There is a lot happening on our streets to prepare for winter storms and mitigate fire risk, and we can expect driving delays on our roadways for the next few weeks. The county, Caltrans, and the SCE contractor are asking for our patience and extra caution as they conduct their work. In addition, the county is asking for our assistance in identifying potholes, sediment-filled ditches, failing shoulders, blocked and missing culverts, and other issues that could become a problem this winter. To report an issue, contact the District 4 road yard at (559) 595-7140 or fill out the form at https://tularecounty.ca.gov/rma/public-works/roads/report-a-problem/.

Read on for updates from our county, Caltrans, and SCE!

County Work:

Hello all.

My name is Johnny Wong with Tulare County Resource Management Agency Public Works.  Right about this time of the year, our road crew is busy checking our drainage system and other facilities in preparation for the upcoming winter season.  Recently, some of you may have noticed our road crew working on South Fork drive clearing brush and checking drainage pipes.  To facilitate the work and to provide a  safe workzone for our road crew, the work we performed that day involved the  temporary road closure of South Fork drive resulting in some waiting time to drive through the closure.  Thank you for being patient with us during the road closure.  We will make our best effort to minimize  traffic queue (vehicle back-up) and time of wait during our operations.       

As the slogan goes, “Slow for the cone Zone” and watch for those working in the roadway.  If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the county  [(559) 595-7140].

[From Johnny Wong, Tulare County]

Caltrans Work:

There was no visible work conducted on the Highway 198 culvert rehabilitation project today. Caltrans will be meeting with the contractor on Monday and will provide us with an update after the meeting.

Background: Rehabilitating drainage culverts is essential for this segment along State Route 198 to avoid possible future flooding damage and the resulting pavement failure caused by blocked and defective culverts. Maintaining culverts is necessary for the stability and proper functioning of the roadway. These culverts have reached or exceeded their design life. They are perforated, heavily rusted, and have damaged end sections and separated joints. Repairing and replacing the culverts is necessary to maintain the highway in good operating condition.

[Source: Alex Aguilera, Caltrans Public Information Officer]

SCE Work:

SCE is in the process of upgrading our electrical system to mitigate fire risk. According to SCE and an employee of the company contracted by SCE, the project includes replacing wood poles with fire-resistant poles and replacing bare overhead power lines with covered conductor (also known as coated wire) to reduce the chance that a power line could arc or spark if it comes in contact with an object such as a tree branch, metallic balloon, or turkey vulture. In addition, fast-acting fuses are purportedly being installed “to interrupt current faster and reduce the risk of ignitions when there is an electrical fault, such as when a tree falls on a power line during high winds.” We can expect at least another two weeks of driving delays (and disruptive power and communication service outages) in our neighborhoods as the SCE contractor completes this essential work.

[Source: SCE and an employee of the company contracted by SCE]