Repairs Complete at San Francisquito Creek

Residents of a flood-prone neighborhood in East Palo Alto can rest easier now that the first phase of repairs to the San Francisquito Creek bank have been completed.

The creek overflowed in December 2012 and sent mud and debris onto Woodland Avenue, damaging homes and threatening PG&E infrastructure and a portion of the roadway, which had to be closed to traffic.

The damaged section of Woodland Avenue has since been resurfaced and reopened, and the exposed slope of the creek bank has been shored up with mesh, rock, and installation of a new concrete dike, community development director John Doughty said.

"It's a great start," Doughty said. "This will hold for some time to come."

The repair project cost a little over $165,000, Doughty said, though additional work is needed along the waterway.

A bridge over University Avenue needs to be reinforced, and repairs need to be made to "boils" or weak points on the creek levee where high water seeps through and weakens the structure.

The eventual cost of the project could reach $2 million, and the city of East Palo Alto is continuing to pursue financing options for the remainder of the work, Doughty said.

A ribbon-cutting ceremony to mark the completion of the project will be held at 5:30 p.m. today, opposite 1651 Woodland Ave.

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