By Scott Sherman

As many residents know, a segment of Mission Gorge Road between Old Cliffs Road and Greenbrier Avenue has been closed off in response to soil settlement problems, causing a significant increase in traffic. The City is concerned that the settlement could progress to something much worse, perhaps a sinkhole. The two south and two northbound lanes, and the median, were closed June 1, with emergency work to investigate the cause of the settling begun June 7.

While the final report on the investigative work is not complete, preliminary results indicate various complex conditions located at different points of the street that may have contributed in part or whole to the soil settlement. One such condition is damage to a 600-foot-long segment of sewer main, which is 25 feet deep, and will be repaired as part of the restoration.

The restoration work is anticipated to be complete later this year, possibly in the fall. The next step includes the installation of monitoring/dewatering wells in the next couple of weeks at the project site. The wells will draw down the existing ground water levels so that the City’s contractors can excavate and repair the sewer main. After the wells are installed, major construction activities will not be visible at the site for a week or two until the results from the wells are tabulated.

Every effort will be made to complete the work as quickly and safely as possible. In order to expedite, construction activities for this project are currently underway from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., seven days per week.

Lane closures will remain in effect until Mission Gorge Road can be restored to a safe condition. Please be aware that no left turns or U-turns will be allowed at Mission Gorge Road and Greenbrier Avenue beginning Sept. 1 and continuing for approximately one month. Additional roadwork signs will be posted ahead of the work area later this week, to encourage drivers to use alternate routes. 

If you would like to be added to the Mission Gorge Project Information list, please email Paula Roberts at paula@humanability.biz.