Benicia water-line project reaches bid review after Lopes Road slide

A joint Fairfield-Benicia project to rebuild the damaged Lopes Road section and repair two water pipelines has reached the bid-review stage, more than three years after the March 2023 storm-related landslide.

Fairfield opened bids on June 25, 2026. Teichert Construction submitted the apparent low bid at $9,129,511.50, according to the city’s bid-results document. That amount is higher than the document’s $8.7 million engineer’s estimate.

The result does not mean Teichert has received the contract. Fairfield states that the bid summary is not a formal award, a responsiveness finding or a determination that the apparent low bidder is responsible. As of July 28, no later award record was identified in the cited project materials.

There is also an estimate discrepancy readers should keep in mind: Fairfield’s capital-project webpage lists an $8.3 million engineer’s estimate, while the official bid-results document lists $8.7 million. The bid-results figure is used here for comparison with the apparent low bid, but the difference should be resolved in the final award or contract records.

What the project would repair

The construction plan covers the landslide area on Lopes Road in Fairfield, near I-680 and south of Gold Hill Road. The work would stabilize the failed slope, including deep soil mixing, and add drainage features intended to reduce soil saturation.

The damaged roadway would be reconstructed, and guardrails would be replaced. The project also includes repairs to Fairfield’s 30-inch potable-water pipeline, a related conduit bank carrying power and communication lines, and Benicia’s 36-inch raw-water transmission pipeline.

The City of Benicia says the 36-inch pipeline carries water from sources serving the city toward its water treatment system. The March 2023 slope failure damaged the line and forced closure of the affected Lopes Road section. Benicia later installed a temporary bypass, with Lake Herman available as an alternate short-term source.

What happens next

The Fairfield project planroom lists construction as tentatively scheduled to begin by August 2026 and gives the work a 150-working-day duration. That schedule depends on a formal award and subsequent contracting requirements, including bonds, insurance, licensing and execution of the contract.

The 150-working-day estimate should not be treated as a confirmed road-reopening date. Construction timing could change after the city completes its review or if contracting and field conditions create delays.

Why Benicia residents are watching

The physical construction site is in Fairfield, but the project matters to Benicia in two direct ways. Rebuilding Lopes Road could eventually restore an important connection for commuters and other travelers, while replacing the damaged transmission line would improve the long-term resilience of a key part of Benicia’s water system.

Residents should watch for a Fairfield award announcement, the final contract amount, a construction notice, traffic-control information and a confirmed schedule. Until those records are issued, the project remains in the post-bid phase rather than under construction.

Sources

• Fairfield bid-results document
• City of Benicia Water Transmission Pipeline Incident page
• Fairfield Online Planroom project listing