BART to Repair Erosion Areas Near Five Canyons

BART’s tracks are going to need some maintenance near where they soar over Five Canyons Parkway on the east side of town, the transit agency has announced.

There is erosion near the abutments (columns) that hold the tracks up over streams and roads as it runs along the median of Interstate 580, according to documents discussed at several recent hearings. There is no danger present, and the problem is easily fixable, according to BART officials.

Three BART abutments need work in Castro Valley, and a similar project is underway at two sites in Concord.

These are planned and not emergency repairs, BART said. They are expected to begin late in 2024 or early in 2025.

BART has been holding public hearings to discuss the project and gather suggestions for ways to do the repairs better or with less disruption. One was held over Zoom but targeted at residents of that part of Castro

Those hearings are required under environmental quality laws. BART says there will be environmental impacts of the work, but they can be minimized with proper measures.

But as they proceed, there may be temporary lane closures on roads in the vicinity, said spokesman James Allison. It is too early to say just where and when they’ll occur, he added.

“We can tell you they’ll be brief and well-marked,” said Allison.

Within the project area, I-580 crosses Fraga Road, Five Canyons Parkway, Old Dublin Road, East Castro Valley Boulevard, and the Chabot-to-Garin Regional Trail. San Lorenzo Creek runs nearby, but none of these abutments carry BART across the creek. All the repair projects are on the BART right-of-way, the agency says.

One project, known to BART staff as Project Site L5008W, is the west side bridge abutment that supports BART bridge rails, running between the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-580 and over Fraga Road and Five Canyons Parkway.

Project Site L5009W is the west side bridge abutment that supports the BART bridge rails, running between the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-580 and over Old Dublin Road.

Project Site L5010W is the west side bridge abutment that supports the BART bridge rails, running between the eastbound and westbound lanes of I-580 and over East Castro Valley Boulevard.  

BART has also briefed and will be sending email updates to Supervisor Nate Miley, who represents the area, and to members of the Castro Valley Municipal Advisory Council.

To see BART’s full Slope Stabilization Project, please visit: https://www.bart.gov/sites/default/files/docs/DRAFT_IS_MND_BART_Slope_Stabilization_0.pdf4