Downtown Los Altos in Los Altos, Calif., on September 30, 2009. (Ananda Paulas/Bay City News)

The city of Los Altos began a water infrastructure upgrade this week that will improve water supply reliability and fire protection for the area, California Water Service said. 

More than 7,060 feet of aging water main will be replaced, along with installing additional fire hydrants, Cal Water said.

“This is an important project for our downtown area, and we appreciate everyone’s patience,” said Dawn Smithson, Los Altos suburban district manager. 

The work will be done in two phases, beginning with Plaza Central from Third to State streets, then going from State Street to Main Street, then back up Main Street to Third Street, Cal Water said. 

Phase II will tackle the remainder of Plaza Central, from Third to First streets. Work will continue along all of Plaza North, from First Street to Edith Avenue, and then down Edith Avenue to San Antonio Road. 

The whole thing is expected to take two months for Phase I and three months for Phase II, according to Cal Water.

Traffic control will be in place and some parking may be affected, Cal Water said, but all local businesses will remain open. 

Katy St. Clair got her start in journalism by working in the classifieds department at the East Bay Express during the height of alt weeklies, then sweet talked her way into becoming staff writer, submissions editor, and music editor. She has been a columnist in the East Bay Express, SF Weekly, and the San Francisco Examiner. Starting in 2015, she begrudgingly scaled the inverted pyramid at dailies such as the Vallejo Times-Herald, The Vacaville Reporter, and the Daily Republic. She has her own independent news site and blog that covers the delightfully dysfunctional town of Vallejo, California, where she also collaborates with the investigative team at Open Vallejo. A passionate advocate for people with developmental disabilities, she serves on both the Board of the Arc of Solano and the Arc of California. She lives in Vallejo.