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City outlines Bixby Park sewer rehab plan; trail detours and night pump operations planned during spring–fall construction
Summary
City staff and consultants updated the Parks and Recreation Commission on a planned cast-in-place-pipe rehabilitation of a 60–72-inch sewer line that runs through Bixby Park. The roughly $9 million project will require temporary trail closures, bypass pumping, staged work areas, and wildlife mitigation measures between spring and fall.
City staff and the project design team briefed the Parks and Recreation Commission on Feb. 25 about a planned rehabilitation of a 60–72-inch sewer main that crosses Bixby Park and connects to the city’s wastewater treatment plant.
Project engineer Sue Ching (City of Palo Alto) and consulting engineer Michael Vandell (Jacobs Engineering) described a plan to rehabilitate approximately 2,400 linear feet of pipeline using cast-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining. The city said the work targets the poorest-condition sections and is intended to extend pipeline service life for multiple decades while avoiding intrusive open excavation along most of the route.
Consultants said work will begin with inspection and cleaning in March and proceed to bypass pumping and manhole work; the main construction window is planned through October, with a possible short extension to November for contingencies. Consultants estimated a rough construction cost of about $9,000,000.
The project will center on manholes labeled in the presentation as MH 3 and MH 4 within Bixby Park and will use bypass piping and pumps to maintain sewer flow to the treatment plant during lining. Presenters said the most intensive, publicly visible activities — including bypass piping installation and the CIPP inversion and curing — are expected between late spring and summer. Erection of temporary fencing, elevated bypass piping, and staging areas were shown in presentation maps and photos.
Consultants and staff emphasized measures to reduce project impacts on park users and wildlife: laydown and staging were limited to defined corridors; fence bottoms will leave 6–8 inches of clearance to allow small wildlife passage; biologists will perform pre-construction surveys; sound shields will be used on pumps; and nighttime lighting will be shielded and limited to work areas. Staff said contractors will control trucks with flaggers and keep construction traffic confined to staging and access routes.
Commissioners and public commenters asked about coordination with other nearby projects. Dashiell Leeds (Sierra Club, Loma Prieta chapter) asked whether the sewer work could overlap with valley-wide projects such as the tide gate construction and a proposed horizontal levee; staff said the horizontal levee project has been postponed and that the tide gate project may begin in September and could have limited overlap. Staff also said they will coordinate operations with the treatment plant, the landfill and park rangers. The city said it will post signs with a QR code and keep an online project page updated for schedule changes and detours.
A commissioner asked whether a park-improvement ordinance (PIO) was required for the work; staff said they would follow up and confirm whether a formal park-improvement ordinance was required and will report back to the commission. Staff noted the contract requires the contractor to restore trails to original condition once construction is complete.
No formal action was taken; the briefing was informational and commissioners requested follow-up on scope, permit/PIO requirements and outreach prior to full mobilization.
