CLEARLAKE ? An AT&T work crew was out at Olympic Drive and Old Highway 53 Thursday, rerouting its service lines. The work being done is part of the Rite-Aide relocation project that broke ground in 2008.
A requirement of the project was installation of traffic signals and road improvements at the Four Corner”s intersection where the new store is located. The rerouting of service lines was held up while waiting for PG&E to move its utility poles. City Engineer Robert Galusha said that AT&T uses PG&E”s poles had to wait for the electric company to relocate its poles in order to proceed with its tasks.
After the road improvements were complete, Galusha said there were still three poles located in the roadway. “PG&E just completed realigning their electrical facilities that serve the Rite Aid building,” Galusha said. “PG&E has finished moving their poles and now AT&T is moving its facilities. They have to reroute the service there to get clearance on our street.”
Galusha said the project has been ongoing for more than a year. “We started more than a year agon on this project, but now it is getting finished,” he said. “Once they get it all done, they can remove the last pole and the Rite Aid contractor will be able to take out the barriers that are in the street.”
Galusha said removing of the barriers will require a minimal amount of pavement patching. “Basically, they are just patching the hole where the pole was,” he said.
According to Galusha, the new traffic signals at the intersection will have to be operational before Rite Aid is allowed to open for business.
Contact Denise Rockenstein at drockenstein@clearlakeobserver.com or call her directly at 994-6444, ext. 11.
