San Mateo County preps for Middlefield Road upgrades in North Fair Oaks

The office has been conducting outreach for the Middlefield Road Improvement Project, a more than $21 million effort to reconfigure travel lanes, upgrade sidewalks, underground utilities and replace sewer lines from Douglas to Sixth avenues.

After awarding the project contract to construction company Granite Rock, light construction began in mid-May with crews digging holes into the road to confirm where utilities are currently underground. The work led to delivery and business disruptions in the area, Vice Chair Juan Carlos Prado said.

Krzysztof Lisaj, principal civil engineer with the county, said Public Works was aware of the issue, noting that type of work is often brief but requires crews to frequently jump around, making it difficult to notify businesses when exactly they may see disruptions.

Lisaj assured the council businesses would be better notified when more intense road work begins soon. He said crews will block off two blocks at a time as sewer and utility work begins but pedestrian paths and delivery vehicle access will be implemented.

Councilmember Blair Whitney shared confidence in the county’s ability to manage the project well and called Granite Rock a “reputable company” but stressed the importance of completing work in a timely manner. Referencing similar upgrades in neighboring Redwood City, Whitney said the projects have “crawled along” resulting in disruptions.

“For us, Middlefield is our neighborhood business district. It’s very disheartening for people to see street real estate taken out of usage,” Whitney said.

Lisaj said the Public Works Department has stalled on beginning construction to allow for additional planning to be conducted behind the scenes. The project timeline suggests construction should be done by the winter of 2022 but additional utility work will be conducted by Pacific Gas and Electric potentially into 2023.

Staff has asked Granite Rock to provide details to the county on how crews will prevent business obstructions, requiring the contractor to routinely communicate directly with merchants. Crews must also inform businesses of when construction will begin in front of affected businesses on any given two-block portion of the street at least 48 hours before beginning work.

“Public Works is aware of the importance of making sure we get in there and finish the project in a timely manner for several reasons,” Lisaj said. “There’s always potential conflicts or obstructions so we’re doing what we can to make sure we avoid that.”

The Office of Community Affairs has also distributed project information to each business both through texts, email and in person. A packet of project details and contact information was also given to business owners who turned out to an in-person meeting near the Middlefield Road Mural parking lot on Thursday, June 24. Gonzalez said six businesses were present at the event.

A second virtual meeting will be held 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 30. Councilmember Beatriz Cerrillo requested the county consider holding informational meetings for businesses at times other than 10 a.m. to encourage participation.

Gonzalez said a survey showed businesses preferred a time slot after the breakfast rush and before lunch but said the office would continue to monitor when information can best be disseminated. Each business will also receive the meeting packet regardless of meeting attendance, she said.

“We’re getting emails. We are getting calls,” Gonzalez said. “We know information is getting out to the community.”

The Middlefield Road Improvement Project community meeting will be held at 10 a.m. Wednesday, June 30, via Zoom. *67 (669) 900-6833, Meeting ID: 952 6086 4367, Passcode: 844310.

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