Grinding and paving work along El Camino Real in Los Altos and Mountain View will slow traffic between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m., Nov. 15 through Dec. 10. Caltrans officials predict delays of up to 10 minutes.
The grinding work will be to bring manhole and water valve covers to the same level as street grade. Operations will affect both north and southbound traffic.
Work will require shifting spot lane closures in one lane only during the daytime hours. The work involves jack hammering, which local noise ordinances limit to daytime hours.
Traffic volumes northbound range from 740 to 1,700 vehicles per hour between 9 a.m. and 3 p.m. and from 1,550 to 1,840 vehicles per hour in the southbound direction for the same time period.
Motorists should allow extra time to travel El Camino Real or choose alternate routes, Caltrans officials said.
Los Altos completes 12 miles of street repair
At its Nov. 9 meeting, the Los Altos City Council signed off on completion of a street project that included an application of slurry seal to 12 miles of city streets. Cost of the project was $136,060.
Bruce Bane, director of public works, said a slurry seal is generally applied to low-traffic-volume residential streets when a pavement surface has aged to the point of losing small aggregate and appears rough.
Slurry seal provides preventive maintenance to extend the street life from five to eight years.
"Public Works has established a goal of slurry sealing approximately 10 to 12 miles of streets biannually to allow coverage of all residential streets and low volume roads every eight years," Bane said.
LAROAR funds donated to city
Once the courts agreed that St. Joseph Avenue in Los Altos could remain closed to general traffic, the Los Altos Residents Opposed to Access Road, known as LAROAR, donated the balance of their funds to the city of Los Altos.
At its Nov. 9 meeting, the Los Altos City Council officially accepted $8,000 from LAROAR, the balance the group had built up in its "war chest to help in our efforts to ensure that the restricted status of St. Joseph Avenue be maintained," said the steering committee.
The committee also thanked the city staff for "outstanding assistance" during the 16 years the gate was "a grave concern" to St. Joseph Avenue area residents.
The steering committee suggests the city may wish to replace the existing gate with one "more in keeping with Los Altos architectural standards."
Council begins review of master plan
At its Nov. 9 meeting, the Los Altos City Council approved a timeline for review of the master plan of the civic center. Once a 17-member task force is formed, the group will select a facilitator, define the desired requirements, develop options and then select a plan which will include recommendations to the council. Recommendations are due back to the council in early May.
The task force will consist of representatives from groups using the civic center, including the soccer league, seniors, Bus Barn, education center, parks and recreation commission, and Little League as well as some city staff members.
Attempted murder in Mountain View
A 35-year-old woman was almost killed Nov. 18 when a male suspect broke into her room and tried to suffocate her with a pillow from her bed, Mountain View police reported.
The suspect, who could only be identified as male, apparently entered through an unlocked door of the victim's apartment in the 2600 block of California Street after 5 a.m. The victim reported she awoke to find the suspect on top of her with his hands around her neck. When she began to struggle, he placed a pillow over her head.
The victim was taken to El Camino Hospital with "significant injuries" to her neck, police said. The victim's purse and cell phone were taken during the incident.
Anyone with information is asked to call Detective Dan Vicencio at 903-6714.
- Town Crier Staff Reports