Smith Road Pressure Reducing Station and Smith Road Pipeline Realignment Projects
Caltrans is widening State Route 49 between McKnight Way and the La Barr Meadows/Allison Ranch Road intersection in Grass Valley. NID operates a 10‑inch transmission main that crosses beneath the highway just east of Smith Road. To prevent damage and service disruption during Caltrans’s grading and widening work, NID will lower and relocate this pipeline in advance of highway construction.
As part of this work, NID will also address the existing pressure‑reducing valve (PRV) station on Smith Road. The current PRV has reached the end of its service life and will be compromised by the highway‑widening project. Relocating the station is necessary to maintain reliable pressure control for the service main across the La Barr Meadows area. This facility is the only source of water supply across Highway 49 in the Smith Road vicinity, making its replacement and relocation essential.
The relocated transmission main will be installed inside an 18‑inch steel casing for added protection and extended beyond the existing below‑grade PRV station with a new 8‑inch pipeline connection. Because Caltrans requires construction within the highway right‑of‑way to occur at night, and to minimize daytime traffic impacts, pipeline work within the roadway will take place during nighttime hours.
