Traffic Alert - Water Main Break

A 36” main water transmission line into Santee is leaking significantly at Mission Gorge and Big Rock Road. Lane closures will be in effect on both the east and west bound lanes of traffic on Mission Gorge between Big Rock Road and Carribean Way through tonight, expecting to last through Saturday. At this time, no customers are without water service. Padre Dam crews are working to excavate the road to determine the source of the leak and make repairs. Please visit Padre Dam’s website at http://www.padredam.org/CivicAlerts.aspx?AID=43 for additional updates.

Santee Street Projects Update

 

Here’s the latest on street projects in the city of Santee:

 

• Storm drain work has been completed on Carlton Hills Boulevard between the San Diego River bridge and the street’s northern terminus.  Asphalt patching will begin Aug. 13 and is expected to be completed in a week. The final phase of work, an asphalt overlay, is scheduled to begin September 4.
•  Asphalt patching on Carlton Hills Boulevard south of the bridge to Mission Gorge Road will occur in conjunction with the same work beginning Aug. 13 north of the bridge. The final step, an asphalt overlay, will be completed in early 2013.
• Work on Mission Gorge Road has been completed.

If you have any questions, contact the city’s project engineer, Toby Espinola, at (619) 258-4100 ext. 174

 

 

 

Santee Street Repair Update

Carlton Hills Boulevard

Watch for traffic cones and lane closures along Carlton Hills Boulevard
beginning May 29.

City contractors will be replacing corrugated metal storm drains at 5 locations along Carlton Hills Boulevard, starting at the northern terminus and working south towards Mission Gorge Road.
Storm drain construction will occur from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, is expected to last about 2 ½ months.

Once the storm drain is completed, look for updates concerning asphalt patching and a final asphalt overlay for Carlton Hills Boulevard.

Mission Gorge Road

An asphalt overlay project along Mission Gorge
Road between Cottonwood Avenue and Civic Center Drive
is scheduled to start the week of June 18.

To minimize any inconvenience to motorists, the work will take place overnight between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m.

Project manager Toby Espinola can answer questions at (619) 258-4100 ext. 174

City Erases Traffic Bottleneck

The annoying rush-hour traffic back-ups on southbound Cuyamaca
Street at the eastbound onramp to State Route 52 have been eliminated.

 

Former traffic headache is fixed

The problem? The lone left-turn lane couldn’t handle the heavy traffic volume during peak commuter hours. Motorists trying to access the freeway onramp were often forced to wait through two or even three cycles of the turn-signal light. 




Advisory for the additional lane

Earlier this month, the striping was redone to add a second left-turn lane. Ta-da. Problem fixed. “The new striping has improved traffic significantly and virtually eliminated congestion,” reports principal traffic engineer Minjie Mei.













City Moving Forward on Prospect Avenue Improvements



City engineers and their team of experts are moving forward on the long-planned improvement and beautification of Prospect Avenue.

“Our design team has been in the field recently investigating various options for Prospect Avenue to accommodate a number of improvements that will make this street more attractive, safe and functional,” said principal civil engineer and project manager Carl Schmitz.



Prospect Avenue after improvements are completed

The intent is to create a “red carpet” for business expansion along this important commercial corridor along Santee’s southern border with Gillespie Field, the largest of eight general aviation airports operated by the county.

Prospect Avenue today

The project calls for revitalizing the appearance of a mile-long section of the street between Magnolia Avenue and Cuyamaca Street. The city intends to invest an estimated $20 million to install new sidewalks, parking, landscaping, lighting, underground the power lines, and improve surface drainage.

Local residents and businesses will have an opportunity to comment on the project a public meeting tentatively scheduled for June.  A set of alternative street alignments will be proposed this fall, followed by an additional public meeting. The city wants to begin construction in the spring of 2014 and complete the project in approximately a year.

Business owners and property owners directly affected by the project can contact the project manager at cshmitz@ci.santee.ca.us or by calling (619) 258-4100 ext. 175.



Additional Freeway Access Lane On Tap for Cuyamaca St.

One of Santee’s traffic headaches is about to get some relief.

