PWS Conveyance Project

Latest Update: September 22, 2023

All construction dates are subject to change due to weather or unforeseen circumstances. Please note that some of the repaved roadways within the project area currently have only temporary striping. Final roadway striping will be done at a later date. Thank you for your patience.

Project Contractor: Garney Construction

City of Santa Cruz

• Laurel Street (Work hours are Monday through Friday, 7:00 a.m.–4:30 p.m.) 
  • At Walti, final fittings and adjustments are being made to the conveyance pipeline, this work through next Friday (9/29). 
  • Conveyance work at Laurel Street Bridge is underway and will continue through next Friday (9/29). Following that, architectural cover work is anticipated to begin.
• Soquel Avenue (Work hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.) Crews are working between Park Way and Carl Avenue on the conveyance line. This work will continue towards Highway 1 next week.

Soquel

• Porter Street (Work hours are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.) Pipeline installation on the Porter Street Bridge is underway and is anticipated to continue through the end of the day (9/22). Detours, lane shifts, and flaggers are in place for cars and pedestrians. 

City of Capitola

• Park Avenue (Work hours  are Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m. on the Northside of HWY 1  and 8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. on the Southside of HWY 1) Pipeline installation on Park Avenue between Monterey Avenue and Cabrillo College Drive will resume next week with daytime hours.

Motorists, cyclists, and pedestrians will encounter traffic controls. Be aware of signage, flaggers, detours, and changes to lane configurations.  

• Follow all traffic controls and designated detours, and do NOT pass-through Road Closed signage; consider using alternate routes.  
• Use extra caution when on any roads in the vicinity of the construction activity and watch for turn restrictions, equipment, and work crews.
• Access to some side streets may be temporarily impacted during construction. 
• There may be construction equipment or vehicles parked on side streets—please be aware of temporary “No Parking” signs. 
• Please watch for work crews and equipment and be prepared for traffic delays—allow additional time to get to your destination. 
• Some roadways may be temporarily uneven or rough. 
• If there are questions about this work, please call (831) 475-8501 ext. 148.

Project Summary:

Contractors for Soquel Creek Water District are installing about eight miles of pipeline under various streets between Santa Cruz and Aptos. These pipelines will carry water to and from the Santa Cruz Wastewater Treatment Facility to the Chanticleer Water Purification Center (to be built) in the Live Oak area. Then purified water from the Water Purification Center will be conveyed to three Seawater Intrusion Prevention (SWIP) wells, where it will recharge the groundwater basin. 

Construction will not be taking place on all streets along the pipeline route simultaneously. It will be a moving work zone, progressing up to several hundred feet per day. Work within a particular area could last for one-to-two weeks or more as construction crews move along the pipeline route. 

In most cases, the work will consist of excavating through the asphalt street surface, preparing the area for the pipelines, delivering and laying the pipes and associated equipment, then backfilling and temporarily patching of the street (to be resurfaced later). This work will require trucks, backhoes, excavators, and other equipment, with traffic control work crews on-site. In some areas, the pipeline will go across bridges where it will be affixed to the bridge structure. The work will require lane closures and short detours and in some cases may require temporary complete closure of a segment of the street.