Old 6-inch cast iron pipe on Ojai Avenue is being replaced with new 8-inch PVC pipe expected to last at least a century.
Old 6-inch cast iron pipe on Ojai Avenue is being replaced with new 8-inch PVC pipe expected to last at least a century.
Steel plates on Ojai Avenue will keep the street a bumpy ride for several more weeks while crews work to complete a major construction project.
The West and East Ojai Avenue pipeline replacement project was originally slated for completion in December, but crews encountered difficulties in the first segment of pipe between Ventura Street and Signal Street, according to officials with Casitas Municipal Water District.
Crews found “what we call legacy infrastructure that nobody knew about, so we did some work-arounds,” said Michael Flood, CMWD general manager.
The unexpected infrastructure — possibly old irrigation pipe — was discovered below ground at the intersections of Ojai Avenue and Ventura Street, and Ojai Avenue and Signal Street.
“One of the things you have to worry about is what’s inside those pipes,” said Flood, so rather than cut into them, crews worked around them. “It took a little bit more time and materials, but it was a good solution. Hopefully, there will be a lot less of that going forward and we can have this wrapped up in March or April.”
Much of the pipeline beneath Ojai Avenue was installed prior to 1950, with some old cast iron pipe put into the ground as far back as 1939.
The portion of the pipeline between Ventura and Signal streets was the site of a water main break in July 2014 that flooded the Ojai Playhouse, causing its closure.
The old 6-inch pipeline, likely reduced in volume due to corrosion, is being replaced with new 8-inch PVC pipe. The new pipeline is expected to last at least 100 years and will help avoid water main breaks and disruptions in water service.
In March, the Casitas Board of Directors awarded a nine-month, $3.8 million construction contract to Burns Pacific Construction of Thousand Oaks, and the project to replace approximately 6,210 feet of water line got underway in June. “They’re working out there every day they can and we’re anxious for them to get finished,” Flood said.
The work is being done in sections, according to Flood, with crews currently working on a section that runs from Fulton Street east to Gridley Road. “After that, I would expect they’ll take on the section from Montgomery to Fulton, and then they’ll finish up with the section from Bristol over to Ventura,” he said.
One lane of traffic will be maintained in each direction during the work, but parking on Ojai Avenue will be impacted in active work zones.
Fortunately, there is no pipeline in front of the Arcade. Rather, it’s routed behind the Arcade, up Matilija Street, Flood said.
The project is one of 28 individual projects to improve the Ojai Water System. Seven of the projects have been completed, funded by a bond measure approved by voters in 2013.
Casitas expects to have the remaining projects completed within the next five years, according to Flood.
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