Diablo Magazine recently published an article, “Tunnel Vision”, on the Caldecott tunnel. Did you catch it?
Read more about the Caldecott project here.
Tag: Caldecott Tunnel
Caldecott Tunnel Trivia Question 5
Congratulations to Julie D. of Walnut Creek! She correctly answered how many vehicles travel through the Caldecott Tunnel every day – 160,000 – and won $10 to Peet’s.
The Fourth Bore Project recently celebrated a major milestone with the tunnel “breakthrough”. What does this significant milestone represent for the project?
This Week's Headlines in Transportation and Transit: Nov. 26 – Dec. 2, 2011
Caldecott Tunnel workers see light, BART is one step closer to San Jose, local bike shops you should check out. Read our weekly news & events roundup for Contra Costa County, East Bay & Bay Area for transit, biking and transportation.
Caldecott Traffic Advisory
TRAFFIC ADVISORY: EVENING RAMP CLOSURES
Oakland, Calif., – Below is the scheduled upcoming closures associated with work on the Caldecott Fourth Bore Project.
Please note that fog and inclement weather would impact the schedule.
Contra Costa County:.
Westbound Fish Ranch Road On-Ramp: Planned closures between the hours of 9 p.m. Monday, November 21 and 5 a.m. Tuesday, November 22; and between the hours of 9 p.m. Tuesday, November 22 and 5 a.m. Wednesday, November 23.
The work is being performed as part of the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore Project. In addition to the excavation of a 3,400-foot-long tunnel north of the existing three bores, the project involves traffic improvements on the eastern and western sides of the tunnel.
For more information on the upcoming ramp closure, log on to www.caldecott-tunnel.org
This Week's Headlines in Transportation and Transit: Nov. 12-18, 2011
Our weekly news & events roundup for Contra Costa County, East Bay & Bay Area for transit, biking and transportation. Get your good reads on!
Caldecott Tunnel Progress Update
Caldecott Tunnel workers keep on tunneling! Here’s the latest graphic and digging updates:
- Eastern side topheading: 2,529 feet
- West side topheading: 613 feet
- West side bench: 197 feet
Caldecott Tunnel Progress Update
The latest graphic and numbers are in for the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore!
Eastern portal:
- 2,426 feet on the east top heading
- 552 feet on the west top heading
- 197 feet on the west bench
For more official Caldecott news, visit http://www.caldecott-tunnel.org/
Caldecott Tunnel Progress Update
As of October 8, 2011. In standard units, the contractors are 2,385 feet in on the top portion from the east, and 528 feet in on the top portion from the west (almost 90%); and approximately 197 feet in on the bottom portion from the west. That’s a lot of tunneling!
Caldecott ramp closures tonight, Aug 30th to Thursday, Sept 1st
Below is the schedule of closures Tuesday evening – Wednesday morning (August 30 – 31) and Wednesday evening – Thursday morning (Aug. 31 – Sept. 1). These closures are associated with work on the Caldecott Fourth Bore Project.
Westbound (in Oakland)
Westbound Caldecott Lane Off-Ramp:
- Closed from 8 PM on Tuesday, 8/30 – 6 AM on Wednesday, 8/31.
- Closed from 8 PM on Wednesday, 8/31 – 6 AM on Thursday, 9/1.
Vehicles will be detoured to the State Route 13 connector ramp.
Westbound Closures in Contra Costa County (August 30 – 31 & August 31 – Sept. 1)
Fish Ranch Road On-Ramp:
- Closed from 9 PM on Tuesday, 8/30 – 5 AM on Wednesday, 8/31
- Closed from 9 PM on Wednesday, 8/31 – 5 AM on Thursday, 9/1.
Vehicles will be detoured to eastbound State Route 24 and take the Wilder Ranch exit. Vehicles will access 24 westbound at Wilder Ranch.
Bore #3 (Westbound from Contra Costa):
- Closed from 10 PM Tuesday, 8/30 – 4 AM on Wednesday, 8/31
- Closed from 10 PM Wednesday, 8/31 – 4 AM on Thursday, 9/1
For more information on the upcoming ramp closure, visit www.caldecott-tunnel.org
Caldecott Tunnel Progress Update
As of August 13, the Caldecott Tunnel construction is progressing as follows:
- Topheading eastern portal: 2,080 feet
- Western portal (topheading): 359 feet
- Western portal (bench): 77 feet
Source: http://caldecott-tunnel.org/
Oakland traffic advisories Friday 8/5 to Saturday 8/6
Below is the schedule of traffic advisories for Oakland from Friday evening to Saturday morning associated with work on the Caldecott Fourth Bore Project.
Eastbound (in Oakland)
Broadway On-Ramp: Closed 8 PM on Friday, August 5 to 8 AM on Saturday, August 6 for the installation of K-Rail.
