PG&E pipeline project may continue to affect Stanford commuters

The work is replacing transmission pipelines along sections of Page Mill Road and Junipero Serra Boulevard.

Update on Friday, June 21, 2019:

PG&E’s pipeline replacement project along Stanford campus roads will continue, but with revised hours, during the summer.

The utility said work along Junipero Serra Boulevard between Page Mill Road and Campus Drive West will be underway from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Monday, June 24, through Thursday, June 27. Beginning Friday, June 28, work hours are scheduled for 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; on Saturday, June 29, work will end at 2 p.m.

Flaggers will allow traffic to pass one lane at a time.

Work at the intersection of Page Mill Road and Junipero Serra Boulevard, which will include detours, will continue from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m., beginning each week on Sunday evenings and continuing through Saturday mornings.

PG&E expects the Page Mill-Junipero Serra work to conclude July 13 and other work in the area to continue through the end of July.

PG&E is updating digital message boards to include updated information and notifying those living in the affected areas by phone.

PG&E has provided contact information for anyone with questions about safety or other details:

Concerns about natural gas odors in or around a home or business: Call (800) 743-5000.

General questions about this project: Email Crystal Jewell, a PG&E gas outreach specialist, at crystal.jewell@pge.com.

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PG&E is scheduled to replace sections of gas transmission pipelines on and near the Stanford campus, likely causing delays for commuters along Page Mill Road and Junipero Serra Boulevard, beginning Monday, March 18.

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Pipeline replacements near the main campus will begin April 1. (Image credit: John Holleman/Stanford News Service)

The overall window for the replacement project was tentatively scheduled for March 18 through June 22, but will now continue through July. Specific dates remain subject to change due to weather and other unexpected events.

PG&E’s project manager, Bryan Gordon, said the utility decided to perform the upgrades following a routine inspection of gas pipelines.

Roads will remain open for two-way traffic. Much of the time, traffic at sites along Page Mill Road will be reduced to a single lane in each direction. At four sites along Junipero Serra Boulevard, at least one lane will be open, with flaggers directing traffic.

The work most likely to affect Stanford commuters is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday in the following areas during the dates listed:

  • Eastbound lanes of Page Mill Road between El Camino Real and Ash Street, April 1 – June 22
  • Two eastbound sections of Page Mill Road between Hanover Street and Peter Coutts Road, May 2 – June 19
  • Southbound lane of Junipero Serra Boulevard just south of Campus Drive East (flaggers will allow traffic to pass one lane at a time), March 26 – June 20
  • Three sections of Junipero Serra Boulevard near the intersection with Campus Drive West (flaggers will allow traffic to pass one lane at a time), March 18 – June 18
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Work on Junipero Serra Blvd. will occur at four sites. (Image credit: John Holleman/Stanford News Service)

The project will also affect these areas:

  • Eastbound Page Mill Road at Junipero Serra Boulevard. Work is planned for 9 p.m.-5 a.m. Monday through Saturday and will include detours, April 21 – June 19.
  • Southbound shoulder of Junipero Serra Boulevard between Page Mill Road and Stanford Avenue. Car lanes will remain open while work is underway, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays. Motorists must share the road with bicycles because of cones in the shoulder, May 18 – June 10.

“We will do everything we can to reduce the impacts on traffic,” Gordon said. “But some disruption will be unavoidable.” He said no Sunday work is planned but is possible in the event of unexpected delays.

The PG&E project will replace sections of Line 132, one of two gas transmission pipelines that run through Stanford property. Other sections of Line 132 and all of Line 109, which runs along Junipero Serra Boulevard, were replaced in late 2012 and early 2013.

Gas service will not be interrupted but workers might need to “safely vent gas” during the project, Gordon said. “If so, we’ll be sure to notify our customers and members of the public in the area. Depending on wind direction, the smell of natural gas and the sound of it venting from the pipe as it dissipates may be noticeable in the area.”

PG&E plans to trim a number of trees along the west side of Junipero Serra Boulevard to prevent them from being damaged during construction and to remove a dead tree, which is a safety hazard.  Otherwise, PG&E said to expect “normal pipeline replacement activities,” such as digging, shoring, welding and installing steel pipe, backfilling and paving.

PG&E provided the following contact information for anyone with questions about safety or other details:

  • Concerns about natural gas odors in or around a home or business: Call (800) 743-5000.
  • General questions about this project: Email Crystal Jewell, a PG&E gas outreach specialist, at crystal.jewell@pge.com.