A portion of one of Danville's major throughways is seeing a planned road closure that kicked off Thursday (March 23) and is set to continue for the next several weeks.

Workers with the town’s public works department began a repair project to replace an aging drainage culvert along Diablo Road, with the portion of road between Alameda Diablo and Avenida Nueva expected to be closed to through traffic through April 13.

"The project is necessary to maintain safe travel on Diablo Road and integrity of the Town drainage system, as the existing culvert pipe is at the end of its 60-year lifespan and structurally compromised by winter storms," Town spokesperson Jenn Starnes said in an announcement Wednesday.

In addition to replacing the culvert, workers will remove several nearby eucalyptus trees that have also been further stressed and compromised amid ongoing storms, with more than 20 trees having already fallen along Diablo Road.

"The Town is working with the private landowner to remove the trees, the timing of which will overlap with the culvert replacement project window and extend into late April, weather permitting," Starnes said.

The tree removal efforts will also lead to one-way traffic only being allowed on Diablo Road between Alameda Diablo and Fairway Drive.

Plans for the project began in January, following an inspection during repairs to slope along the roadside in the midst of winter storms.

"They found the pipe to be flattening, causing slope erosion and a dip on the surface of Diablo Road," Starnes said.

The project will consist of trenching across the road in addition to the culvert replacement, according to the town’s announcement.

"The project is being planned with efficiency of time and resources, and full closure of Diablo Road will result in the shortest project duration and most efficient replacement of the critical drainage infrastructure," Starnes said.

More information, updates, and a map of the road closures are available here.