UKIAH CA., 8/31/24 — Sewer lines are being replaced on Gobbi Street east of State Street in Ukiah, and drivers and commuters can anticipate that traffic will be a mess. The work will start at Orchard Street and progress westward to State Street. Some areas may have one-block closures, some blocks may be westbound only, and the MTA northbound bus may have difficulty accessing stops at the Ukiah Natural Foods Co-op, Orchard Plaza, Social Security office, the Ukiah Post Office, and other businesses.
How long will the headache last? By email, Ukiah Deputy City Manager Shannon Riley explained why that burning question is hard to answer. Riley said that there are a lot of utility lines buried under Gobbi Street, some of them “roughly 100 years old.” The contractors doing the work won’t know what they’ll encounter until they open up the area, and then it may be necessary for subcontractors to deal with what they discover. Weather may throw in another monkey wrench. Some parts of the job can be done in rainy weather while other parts cannot. All this puts a lot of ifs on a vital project that inevitably will cause plenty of disruption.
Riley promises as much communication and construction forecasts as the city can deliver given all the variables. She suggests that people sign up for email updates through Ukiah’s webpage at www.cityofukiah.com/ucrt
If you work or shop in the area, plan for delays or try to figure out work-arounds. And hope that the ifs turn out to be quick fixes!
Here’s the official announcement from the City of Ukiah:
Beginning on Tuesday, September 3rd, work to replace the sewer lines will begin on East Gobbi starting at Orchard and moving west to State Street. East Gobbi will have one-lane closures on blocks with active construction; in those areas, traffic will be allowed westbound only. This will, at times, impact MTA’s ability to access the Northbound Local 9 bus stops: Co-op, Autumn Leaves, the Ukiah Post Office, Social Security and Big Lots.
MTA will need to reroute the Northbound Local 9 during the hours of construction for affected areas; other traffic will be detoured as well. Thus, neighborhoods in the areas of Waugh Lane, Cooper Lane, Betty Street and Marlene Street should anticipate additional traffic during construction hours.
What are the construction hours? Monday-Friday, 7am – 5pm
Where will lane closures occur? Lane closures will only occur on blocks where there is active construction. The first area will be between Orchard Avenue and Leslie Street. From there, construction will move west toward State Street. At this time, it is unknown how much time will be spent on each section.
Will any traffic be allowed in the construction areas? Yes, but only westbound in those areas.
What about emergency and delivery vehicles? Construction crews will always allow emergency and delivery vehicles through. Residents will also have access at all times.
Why westbound only? The sewer lines are on the south side of the street. Unfortunately, Gobbi Street isn’t wide enough to accommodate active construction plus two lanes of traffic.
Will Gobbi Street be repaved after this? Yes. Once the utility and concrete work is complete, Gobbi will be reconstructed.
What about Main Street? Gobbi, Main and Perkins are all part of one large project called the Urban Core Rehabilitation and Transportation project. Main Street is also having utilities replaced and then will be completely reconstructed. Perkins Street will have storm drains added and be repaved. For more info about this project, see www.cityofukiah.com/ucrt
For more information on MTA buses, please call 707-462-1422 or visit www.Mendocinotransit.org; for more information about the construction project, please contact Deputy City Manager Shannon Riley at sriley@cityofukiah.com or visit the webpage at www.cityofukiah.com/ucrt