Another Delay for BART Path Work Behind El Cerrito Plaza

The start date for construction of the new BART path behind El Cerrito Plaza has changed again. Now it's set for late next month, mainly because of a delay in construction of the adjoining segment in Albany, according to BART.

Last November, BART said that section of the pathway was scheduled to close for the construction this past January. Then it moved to March, then April. Now it's late August.

For months now, BART has been working on segments of the path under the elevated BART tracks, also known as the Ohlone Greenway. The work – intended mainly to strenghten the elevated tracks' ability to withstand earthquakes – also includes new landscaping and reconfiguration of the paved pathways underneath.

The new delay for the segment behind El Cerrito Plaza, which runs between Brighton Avenue in Albany and Fairmount Avenue in El Cerrito, has been caused by a delay on the adjoining segment in Albany, between Portland Avenue and Brighton, said BART spokesman Jason McLean.

BART's policy is to not have two adjoining segments of the Greenway under construction at the same time, McLean said.

BART seismic retrofitting was completed several months ago on the Portland-Brighton segment, and repaving and widening of the Greenway path should have promptly followed. But the use of an edging material—not part of the original plans—. The edging boards are installed to make a clean separation between the asphalt path and the decomposed granite jogging shoulder, and between the shoulder and the landscaping.

But a test section of recycled plastic material that the city of Albany wanted to use warped in hot weather, indicating it could melt next to hot asphalt. 

The contractor then suggested a metal edging material, which the city rejected. The concern was that the metal edge, if exposed, could be a safety hazard. The final solution appears to be pressure-treated wood held in place with wood stakes.

"The old-fashioned way," said city of Albany engineering contractor Greg Jacobs, adding that he okayed the wood material after viewing a test section and that work is underway.

McLean said the header boards weren't the only reason for the delay. 

"The weather was a huge factor," he said, adding that it was the rain, not the total volume, but the "cycle of the rain" this year that intermittently stopped the work and contributed significantly to the delay.

McLean said the Albany section is now expected to be completed in late August with work on the Brighton-to-Fairmount section behind the Plaza to commence right afterward.

BART has also been working on the BART path north of Potrero Avenue and near Baxter Creek Gateway Park. That work, scheduled to be completed next month, is being accelerated with the hope that it finish on time, McLean said.

Yvetteh Ortiz, engineering manager for the city of El Cerrito, said next week should provide a more definite picture of when that portion will reopen.

Overall, McLean said, the BART retrofitting project in El Cerrito and Albany "is going relatively smoothly."

More information can be found on BART's earthquake safety retrofit Web page.