side of new General Jim Moore Boulevard.
In addition to this most visible work pipeline and storm water management facilities will continue in the southern portions of the construction site.
Project Status 3/6/10 through 3/12/10
Some delays have resulted from seasonal weather. Pipe laying continues at the southerly end of General Jim Moore Blvd.
PG&E has begun work to relocate the power service to the Santa Margarita ASR injection well site and will continue until existing power poles are removed from the westerly side of GJMB south of Coe Avenue. This work will allow the construction of the most northerly traffic by-pass.
The paving of the south of Broadway by-pass paving has been delayed by weather. When the south of Broadway by-pass is completed excavation of soil under old GJMB will commence with the soil material being used to complete embankments on the westerly side of new GJMB. The anticipation, based on weather forecasts is that the construction of the south of Broadway by-pass may be delayed until a clear period of a week or more is in front of us.
The preparation of Eucalyptus Road for paving continues as weather permits. Project Status 2/27/10 through 3/5/10
The contractor continues trenching and laying recycled waterline, storm drains and sanitary sewer mains from Del Rey Oaks and working north along General Jim Moore Blvd.
Eucalyptus Road is being fine graded for placement of aggregate base rock, concrete curbs gutters, sidewalks and asphalt pavement.
Project Status 2/13/10 through 2/26/10
Monterey Peninsula Engineers is nearing completion of their work installing pipelines south of Coe Avenue for California American Water Company. This work is not a part of FORA’s road construction project and is not under FORA’s control.
On General Jim Moore Boulevard (GJMB) construction of the recycled waterline is progressing from the southerly (Del Rey Oaks) limit to the northerly (Eucalyptus Road) end of the project. This work will continue through March and April.
Pacific Gas & Electric Company (PG&E) is to relocate several of its existing power poles on GJMB south of Coe Avenue. As soon as this work is accomplished two by-pass road segments will be constructed. One is south of Broadway and the other is south of Coe. These by-passes will allow the shifting of traffic from old GJMB to the by-passes while the grade of old GJMB is lowered to the grade of new GJMB.
Traffic control personnel and/or devices will be in place, intermittently, during working hours. The driving public will need to observe construction zone speed limits and signs and use good judgment in traveling GJMB during the time GJMB is within the construction zone.
On Eucalyptus Road the roadbed is being prepared to receive base rock and pavement. During these operations it will be necessary to remove the gate at the GJMB end of Eucalyptus Road. The public is cautioned to not enter Eucalyptus Road due to the ongoing construction and the irregular surfaces that will exist.
Paving operations on Eucalyptus will progress throughout March and into April. Upon completion of paving, Eucalyptus Road will be barricaded to prevent illegal dumping along the road. The gate at the Parker Flats end of Eucalyptus Road will remain closed during paving and after paving is complete.
Project Status 01/30/2010 through 02/12/2010
Grading operations continue on the westerly side of General Jim Moore Boulevard with soil being moved from the southerly end of the roadway to the mid section of the road’s length.
Preparations for the completion of a temporary traffic by-pass south of Broadway Avenue continue with the plan to put the bypass in operation before the end of the month. The by-pass will be at the point where General Jim Moore Boulevard curves to the east around a tall hill on the west side of the road.
When completed the by-pass will be opened to traffic and the existing segment of General Jim Moore Boulevard will be removed to allow lowering of the ground below to the level of the new General Jim Moore Boulevard.
The by-pass will require reduced traffic speeds and the careful attention of the driving public.
At the Eucalyptus Road end of the project Monterey Peninsula Engineering is installing pipelines for California America Water Company. This work is not associated with or under the control of FORA. Any issues or questions regarding the work should be addressed to MPE or Cal Am.
Project Status 1/22/10 through 1/29/10
The contractor has been clearing and grubbing in the City of Del Rey Oaks area in preparation for importing embankment soil. While in Del Rey Oaks, they have also been cutting keyways for embankments on both the east and west sides of GJMB. In the City of Seaside, there has been some embankment and excavation work being accomplished.
Project Status 1/15/10 through 1/22/10
The contractor’s mobilization onto the project site is continuing. Storm water control devices have been installed at work areas to prevent erosion. The fill at the easterly end of Eucalyptus Road has been completed. Keyways on the west side of GJMB in Seaside have been excavated and are ready to receive embankment for construction of fill slopes to design grades. A temporary construction water pipeline has been installed and runs from the intersection of EUC and Coe Avenue southerly to the end of the project site.
Project Status 12/17/09 through 01/15/10
TGC began preparing the site by removing filter fences and straw wattles that were placed during GJMB Phase IV to control erosion. Earthwork was started on the easterly end of EUC. Tree removal has been done on the southerly end of GJMB in the City of Del Rey Oaks (DRO).