Those who use Mitchell Road for travel will be looking at disruptions extending into the next two months.
Two contractors are involved in the project to run a new sewer line on Service Road and connect to a new line to be installed in the center of Mitchell Road to south of Whitmore Avenue. The project will end at the so-called Barbour's Lift Station, a sewer pumping station underground in the road near the Cruisers/Prime Shine Car Wash.
Earlier in 2013 the city awarded a $1.9 million contract to Mozingo Construction for the construction of a sewer line down Service Road between Moffet Road and Mitchell Road. The line is intended to give relief to the heavily burdened sewer line in Don Pedro Road. It is part of a sewer master plan adopted by the city to reduce the chances for a sewer overflow.
Mozingo's project is wrapping up as the project is close to Mitchell Road. In two weeks, Preston Pipelines will take over their share of the project.
"They're kind of at that crossroads right now where they're handing off between the two contractors," said City Manager Toby Wells.
Pipeline will be installed in section on Mitchell Road in about two weeks and extend all the way to the end of May, said Wells.
In November the Ceres City Council awarded a $1.29 million contract to the Milpitas firm to work on the Mitchell Road sewer trunk line and lift station project. Preston's share of the project involves the installation of 1,250 linear feet of 30-inch sewer main, 3,630 linear feet of 24-inch sewer main and completing the Barbours lift station. The work includes "abandoning" the sewer access that currently exists in the slow lane of southbound Mitchell Road next to Cruisers convenience store.
The city started the moving process over two years ago "and now we're completing the moving process," said City Manager Toby Wells. "Our maintenance staff will now be able to maintain this lift station from the safety of being outside of the travel lanes rather than have to shut down the entire roadway."
Wells said the work will upgrade a system that is "significantly limited in capacity" and takes care of a bottleneck in flow from the east side of Ceres to the sewer facility on Morgan Road.