Downtown Los Altos construction to replace water mains and micro resurfacing of Main and State streets is expected to wrap up by the end of September or early October, the city said.
Construction crews from California Water Service and PG&E have been busy this summer working on infrastructure upgrades downtown aimed at improving long-term service reliability and upgrading water mains near the downtown parking plazas.
While contractors are working on resurfacing Main and State streets, plans are in the works for repaving the Central Parking Plazas (Parking Plazas 4, 5 and 6) next spring and in the summer of 2026 after the rainy season, Los Altos assistant to the city manager Anthony Carnesecca said. Construction began early in the summer and paused briefly for the Los Altos Arts and Wine Festival.
“The city is prioritizing infrastructure to ensure that our streets, sidewalks, intersections and every facet of our downtown will be safe, accessible and beautiful for all residents, businesses and visitors that come into downtown,” Carnesecca said. “With increased accessibility and beautiful new streets, the community as a whole will benefit in a positive way.”
Cal Water operations
manager Christopher Wilson said his organization has finished phase one work that includes construction on Plaza Central, from Third Street to State Street, and on Third Street, from Plaza North to Plaza South and is now on to phase two, expected to be completed in a month or two. Phase two includes the remainder of Plaza Central, from Third Street to First Street and parts of North San Antonio Road.
Wilson said services would likely be interrupted for some businesses that back up to Plaza North, with plans to let those affected know 72 hours in advance. Cal Water is also working with the city to minimize impacts. Water would likely be shut down for an hour in the morning or single lane closures for several days. Wilson said most of the work is done one block at a time. He said Cal Water chose this year to do the project as both the city and Cal Water had construction projects they wanted to complete in the coming year.
“We are trying to account for future development, and hopefully, that has a payoff down the road that there would be less of this type of construction,” Wilson said.
