County guardrail work begins Aug. 24 on Olympic Boulevard and other county roads

County crews begin replacing guardrails Monday, Aug. 24, on roads in and around Walnut Creek, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, Alamo and Danville. The work is scheduled to run through Tuesday, Nov. 17.

This is the second phase of Contra Costa County's countywide guardrail upgrade. The Public Works Department said crews will work 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays and weather permitting, and that drivers should expect delays of up to 10 minutes through a work zone. Traffic control will be monitored to limit the hit during commute hours, and message boards and signs will mark the work.

Most of it lands on three roads: San Pablo Dam Road, Olympic Boulevard and Pleasant Hill Road. Taylor Boulevard, Danville Boulevard and Reliez Valley Road are also on the list, along with a set of smaller roads in unincorporated El Sobrante, Pinole, East Richmond Heights, Rodeo, San Pablo, Lafayette, Pleasant Hill, Walnut Creek and Alamo.

The job is straightforward and slow. Existing posts, railing and end treatments come out, and the Caltrans Standard Midwest Guardrail System goes in. Crews will also install concrete anchor blocks and small retaining walls at some locations.

The county estimated the contract at $1,586,000 and allowed 60 working days. It advertised the job on May 5 and took bids through June 9. The money comes from a state Highway Safety Improvement Program grant, plus gas tax and local road funds.

That funding source is the reason these particular stretches of road are on the list. The Highway Safety Improvement Program is a federal-aid program whose stated goal is a significant reduction in fatalities and serious injuries on all public roads. Caltrans, which administers the local-agency share through its Division of Local Assistance, requires that projects be identified on the basis of crash experience, crash potential, crash rate or other data-supported means.

For the record, the contract carries county project number 0662-6R4169 and state project number HSIPSL-5928(189). Nader Dahu is the project manager and Payum Vossoughi is the resident engineer.

The county posts a work area map and a numbered list of guardrail locations on the project page, which is the place to check whether your commute is on it.