Vehicles will be detoured to Brookside Avenue in Oakland.
Lane #4 Eastbound 24: Closed between Kay Street Overcrossing and the west end of Bore #1 from 10:30 PM on Friday, August 5 to 6 AM on Saturday, August 6. Bore #1 will tentatively close from midnight until 7 AM, Saturday, August 6.
Westbound (in Oakland)
Caldecott Lane On-Ramp Closure: 9 PM on Friday, August 5 to 8 AM on Saturday, August 6 for the removal of K-Rail.
Caldecott Lane Off-Ramp: 8 PM on Friday, August 5 to 10 AM on Saturday, August 6.
Vehicles will be detoured to the State Route 13 connector ramp.
(Pending) Upcoming Closures in Contra Costa County (August 8, 9)
Westbound Fish Ranch Road Off-Ramp: Closed 9 PM on Monday, August 8 to 5 AM on Tuesday, August 9.
The work is being performed as part of the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore Project. In addition to the excavation of a 3,400-foot-long tunnel north of the existing three bores, the project involves traffic improvements on the eastern and western sides of the tunnel.
For more information on the upcoming ramp closure, visit www.caldecott-tunnel.org
Caldecott Fourth Bore East Portal Update
How is Caltrans progressing on the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore? Take a look inside the East Portal with this latest video:
Caldecott Activities Update
The excavation of the first of seven cross passages between bores four and three has begun. The cross passages will serve as a safety feature for motorists when the new tunnel opens to traffic. To see more pictures of the West Portal Crosspassages go to www.caldecott-tunnel.org.
Source:
Caldecott-tunnel.org
The latest Caldecott Tunnel construction update
Just in – new numbers and a new graphic for the Caldecott Tunnel construction:
- East side topheading: 1705 feet
- West side topheading: 233.9 feet
With nearly 590 meters tunneled and just over 400 meters left to go, the top heading of the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore is now 60% complete!
Read more about the Caldecott Tunnel Fourth Bore project:
- The Official Fourth Bore Project website
- The 511CC Caldecott Blog
- Fossils that Caltrans is digging up
- Special precautions crews must take as they dig through the “gasey” rock.
Inside the Caldecott Tunnel
Most of us will only see the new Caldecott Tunnel from our car windows, but new pictures of the ongoing construction give a glimpse of the construction process now five months underway.
ABC Local News reports that miners are working around the clock to pull 1,500 tons of rock and mud out of the hills each day. Every day, the tunnel gets 10-15 feet closer to its 4,000 foot goal. After every five feet, workers reinforce the tunnel by spraying a thick coat of shotcrete onto the new walls, drilling holes for new support bolts, and layering another six inches of shotcrete.
All of this digging, spraying, and drilling pushes the tunnel deeper into the hills and into occasional pockets of poisonous and flammable methane gas. Something as innocuous as a cell phone could produce enough electrostatic spark to ignite the methane and produce a deadly fireball.
The risk of ignition is so great that workers are “brassing in and out.” The term refers to using brass tags to tell who is “in and out” of the bore. Why brass? Should something go wrong, brass will survive heat up to 1,700 degrees.
As if methane fireballs weren’t bad enough, the slick walls and layers of shotcrete post risks. Redundant safety measures generally protect workers from fluctuations in temperature and leaking mountain water, but last November, a 5’x3′ section of shotcrete broke off and injured two workers.
It’s enough to make someone appreciate the boring view from the other three tunnels.
In other news, the Caldecott Tunnel’s official website recently launched a new page to help the project’s neighbors understand what to expect in each phase of construction. The page explains each stage, as well as any noise or schedule implications.
The installation of pipe canopy is expected to wind down this month. Next, tunnel excavation will begin and continue into early 2012. Noise will be highest during the first 60 feet, but will diminish as the activity moves further into the hills. More than 50 truckloads of material will be removed form the site each week, but hauling will be restricted to 7 am to 9 pm.
More from ABC:
Early excavation of the Caldecott fourth bore (video)
What’s it like to work on a $400 million project in California, removing tons of rock and debris along more than 3,300 feet? Watch the Caldecott Tunnel fourth bore construction crew and the 130-ton, 54-foot-long roadheader hard at work in the following Caltrans video:
For more videos, visit the YouTube page for Caldecott Tunnel fourth bore construction updates.
Caltrans releases first official video documentation of Caldecott Fourth Bore Tunnel Project
Recently published by the California Recovery Task Force, Caltrans put together the following video, first in a series aimed at documenting the construction of the Caldecott Tunnel Forth Bore.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NCWT6jtKYQc
Interviews with newly-hired workers start at 2:23, conducted by Jeff Weiss.
