In August, the San Jose Department of Public Works will begin what Michael O'Connell, manager of the Engineering and Construction Service Division, describes as "the most intensive sewer rehabilitation project the city has ever undertaken in a business district." The sewer renovation areas include Lincoln Avenue between Minnesota Avenue and Willow Street and Willow Street from Lincoln to Bird avenues.

The project may be major, but the process is routine, O'Connell said. Maintenance crews will repair defects in the sewer system and then install liners in the pipes.

"The liner essentially serves the purpose of removing the entire sewer and replacing the pipes," O'Connell said.

Replacing the liner rather than the pipes will be "less intrusive, quicker and create less interference with existing utilities," O'Connell added.

Because the project will require temporary lane closures in the streets and short-term impacts on traffic, O'Connell said the department would begin with the sewers on Lincoln Avenue.

"We want to be out of the heart of the business district by Thanksgiving," he noted. O'Connell said the department expects to complete the entire project by March 2006.

To minimize the impact that the project will have on traffic, O'Connell said maintenance crews will do some of work at night until 9 or 10 p.m. He added that the crew will bypass certain segments of the sewer system so residences and businesses are not inconvenienced and use a quiet generator and pumps while working at night.

"We are working at a low threshold of noise," he said.

Because the project will impact neighboring residences and businesses, O'Connell said the department has initiated a public outreach policy. He has already met with the Willow Glen Business and Professional Association and the Willow Glen Neighborhood Association. The department also sent letters to nearby households and businesses to notify them of the project and sent surveys to various businesses to find out their hours of operation and past problems, he said.

O'Connell said the benefits of renovating the sewers outweigh short-term inconveniences. "If we didn't do this, the sewers would deteriorate and backups would increase," he said. "We could have overflows into streets, businesses and dwellings."

Willow Glen Neighborhood Association board member Jim Spence said the anticipated inconveniences could be a blessing in disguise for residents who are concerned about traffic on the street. Because the project entails temporary lane closures on Lincoln Avenue, it will give residents an unexpected opportunity to see if reducing the lanes on the street will decrease speeding on the street and a safer situation for pedestrians.

"If the project stays up during business hours, it will give people a chance to evaluate the two- or three-lane system at no cost to the city," Spence said. Overall, Spence said he is pleased that the sewers of Willow Glen are going to be repaired.

"I think it's great," he said. "We are getting upgrades and utilizing money before it disappears because of fiscal problems. It will be a great help to Lincoln Avenue."