What's Up With Lewelling?

For months, the Alameda County Public Works Agency  has been plugging away at a massive improvement project along Lewelling Boulevard. But impediments—both natural and man-made—have stalled the process, and local residents say their patience is wearing thin.

"They just paid us for this year and next year for the use of the easement, because they were supposed to be finished last year," said Doris Marciel, whose property abuts the project. "Communication is the real big problem."

Funded by a half-cent sales tax, the completed project will replace gravel shoulders with stamped sidewalks and storm drains, fix badly rutted roadways and add bike lanes in both directions.  Power lines will move underground, paid for by the redevelopment agency.

But heavy rains and sluggish partners have slowed progress to a crawl.

"We are severely hampered by PG&E," Public Works Deputy Director Stanley Fung told the Ashland Citizen Advisory Committee when it met earlier this month.

The utility has been charged with undergrounding power lines, a crucial step in the renovation process. But planners said the company has dragged its feet. Power for roughly 70 parcels must be moved underground before the project can go forward, a process that could take six to eight weeks, said Project Manager James Chu.

If everything goes according to plan, the improvements should be completed about a year after they were originally scheduled to wrap.

"Assuming we have a normal winter here, we’re going to finish by next spring," Chu said. "But again, that really depends on the weather."

Meanwhile, neighbors are frustrated and some businesses are hurting.

At , fourth quarter sales were down 60 percent from the previous year, said Bill Lambert, assistant director of economic development at the Alameda County Redevelopment Agency.

"I feel sorry for the businesses, because I know they’ve had difficulty," Marciel said.

So how bad is the situation on Lewelling? Check out our video (complete with nauseating jostles) and decide for yourself.