2:23 and 3:33 – Cody Edwards, Construction Engineer
2:49 – Daniel Alegria, Miner
3:19 – Mei Wu, Small Business Owner
4:10 – John Cichosz, Operating Engineer
The video also includes clips of various stages of construction on the fourth bore, including the initial construction of retaining walls and the first drilling by the roadheader.
Tunneling to begin Monday in Orinda
Caltrans contractors plan to start carving out the fouth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel on Monday. The roadheader that is being used for the project is a 130-ton, 54-foot-long and 14-foot-tall excavation device with a rotating cutter mounted on a boom. The roadheader will dig the 3,389-foot-long bore that will add two freeway lanes.
According to contracostatimes.com, the roadheader’s whirling teeth will dig into the hills after a short ceremony at 10 a.m. Monday to mark the milestone in the three-year construction project. Other machinery will dig the first few feet, and the roadheader will take over the excavation in about a week. Caltrans spokesman Jeff Weiss said, “There’s a very narrow window of opportunity to see the roadheader in the open. Then its underground until the project is finished.” To read more go to www.contracostatimes.com.
Source:
• contracostatimes.com
This Week's Headlines in Transportation & Transit: Jul 31 – Aug 6, 2010
Upcoming Events & Meetings
- Sat. 8/14 – GreenFEST Contra Costa 2010
Local News (Contra Costa County & East Bay)
- Tunneling for Caldecott Tunnel to begin Monday in Orinda
- AC Transit Youth Passes no longer offered on paper; students must apply for and use a Clipper card
- Judge grants injunction suspending contract imposed on AC Transit workers
- AC Transit says more service cuts may be ahead after court ruling
- New, free shuttle service to downtown Oakland launched
Bay Area and California News
- Temporary Transbay Terminal transit hub to open this Saturday in SF, but the real test will come Monday
- Bay Area high-speed rail tracks unveiled
- Demolition of Old Transbay Terminal set to begin Saturday morning
- Temporary Transbay Terminal to open Saturday for bus riders
The Caldecott Construction leads to the discovery of fossils from millions of years ago
According to mercurynews.com, fossil hunter Joshua Wyatt recently found the imprint of an avocado tree leaf- about 10 million years old- preserved in smooth rock like leaves flattened between layers of wax paper. The excavation of the fourth bore of the Caldecott Tunnel has opened a door for paleontologists to search for fossils expected to give clues to old life-forms and climate change in the Bay Area. Private paleontologists hired by Caltrans already have found a tooth, likely a remnant of a camel, and dozens of remains of fish scales, plants and other bone bits. Read more about this, Mercurynews.com.
Source:
• Mercurynews.com
Caldecott Closures Wednesday & Thursday, July 14-15
According to caldecott-tunnel.org, the left lane and the adjacent lane (#1 & #2) of westbound Route 24 before the Caldecott Tunnel will be closed Wednesday and Thursday nights, July 14-15 from 11:00 PM – 4:00 AM. The middle tunnel bore will also be closed during this time period.
Source:
• www.caldecott-tunnel.org
Several Caldecott Closures Tuesday Night July 13th
According to Caldecott-tunnel.org, the far right lane (#4) of westbound Route 24, before to the Caldecott Tunnel will be closed Tuesday night, July 13. The closure at 7:30 PM, with full closure in place by 8:30 PM. The closure will be until 4:00 AM.
Also, the Fish Ranch Road off-ramp and on-ramp will be closed from 9:00 PM – 5:00 AM.
That same night, Tunnel Bore #3 will be closed from 10:00 PM – 4:00 AM.
Source:
• www.caldecott-tunnel.org
Assembling of Tunnel Machine at East Portal
A giant roadheader, which was built in Northeastern Germany, was shipped to Oakland and assembled at the east portal of the Caldecott Tunnel. There are several weeks worth of work that must happen before the excavation can begin. According to Caldecott-tunnel.org, the $3.5 million dollar machine weighs 130 tons and has been attended to by several German workers who arrived with the machine to oversee its assembly and testing.
Source:
www.caldecott-tunnel.org
On-Off Ramps and Third Bore Night Closures
July 6-8 the far right lane (#4) of westbound Route 24 will be closed. Work crews will begin the closure at 7:30 PM and full closure will take place at 8:30 PM. The closure will take place until 4:00 AM.
During those nights, the Wilder off-ramp will be closed from 9:30 PM until 5:00 AM. The Wilder on-ramp will be closed from 11:30 PM until 5:00 AM. July 6-8 the Fish Ranch Road off-ramp will be closed from 9:00 PM. Until 5:00 AM.
According to Caldecott-tunnel.org, Caltrans crews will be installing electrical conduit as part of the Fourth Bore Project.
Source:
• www.caldecott-tunnel.org
