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Town orders a smoothie to repair its rocky roads
By Gloria I. Wang
Los Gatos' most ambitious street resurfacing project in years will kick off soon, leading to smooth driving for Los Gatans before the end of next year.
The town's Parks and Public Works Department will take on the $15 million, two-year project, which will start construction in early June. The first phase of the three-stage project will last 40 days, from early June to mid-July. Known as the surface or slurry seal program, construction will even out roads that only need minor maintenance, making the roads look as if they are freshly paved. Pavement restriping, marking and sign installations will also be completed. Of the three stages, slurry seal is the least intense and cheapest.
Trucks will squirt out a mixture of sand, oils, gravel and water over existing pavement. "It's like a very thick syrup," said interim town Engineer Larry Perlin. Since the streets will be closed four to six hours, the town advises residents to either park their cars in their garages at that time,or park far away.
Ninety-three street segments in Los Gatos will be done during the slurry-seal phase. The town will send residents at least two notices listing the dates and times that each home will be affected. Six major areas will be around La Rinconada Country Club; off of Los Gatos Boulevard between Blossom Hill Road and Lark Avenue; the section between Los Gatos-Almaden and Blossom Hill roads; the residential streets west of Highway 17 and north of W. Main Street; around Kennedy and Shannon roads; and the neighborhood surrounding Belgatos Park.
At the May 21 Los Gatos Town Council meeting, council members approved hiring Valley Slurry Seal Company at a cost of $335,083.50. There is the option of increasing the amount by $160,000, if the company has to do additional repairs that the town could not complete by the June start date.
The second phase, slated to begin in July and end in September, will fix the most deteriorated roads in Los Gatos. Known as "reconstruction," the contractor will dig up the street and gutters, and then repave the roads.
Perlin says that, although the process will be "noisy, smelly and inconvenient," roads will only be closed during the actual paving. Residents will be forced to drive on dirt roads temporarily. Perlin also says that the town will work with the post office, garbage company and emergency services, so that they can continue to serve residences during construction.
The last stage, when pavement overlay will occur, should last from September to the end of October, or beginning of November. Unlike the slurry seals, which merely give roads the appearance of being repaved, overlay will involve slight grinding of the street and will lay down a real layer of pavement. Each street will be closed four to eight hours.
The entire process will be repeated in 2002 in different sections of town, after which time public works will concentrate on the maintenance of the improvements. Perlin says that maintenance is necessary to the roads in the same way that oil changes are necessary for the life of a car--they prolong the usability, as well as sustain the quality of use.
Last September, the town held a study session, and one of the topics discussed was a pavement management program. Public works presented a survey which showed that, on a scale of 1 to 100, Los Gatos roads scored 64. "It's probably a D," Perlin said. Five years ago, Los Gatos was at 68. Of the surrounding communities, Los Gatos was the second-worst, and Los Altos scored the highest at 89. The town's plan would bring Los Gatos' roads up to 75 by the end of next year, and keep the roads at that level for five years.
The town considered five different options before deciding on the two-year construction plan. A sophisticated computer program pinpointed the streets and areas that needed the most work, based on the town's budget and timeline.
Of the $15 million needed for the entire resurfacing project, the town already has $13.5 million: $4 million from "year-end savings" and the rest is revenue from Measure B--a nine-year, half-cent sales tax passed in 1996.
Public works will send notifications to residents in affected areas, as well as set up a hotline for Los Gatans to call and find out about their neighborhoods. Since the hotline is not yet functioning, those interested in the program may contact the Parks and Public Works Department at 408.399.5770.
Perlin says that the benefits of resurfacing go beyond the obvious. He says that he has noticed road facelifts leading to homes being painted and new landscaping being done. "There's nothing like having a street in a good condition on which you live," Perlin said. "It becomes a catalyst for neighborhood improvements."
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Los Gatos, California Since 1881