City traffic engineers and Caltrans have approved the addition of a southbound left-turn lane on Cuyamaca Street that will ease delays for motorists heading east on State Route 52 during peak hours.

Currently there is a single southbound left-turn lane at this location. However, because of heavy demand during peak hours, motorists often have to wait through two or even three cycles of the turn-signal light.

Striping work to add a second left-turn lane, which will double the capacity of the southbound left-turn movement, is scheduled to be done overnight on Sunday, May 6.

Banners Opposing Power Plant Go Up in Santee

Street banners proclaiming Santee’s opposition to the proposed Quail Brush power plant project have been installed at three gateway locations in the city.

The City Council agreed to put up the banners after unanimously approving  a resolution opposing the project on March 28.

The banners are now up at three locations: The 9500 block of Mission Gorge Road near the U.S. Post Office; Magnolia Avenue near the State Route 67 freeway; and at the intersection of Mast Boulevard and West Hills Parkway.

 

Update: On Thursday, April 26, the San Diego Planning Commission 
postponed the hearing to June 28.

One of the city’s concerns is that the project, originally designed to include eleven 100-foot-tall exhaust stacks and other bulky industrial structures, will not blend in well visually with the scenic hills along Santee’s western boundary with the city of San Diego.

Cogentrix Energy LLC of Charlotte, NC is proposing to build the natural gas-fueled, 100-megawatt generating station at an 11-acre site north of State Route 52 next to the Sycamore Canyon Landfill.

Before the plant can be built, Cogentrix needs the city of San Diego to rezone the property from open space to commercial. Cogentrix also needs a permit from  the state Energy Commission.

More information is available at the state Energy Commission website.

Replacing Metal Pipes Key to Sinkhole Prevention

Facts are stubborn things. Santee’s city engineers know that corrugated metal pipes installed here decades ago for storm water drainage, most put in place long before Santee was incorporated, are eventually going to corrode and collapse.

That’s why the City Council in 2010 approved a plan to inspect the city’s 6.75 miles of metal pipes and prioritize their replacement, starting with those in the worst shape. The city’s capital improvement program calls for spending $5 million on the project over the next five years, but work can only proceed as money becomes available.



A truck found a weak storm drain under Rancho Fanita Dr.

“We’ve taken a proactive approach,” said Principal Civil Engineer Julie Procopio. “The council has made it a priority to replace the unreliable pipes and has allocated significant resources  to address the problem.”

So far, the city has replaced or repaired five high-priority metal storm drains, including a 72-inch diameter pipe beneath Pebble Beach Drive
that collapsed during the record-setting winter rains of 2010-11.

But surprises will happen. Earlier this month, a large truck delivering a storage pod prompted a metal pipe to collapse on Rancho Fanita Drive, causing the vehicle to sink up to its rear axle.  Emergency repairs to that storm drain are expected to be completed in a few weeks.

Meanwhile, the city will continue replacing or rehabilitating metal storm drains in conjunction with major street resurfacing projects, a strategy that allows the city to avoid tearing up streets twice. In many cases, the corroded pipes are rehabilitated in place by retrofitting them with reinforced concrete, which is far more durable.

“We’ve finished fixing the very worst pipes, so we’ve moved on to address the next priority level,” said Procopio. “There’s another 10 or so under construction now.”

“By systematically identifying and fixing the most susceptible metal storm drains now, we should be able to prevent potential sinkholes before they happen,” she said.

City Wide Paving Project Update

Carlton Hills Blvd.

All concrete repair work has been completed and pedestrian ramps have been installed at each street intersection in advance of the storm drain and pavement repairs.

The next phase of work after the concrete work will be the replacement of storm drains along Carlton Hills Blvd. During utility conflict investigation for the storm drain construction, two conflicts were discovered at waterline crossings that had very minimal clearance. Padre Dam Municipal Water District is currently working on lowering the waterlines to avoid the conflict. The waterline work will begin during the week of February 27.

After the waterline relocations and storm drain replacement work is completed, asphalt patching and a final asphalt overlay will be completed on the entire length of Carlton Hills Blvd.

