Storm-damaged roadway in Castro Valley has neighborhood cut off

CASTRO VALLEY -- Storm damage has cut off a neighborhood in Castro Valley for days after part of a roadway collapsed into a swollen creek and repairs won't be happening anytime soon.

Record amounts of rain have caused serious road damage across some 20 sites in Alameda County. One of the most significant areas is on A Street in Castro Valley, where a portion of the road collapsed into San Lorenzo Creek when a retaining wall failed during the heavy rain over New Year's weekend. 

It effectively closed a major thoroughfare from Hayward to Castro Valley.

"You can see the whole street kind of has fallen apart," said resident Saurabh Kumar. 

Kumar and his family live on the opposite side of the creek from A Street in Castro Valley. They saw San Lorenzo Creek start to flood on New Year's Eve as mud flowed through the backyard, then they heard a terrifying sound.

"We could hear the actual bridge falling down one by one, and when we came out we saw that hole," said Kumar.

Both lanes of northbound A Street are now closed. Vehicles are forced to detour around the washed-out road. It's also causing problems for residents, who are all asking the same question as Kumar. "When would they be fixing that street?"

"I don't want to say how long, but it could take a significant amount of time," said John Medlock Jr, Deputy Director of Alameda County Public Works. "The county is trying to fast-track these repairs the best we can."

Medlock says the level of damage to the roads across Alameda County is unprecedented and the repairs can't start until the rain stops.

"We may have to adjust our design or our plans as we go along because other storms could have a significant impact," said Medlock.

The focus right now is to shore up the damaged areas temporarily with massive sandbags or rocks. Long-term fixes require structural engineers, competitive bids, and regulatory approval. 

Medlock says crews can't just rebuild what was there, but will likely have to improve it.

"These facilities were probably built 60 years ago. The design standards have changed," he said.

The damage on A Street will cost at least $6 million to fix and probably won't be finished until sometime this summer. Additional damage across the county will probably exceed $30 million to repair. Medlock said Public Works may be able to get funding from the state or federal government to cover a portion of that.