Moraga Road will be closed to all traffic on Wednesday, August 19 from 8:30 - 4:30 for slurry sealing from Rimrock Road to Via Granada at the Lafayette city limits. Stanley Boulevard and Camino Diablo will also be repaired as part of this project, but will remain open. For drivers not exactly sure where tiny Rimrock Road is, this street is smack dab on the first sweeping curve when you're heading from Lafayette to Moraga, past Silver Springs Road and Old Jonas Hill Road. Residents should plan to use alternative routes between Lafayette and Moraga on that day.
This must seem like dÇjÖ vu all over again for residents. While it feels like only yesterday this very same thoroughfare was under construction, that was actually last year and the responsible party was EBMUD, replacing aging water pipes. According to Matt Luttropp, Associate Engineer with the City of Lafayette, EBMUD patched the portion where the new pipes were installed, but didn't address failed sections of the roadway. This project repairs the entire road and will ultimately prolong its life. The four step process starts with patch paving and crack sealing. Next a chip seal would follow - not a Dorito-eating marine mammal - but actually a mat of molten asphalt and recycled tires covered with rock chips blankets the entire surface. This overlay is very user-friendly and can be driven on after just a few minutes. A slurry seal comes next, usually about a week after the chip seal; taking four to five hours to dry completely.
"No streets will be closed to traffic during the patch paving, crack filing, or the chip seal process, but traffic delays are to be expected due to lane closures and traffic control," said Luttropp. Only Moraga Road will be closed during daytime hours for the very last phase of the project, because it's so narrow.
Chip sealing is scheduled for Friday August 7 for all three roads, slurry sealing will occur on Wednesday August 19 and Thursday, August 20.