Construction schedule dates will be updated as construction progresses on each phase of work on Carlton Hills Blvd.

If you have any questions, please contact Toby Espinola, P.E., City Project Manager at (619) 258-4100 x 174.

Going Green on Mast Blvd.

Want to know the secret to driving through Santee on Mast Boulevard?

If you maintain the posted speed limit of 40 miles per hour, you'll greatly increase your chances of getting green lights at most of the intersections.

This fuel efficient and time-saving option was made possible by the city's traffic engineers, who recently re-synchronized the traffic signals on Mast Boulevard for the 1.7 miles between Cuyamaca Street and Medina Avenue.

Recent traffic counts show that approximately 20,000 cars travel each day on Mast Boulevard, which has been prone to congestion during peak communter hours.

The traffic lights were synchronized to reward drivers who adhere to the speed limit during peak commuter times from 6:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. and from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

While he can't guarantee you'll get every green light, Principal Traffic Engineer Minjie Mei said that the synchronization formula gives a statistical advantage to motorists who adhere to the speed limit.

"Your best chance of getting all the green lights is if you maintain the speed limit," said Mei, adding that he and his staff will fine-tune the traffic signals through the month of September.

In addition to saving on gas and time, the sychronized traffic lights should reduce accidents and hydrocarbon pollution, he said.

Traffic lights along major arterial streets typically are re-sychronized every three to five years to adjust for changing traffic patterns, he said.

The traffic signal along Mast were made a priority because the daily traffic count dropped by 15 percent when the State Route 52 freeway extension opened on March 19.

Citywide Pavement Repair and Rehabilitation Project 2011

The City of Santee held meetings on June 27 and June 28 with residents and businesses located along the largest paving project in the City’s history.  Bids for the project were opened on June 8, 2011 with the Hazard Construction being the lowest responsible bidder at $3,533,172.30.  The City Council awarded the project to Hazard Construction on June 22.

A preconstruction meeting will be scheduled with Hazard Construction in mid July with construction anticipated to begin by August 1. 

To view the power point presentation on the Fanita Parkway, Lake Canyon Road, E. Glendon Circle neighborhood and Rumson Drive portion of the project, click HERE.

To view the power point presentation on the Carlton Hills Blvd. and Mission Gorge Road portion of the project, click HERE.

Construction updates and schedules will be posted on the City’s website as construction progresses.

If you have any questions, please contact Toby Espinola, City Project Manager, at (619) 258-4100 x 174.

Major Road Projects on Horizon

The City of Santee is preparing to launch what will be the largest and most expensive series of street repair projects in the City’s 31-year history.

To take advantage of low prices during the depressed economy, the City is leveraging future TransNet funding to resurface several major streets beginning in late summer 2011. Fanita Parkway, known for its potholes and the target of numerous complaints, is the highest priority and will be the first street within the project to be completed.

The City’s strategy is to bundle several street projects into a single bid package to induce competitive bids from contractors. Past experience has shown that large-scale improvements, as opposed to a series of smaller projects separately bid, allow companies to offer lower prices.  The deadline for bids is June 8, 2011.

The initial phase of work, estimated to cost $4.7 million, is expected to begin in July 2011. The bulk of the work will be applying rubberized asphalt to road surfaces. But repairs will also be made to storm drains, concrete sidewalks, curbs, gutters and the installation of pedestrian ramps. A second phase of road improvements is expected to cost $1.8 million, bringing the total price tag to approximately $6.5 million.

The following streets are included in the first phase:

• Fanita Parkway
• Lake Canyon Road (Fanita Parkway to Carlton Hills Blvd)
• East Glendon Circle Neighborhood
• Rumson Drive
• Carlton Hills Boulevard
• Mission Gorge Road (Cottonwood Avenue to Riverview Parkway)

The City’s Development Services Department is planning to host a public meeting in late June to provide residents with more detailed information and answer questions about the project. In the next few weeks, informational flyers will be mailed to residents along the project boundaries.

For further updates, go to the city’s website or contact Associate Civil Engineer Toby Espinola at (619) 258-4100 ext. 174.