Work on a portion of developer Phil Tagami’s Army Base project has come to a halt – now going on for four weeks – because the Port of Oakland has raised concerns about the quality of the work, the Post has learned.

Work was done to create a trench around the project area for underground electrical wiring that is placed within conduit and buried – what is referred to as the “utility corridor.” However, it has been discovered that the trench is not deep enough which could mean large vehicles could potentially damage or break the electrical lines.

According to sources, the Port of Oakland says the trench is not up to code, that there should be a concrete cap over the conduit and that the source of materials should be available for inspection.

At last month’s CED meeting, city staff said they are working directly with the port to resolve this issue, although it is unclear what costs this will add to the project. In addition, it is not clear at this point how long this snafu will set back construction deadlines for various parts of the project.

Councilmember Libby Schaaf said she was concerned to learn this info, which was first brought to the councilmember’s attention at the CED meeting.

According to city staff, the subcontractor is being held responsible, and Tagami, who represents the city as a developer and property manager on the Army Base project, is not liable for the delay or for redoing any of the work.

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