It’s infrastructure week!

One very visible set of preventative maintenance projects of which many residents have been painfully aware are the relatively recent efforts to replace many of the city’s aging water and sanitary sewer pipes. Because our water and sewer pipes run largely beneath the city’s streets, replacement of those mains involves blocked streets for hours at a time, and disruption of service while the pipes are being swapped out. Not to mention the noise and dust that comes from trenching and repaving. But the short-term pain these projects cause is preferable to simply letting the old pipes fail.

Not all infrastructure work is preventative, of course. For instance, this summer construction should begin on a new 750,000-gallon water tank just below the Easter Bowl, up in Emerald Hills. This new tank will not only provide additional storage capacity, it will also improve firefighting capabilities in the area. Or, there is the long-awaited Highway 101 underpass project, which will provide pedestrians and cyclists with a key link in a safe and direct route between the heart of Redwood City and the Bair Island neighborhood. While this underpass will be particularly useful for the many people who live at One Marina, Blu Harbor and the like, it will also be terrific for people like me, who enjoy walking to Inner Bair Island. Without it, my only options when walking are crossing the freeway at Whipple Avenue (traversing the onramps and offramps is quite dangerous); crossing beneath Highway 101 (which can be cramped and muddy, and until recently was the site of a homeless encampment); or using the Maple Street overpass, which has a very narrow sidewalk and an uncomfortably low railing (and yet is the best option).

Streets are a very visible component of Redwood City’s infrastructure, one that we all encounter nearly every day. As everyone can readily attest, those streets require regular maintenance and improvement. Redwood City does have plans to resurface a number of streets in the near future, most notably sections of Alameda de las Pulgas, Marine Parkway and Vera Avenue. Turning my focus to pedestrians, Redwood City has been implementing a number of projects that have arisen from its Safe Routes to School initiative, with plans for more. Just the other day, I paid a visit to the city’s most recent efforts in this area, an update to three sets of crosswalks leading to and from John F. Kennedy Middle School. All three have been reworked with pedestrian safety in mind, with the crosswalk across Alameda de las Pulgas at Goodwin Avenue receiving the greatest number of new elements. In addition to bulb-outs, a new median island (enabling pedestrians to take momentary refuge from oncoming traffic), and new, more visible striping, this intersection will soon receive a set of manually-activated beacons that will alert motorists to the presence of a pedestrian waiting to cross Alameda de las Pulgas.

On an even larger scale, the long-planned Hopkins Avenue traffic calming project is finally about to be implemented. This project will add median islands, curb bulb-outs, more visible crosswalk striping and flashing beacons at Stafford Park in an effort to convince motorists to obey the posted 25 mph speed limit. As one who often walks along Hopkins Avenue, I can attest to the need for this particular project.

Whether an infrastructure project is highly visible, such as an improved crosswalk, or less so, such as a project to replace an aging sanitary sewer pump, such projects are a critical function of our city government. Whether they are being done because something has failed, or simply to head off a future failure, these are necessary projects that help make day-to-day living easier. While no one actually expects you to celebrate Infrastructure Week, consider giving the efforts of our Public Works Department and their contractors some thought. And if you are so inclined, raise a toast to the mostly unsung people who keep our city humming.

Greg Wilson is the creator of Walking Redwood City, a blog inspired by his walks throughout Redwood City and adjacent communities. He can be reached at greg@walkingRedwoodCity.com. Follow Greg on Twitter @walkingRWC.