San Marcos, CA—Construction on the $104M San Marcos Creek Project is set to begin this week, rain or shine, after needed equipment and materials have arrived on site. Barriers and construction signage will be installed along Discovery Street adjacent to the San Marcos Creek. This begins the first phase of construction for the two-year project and may cause traffic delays in the project area.
At the City of San Marcos, the health and safety of our community is our top priority. Amid the COVID-
19 outbreak and Governor Gavin Newsom’s “ stay at home” order , project construction will proceed as project construction activities are exempt under the order. Here are the two sections in the order supporting this exemption:
• Emergency Services Sector: “Workers who support the operation, inspection, and maintenance of essential public works facilities and operations, including bridges, water and sewer main breaks, fleet maintenance personnel, construction of critical or strategic infrastructure, construction material suppliers, traffic signal maintenance, emergency location services for buried utilities, maintenance of digital systems infrastructure supporting public works operations, and other emergent issues”
• Other Community-Based Government Operations and Essential Functions: “Construction workers who support the construction, operation, inspection, and maintenance of construction sites and construction projects (including housing construction)”
Given the importance of the project and its role in providing critical transportation infrastructure and relief from flooding, the City will continue with construction as planned.
The Creek construction team is taking all recommended precautions to stay healthy and safe by following the guidance from public health officials, not gathering in groups larger than 10 people, practicing social distancing and frequent handwashing on the construction site.
Work This Week
The construction team will add signage and barriers at the following streets:
● Signage at the intersection of Bent Avenue and Creekside Drive and at the construction site’s
entrance (430 Via Vera Cruz)
● Barriers along Discovery Street between Via Vera Cruz and Bent Avenue
Upcoming Work
In the following weeks, the construction team is expected to begin:
● Clearing non-native plants in the creek bed: While working on clearing the Creek bed and building the levee, road closures and detours are expected along Craven Road, Bent Avenue and Discovery Street.
● Building a levee adjacent to Discovery Street: A new temporary road will be created
alongside Discovery Street, between Bent Avenue and Via Vera Cruz, to allow construction vehicles access to the Creek.
● Prepping Discovery Street for future widening
● Closing Bent Avenue for road improvements and bridge construction
What to Expect
Construction hours are Monday through Friday, from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Those who live in the area or visit the surrounding neighborhoods will notice construction-related noise, increased construction vehicle traffic, detours and lane and road closures during construction.
Throughout construction, SDG&E will also be relocating utilities in the Creek Project area.qw121
Construction Alerts
The City encourages residents to visit the project website and sign up for alerts to stay informed throughout project construction:
● Website: Visit www.san-marcos.net/creek for project information.
● Text updates: Text SMCreek to 484848 to sign up for text updates.
● Project hotline: Call 877-SMCREEK with any questions and a team member will respond within
48 hours.
● Email: Email creek@san-marcos.net with questions or requests and a team member will respond within 48 hours.
Para información y actualizaciones en español, por favor visite la página de la ciudad: www.san- marcos.net/arroyo.
