Lafayette to spend $3.7 million to repave Saint Mary’s Road and section of Mount Diablo Boulevard

Senior Engineer Anna Bernardo of the City of Lafayette presented a $3,700,000 plan to repave Saint Mary’s Road and a segment of Mount Diablo Boulevard, saying the city plans to open bids on Feb. 27, begin construction in early April and complete the work by mid‑August.

“This project is, estimated project, construction cost of, $3,700,000, and we are gonna be, paving 2, major streets, Saint Mary's Roads and Man Diablo,” Bernardo said.

The project matters to residents because it combines pavement resurfacing with accessibility and safety upgrades: most streets will receive a 2.5‑inch hot‑mix asphalt overlay plus localized base repairs ("digouts"), crack sealing, reconstructed Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) curb ramps, new concrete bus pads at transit stops and replacement of guardrails where the new road elevation requires it.

Bernardo and Associate Engineer Tim Clark said the Saint Mary’s work runs from Rohrer Drive north through Glenside Drive and beyond near Buckeye Field; the Mount Diablo work covers Poulson Court to El Nido Ranch. For the overlay work the city will: identify and grind areas needing deeper repair, place a leveling course where needed, remove and restore asphalt berms, reconstruct or conform‑pave adjacent walkways and driveways to match new elevations, and restripe with high‑visibility crosswalks, fog striping and green bike lanes at key intersections.

Bernardo described typical sequence and details: contractors will grind marked digouts, place new hot‑mix asphalt, remove thermoplastic striping as needed before overlay, install a tack coat before paving and complete striping and miscellaneous punchlist items at the end. She said some curb ramps already recently rebuilt will be left in place and other ramps will be fully reconstructed to meet current ADA cross‑slope standards.

The presentation included project timing and traffic controls. Bernardo said the city intends to allow lane closures in segments, closing only one segment at a time and providing detours and signage. For the summer school recess (May 20–Aug. 11) lane‑closure hours will be 8:30 a.m.–4:30 p.m., Monday–Friday; outside that window the permitted hours will be 9 a.m.–2:30 p.m., Monday–Friday excluding holidays. Emergency vehicles will be given access through closed segments, she said.

Bernardo estimated roughly 75 working days of contractor operations for the contract and said the city will post a weekly update each Friday describing completed work and the following week’s schedule. She urged residents with frontage or driveway concerns to contact staff for specifics and said the bid plans will be posted on the City of Lafayette website about one to two weeks after the meeting.

Residents asked about staging and equipment storage. Eric (resident) asked whether contractors had identified a laydown yard after East Bay Mud used local areas during its pipeline work. “I just had a quick question. I live on North Silverado Drive, and when they did the East Bay Mud project, the end of North Silverado Drive was the lay down yard for all their equipment and tractors and all that. And I'm just curious if, the new contractors have talked about a location, to store all their equipment for this project,” he said.

Bernardo replied that pavement contractors typically bring the day’s material to the work area and remove grindings the same day, so large stockpiles are unlikely. She added that the city has shoulder and parking areas near Buckeye Field that could be used for short‑term staging and that a city lot normally used for Mount Diablo work can serve as a staging area when that portion of the project is active.

Carissa (resident) noted that Buckeye Field often fills with little league parking starting in April and warned that staging there during games could be a problem. Bernardo acknowledged the concern and encouraged residents to contact staff with site‑specific questions; she said staff and the contractor will try to avoid long‑term storage in front of private homes.

The presentation also described a pavement‑safety treatment to be applied on Mount Diablo: a high‑friction surface course will be placed roughly 30 days after inlay work to replace existing grooving on a horizontal curve. Striping at Mount Diablo/El Nido Ranch will include high‑visibility crosswalks and green bike lane markings to clarify vehicle and bicycle movements.

Bernardo said the city will remove and replace guardrails near a bridge where the overlay’s added 2.5 inches would otherwise lower clearances and that the project includes reconstruction of concrete ramps and ADA improvements near Lafayette Community Park and other crossings.

Plans, schedule updates and contact information for Anna Bernardo and Tim Clark will be posted on the City of Lafayette website; Bernardo said the meeting recording will also be posted.