Glenside Drive got new asphalt this year. The City of Lafayette's 2026 Road Paving Project resurfaced it from Reliez Station Road to Glenside Circle, along with Los Palos Manor. On October 30 the City reported that the 28-street program had reached substantial completion and that no more road closures were expected. Next up is EBMUD's Las Trampas Rd. Cluster Pipeline Replacement, scheduled to begin in November 2026. It covers Las Trampas Road between Reliez Station Road and Glenside Drive, plus Phillips Road, Schelling Avenue and Glenside Circle. Side streets that cross the route will be affected for short stretches as the work moves along.
EBMUD gives the job about seven months. That figure covers the pipeline work. EBMUD's project page says the asphalt crews lay down each day is temporary, and that final paving "may take up to 90 days or longer" after the pipeline work is done. If the work starts in November and runs seven months, crews would be wrapping up around late spring 2027. Final paving could then land in late summer 2027 or later. Until then, these streets will be patched while the blocks next door already have new pavement.
Three schedules overlapping on the same few blocks
On February 9, 2026, the City sent residents on the paving list a notice explaining that utility companies would update or relocate water and gas lines before the overlay. The same letter warned that "any excavation work within the road after the resurfacing is complete will require extensive (and more expensive) restoration measures." The EBMUD project comes after that overlay and runs right up to its edge. Las Trampas Road is on EBMUD's list up to Glenside Drive, and so is Glenside Circle, where the City's Glenside Drive paving stopped.
Here is how the schedules line up, using dates from the City and EBMUD:
- February 9, 2026: The City notifies residents of the 28-street paving program and says utility work comes before the overlay.
- October 30, 2026: The City reports the paving program substantially complete, Glenside Drive and Los Palos Manor included.
- November 2026: EBMUD's scheduled start on Las Trampas Road, Phillips Road, Schelling Avenue and Glenside Circle.
- About seven months later: Pipeline work wraps up, by EBMUD's estimate. Crews remove equipment and materials within one to two weeks.
- Up to 90 days or longer after that: Final paving.
EBMUD hasn't released a street-by-street sequence. It says only that the time spent on each street will vary. In practice, a household on Schelling Avenue can't tell from EBMUD's page which month crews will reach its frontage. The "No Parking" signs are the first local warning.
What a weekday looks like under the cones
Most of the project's day-to-day effect on these streets follows a few published rules. This is what EBMUD's project page lists:
| Item | What EBMUD says |
|---|---|
| Work hours | 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday |
| Parking notice | "No Parking" signs posted 48 to 72 hours before work starts |
| Evenings | Street parking allowed after work hours; cars must be moved before the next workday starts |
| Weekends and major holidays | Street parking allowed; cars must be moved before the next weekday workday |
| Getting in and out | Traffic control provided; delays of up to 10 minutes |
| Garbage day | Put bins out in the usual spot; crews move them if needed so they get picked up |
| Emergency access | Kept open at all times |
| Water shutoffs | Announced ahead of time with a door hanger |
| Equipment | Kept in the neighborhood during construction; removed within 1 to 2 weeks after completion |
EBMUD says air can get into the pipes after an interruption and loosen particles in home plumbing. Its instructions are to close the toilet supply valves, then run the front hose bib, bathtub or cold-water faucets for one to three minutes. If water quality problems continue after that, call EBMUD.
The order of work explains why one block can look busy, go quiet, and then get busy again. EBMUD's community impact flyer lays out the sequence. First come signs, utility marking, material delivery, potholing and sawcutting. Then crews build the pipeline, backfill the trench, lay temporary paving, run compaction tests, and pressure-test and disinfect the new main. Hydrants and connections follow, and then customers are switched over to the new main. The last stage is punch-list work, cleanup, concrete restoration, final paving and striping. The flyer also says weather, permits, equipment failures, utility conflicts and design changes can push the schedule back. A winter start makes the weather item especially relevant.
Why EBMUD works in clusters
The streets on this list run off one another, and that grouping is how EBMUD plans this work. Its pipeline replacement program says it groups candidate replacements into clusters to reduce the impact on customers.
EBMUD says it runs 4,200 miles of pipeline serving 1.5 million customers, and that half of that pipe went in more than 50 years ago. The system includes cast iron, asbestos cement, steel and plastic. To decide which pipe to replace first, it uses a risk-based model that weighs leak history, soil, slope, elevation, local hazards such as landslides, and how close a pipe is to creeks and other water.
Creeks are part of this neighborhood's geography. A 2013 Lamorinda Weekly history of Burton Valley notes that Las Trampas Creek and Grizzly Creek run through the area. It also cites a 1957 Contra Costa County Public Works photo showing the housing boom along both sides of St. Mary's Road near Glenside Drive, at the site of today's community center. The City says the Lafayette Community Center at 500 St. Mary's Road was formerly Burton Elementary School.
This is the latest of several EBMUD cluster projects in Lafayette. In July 2025 the City reported EBMUD waterline work on Reliez Valley Road, with weekday detours via Withers Avenue and Taylor Boulevard. In May 2026 it reported EBMUD's overnight Wilkinson Cluster Pipeline Replacement downtown, on Mt. Diablo Boulevard, Moraga Road and Wilkinson Lane. Busy downtown arterials got overnight work, while the Las Trampas Road project runs on daytime weekday hours.
The cost of each mile
EBMUD's July 2025 Pipeline Rebuild memo puts numbers on the program. In FY2025 the district replaced about 25.4 miles of pipeline against a 25-mile goal. It set targets of 25 miles for FY2026 and 27.5 miles for FY2027. It invested about $100 million in Pipeline Rebuild that year, and the average infrastructure-renewal cost rose to $3.7 million per mile, up from $3.4 million in FY2024. The memo blames materials, labor, equipment rental, permit conditions, changes in pipe material and harder projects. EBMUD needed a $16 million transfer from unallocated funds to cover the FY2025 increases.
Customer rates help pay for that work. When EBMUD's board adopted the FY2026–FY2027 budget in June 2025, it set a $3.2 billion two-year budget with average increases of 6.5% per year for water and 8.5% per year for wastewater. It also budgeted $1.9 billion for water pipeline replacement over 10 years, within a $5.6 billion 10-year capital plan. In April 2026, the San Francisco Chronicle reported that the July increases of 6.5% for water and 8.5% for sewer would bring the average East Bay household's combined water and sewer bill to about $135 a month. That figure doesn't include a separate wastewater charge worth about $15 a month.
Who to call while the work is underway
EBMUD lists these contacts for the project. It also asks residents with special needs to call so it can try to accommodate them.
- Community Affairs email: [email protected]
- Community Affairs phone: 510-287-2053
- After-hours assistance: 1-866-403-2683
EBMUD scheduled a virtual community meeting for November 10 to cover the construction schedule, traffic and parking. Its construction map shows other active projects nearby. The City of Lafayette's Weekly Roundup carried the project announcement on November 6, and the Roundup is the place to watch for detour or closure notices on Las Trampas Road.
If you live on Las Trampas Road, Phillips Road, Schelling Avenue or Glenside Circle and are planning a remodel, an addition or a listing for 2027, the order of trenching, temporary patching and final paving will affect when deliveries, dumpsters and listing photos can happen. Paddy Kehoe Team brings a builder's eye to that kind of scheduling. Schedule a free Home Strategy Session and we'll plan your project around the street's timeline.
